The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-10
JURY Is SECURED
TWELVE FARMERS TO TRY MRS.
IRENA LEONARD.

noon beginning With Ex-Coroner NC
Collister Who Tells Nothing New-The
Usual Big Crowd in Attendance
County Attorney Will Introduce Ne"
EvIdence-Two Witnesses viii Testify
That Mrs. Leonard Said She was Marry
ing Leonard for His Money.
At ? o'clock yesterday the trial Of the
case of the state versus Mrs. Irena Leon
ard; for murder, was fairly launched in
the district court of this county.
For three or four days the officers
were finding citizens from whom to pick
a Jury. and on Friday morning specia.
yenire- Of fifty farmers were called in.
Even among that number it was impos-
sible TO find twelve suitable persons,
and on Friday night the officers were
sent out into Gypsum township to get
fourteen more farmers. The court and
attorneys agreed in the interest of time
and economy to get a jury from the
country, men who would be less liable
20 have formed an opinion in the case
than city or town people.
At IL o'clcck yesterday the jury was
secured and sworn. They are as fol-
N4C4iO4dS GG0SIud0, Joseph Al
berts, ]. Simon, James, Currie, Phillip
Carson, Homer AIcAllister, F. Heiger,
Thomas StanFbach, J. NJ. Post, William
+. Parker, w. II. Babb and II. J. York.
After the jury was empaneIled Coun-
~ Attorney Davis presented his case.
About this time Judge Dale made a
ruling, instrucung the jurors not to
read the Eagle or Beacon during the
trial. With reference to the Eagle
Judge Dale thought it was better 20
prevent twelve men from aiding the
paper than to deprive 1900 people OF
the proceedings Of the trial.
That the case is of more than local in
terest is evidenced by hundreds Of let
ters received at the Eagle business office
from news dealers in Kansas and Okla
homa, ordering extra copies during the
trial.
There will be a great deal Of new evil
dence introduced, so much that Judge
Dale has all the docket assignments
postponed three days in anticipa ton OF
the trial lasting that much longer than
he expected.
The new evidence that the state win
introduce will be witnesses 10 prove
that Mrs. Leonard got divorce from
Williamson and married Leonard for
his money. 1t is alleged that she told
two women of this and they are believed
&c be Mrs. Clouse and Marie Hilbert.
1t is also alleged that the state will
prove that she had illicit relations with
Leonard before they were married and
that the love that caused these rela>
tons was not what ii usually is when
marriage for good motives is contem-
plated.
The defense has not yet outlined what
its new evidence will be, but they will
doubtless do so when their side OF the
case is reached.
After the statement of County Attor>
ney Davis to the jury the court adjourn
ed until 2 o'clock.
When that hour arrived there was a
lTage crowd in the court room, most OF
them being ladies.
At this point there was diversion
IN the proceedings and something Of
interest to those present as many OF
them had never before seen the process
Of granting instantaneous nuptial sep
arations.
Before anybody knew what was I'D
Fannie Bogwell took the witness stand
and after answering a few questions
put to her by Judge Dale she went
away in the full enjoyment of single
blessidnesS hand in hand with a 7-year-
old boy. The proceedings occupied ex-
GClly Two
Next" was the announcement and a
Fright eyed woman who sat on the lap
Of fat woman tripped mp to the wit
ness stand and in exactly so seconds
Bertha Devine was no more the wife of
NJ. d. Devine. Bertha left the stand
as hght-hearted as a lark in spring
Mrs. Leonard was a witness to these
proceedings and watched them with in |
terest. After disposing of a few short |
cases, for which attorneys appeared, |
the trial of Mrs. Leonard was resumed. |
Ex-Coroner AIcCollister was the first |
witness called. He testified in sub |
stance as follows:
4 was coroner Of Sedgwick county |
on Nov. is, 1895. About or $50 o'clock |
IN the morning / found the body of II. |
il. Leonard lying with his face a little |
10 the south and his arms extended |
fifteen or sixteen feet away from the |
alley between Market and Main streets |
and about 80 feet north of Waterman |
street l took the body to the under |
takers where l examined It. There |
was a wound made by a blunt instru- !
ment above the eye, one on the cushion |
or the ear, some on the neck, forearrns |
and limbs. The wound on the neck
was made by an S-square instrument.
SIS its outlines on the flesh Were plain |
mere the aDlllty or competency OF /
Mr.. NcCollister to testify as TO the ma 1
ture Of wounds was questioned by the |
defense but Mack testified that he had |
some ability along that line by reason |
Of working in an undertaking estab- |
Ishment and working nine months in a |
military hospital
Resuming his testimony. he said:
After taking the body 10 the under
takers I went down TO Leonard's home, |
en- the northwest corner of Lawrence |
avenue and Lewis street. where ! ex- |
amined the premises. I found there a |
Ratchet stained with blood, blotch OF /
blood on the threshold between the din |
Ing room and kitchen. 1 found q bucket /
OF water with some rags in II, a stove /
where what seemed 10 be part Of the /
mating was burned. a plank on the /
walk leading to the stable with a spot |
OF blood on it
he then described a trail or blood be-
tween there and the barn and blood on
the dry leaves inside the barn which
stood on the corner Of the alley. He
also found part of the clothing of Mrs.
Leonard that had been recently washed
and not yet dry.
At this point Mr.. McCollister dragged
into the court room his mysterious black
trunk and opened IL. He first took out
the Ratchet that was supposed 10 be the
instrument Of the crime and after the