Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-06-08
FOLEY TRIAL BEGUN.
COURT WILL TRY To UNRAVEL A
MURDER MYSTERY.
FOLEY VERY SELF-P0SSESSED.
AFFECTIONATELY GREETED BY HIS
SISTERS IN THE COURTROOM.
Panel of FOrty-eiEht Jurors Is Sc
cured From Which Twelve VIII
Be Selected To-day and the
Case Will be Gotten
Well Under Wny.

The trial of William S Foley for the
murder Of his mother. Mrs. Elizabeth 5.
Foley, was begun I'm the circuit court Of
Clay county at Liberty yesterday morning
Foley. who is 80 years old, Is also charged
with killing his sister, Miss Fannie Foiey'
but the prosecution decided to try him upon
only one Of the indictments returned
against him.
a special veniro of seventy-five Jurors
was summoned, and out Of these forty
eight qualified citizens were chosen. An
adjournment was taken until O'Clock thls
morning when the requisite jury OF twelve
good and true men will be selected. Ine
attorneys for the state and the defense Will
then make their opening statements, aiter
which the taking of testimony viii begin.
Sixty-seven witnesses have been summoned
and all except one were in court yesterday.
The case is being tried before Circuit
Judge Elbridge J. Broaddus, who Is ac-
knCwledged by the members OF the par 10
be one of the ablest and fairest Jurlsls IN
Missouri. Prosecuting Attorney W. II.
Woodson has for assistants on behalf OF
the state J. ]. Williams, of Kansas CITY
and Martin Z. Lawson, of Liberty. EX-
Senator II. F. Simrall and Major John
Dcueherty. of Liberty, are conducting the
defense. Foley, while in court, is in charge
of Sheriff J. II. Hymer and his deputies,
Edgar Cave and J. d. Thompson.
As the crimes with which Foley Is
charged were the most atrociOus ever com
mitted in Clay county, great interest IS
being manifested in the trial by the people
~. and even in adjoining counties. Will
lam s. Foley lived on the family farm near
Little Shoal church, three ana on one-naldI Dali
mother, Elizabeth S. Foley. and his sisters,
Misses Fannie and Amelia Foley, at the
time of the double tragedy, which occurred
on the night OF November II, 1886. Foley
and his sisters were born in Gay county:
and had lived upon the farm where ms
mother and elder sister were assassinated.
His father died seven years ago. 50 tar As
Prosecuting Attorney Woodson has made
tireIy circumstantial. II is rumored, how
ever, that some direct testimony VIII oe
given by some Of the states witnesses thal
has not yet been suspected.
Since Mrs Foley and her daughter were
killed. Prosecuting Attorney Woodson Cl ano
Attorneys Williams and Lawson nave peeh
almost constantly at work trying 70 Sc
cure evidence that would either establlsh
Foiey's innocence or guilt. Before ms ar
resi- he stood high in the estimation Of
thousands of the men and women IN Gay
county who had known him since infancy.
else In the county would be glad If he
could clearly establish his claim that ne
IS innocent. and that the awful I ,t Tragedies & es
which he Is on trial for his life, were
committed by some one else.
The story of the donble murder IS as
follows: James ]. Morrow, Foley's broth
cT-in"Iaw who lived half mile from the
Foley farm. intended to go TO Liberty, on
the night OF November II to join lodge
In order that Mrs. Morrow might not be
alone, II had been arranged with MISS
Amelia Foley, younger sister OF hersen an ana
William Foley, to come TO her house I an9
spend the night there. Foley accompanied
Miss Foley to the Morrow home, ARRIVING
there about dusk. In the meantime, Nor
row had changed his mind in regard to 60
ing to Liberty. But Miss Foley deeided 10
remain until morning, and Foley atter ter. a
ments made by Morrow and his wife after
the discovery of the double murder, Foley
left there about 7:30 o'clock and went 70
the home of Leonard Ligon,- where ne re eo
mained, it is claimed, until $50 or $50
O'Clock. although Foley says 1t was later.
Il Was a Terrible Crime.
Between 9:45 and 1918 o'clock Foley re-
turned to the residence of his sister ana
brother-in-law with the startling news that
upon his arrival at home he had found his
mother and elder sister dead. From there
he went to the home OF Jarrott WiiiiaIns W!n,ns
giving the alarm. The assassin had thrust
a gun through window and hred az mem
while they were I'm bed asleep. Although
seV erely wounded, the women ran into an
adjoining room, but the assassin was deter
mined to finish his bloody work.
He broke through the door and entered
the room where they were upon the Hoor
He then finished the butchery of the two
. defenseless women
As soon as informed of the killing. Jar
rott Williams caused the news TO be spread
throughout the entire neighborhood. Bob
williams his son. started 10 Liberty on
horseback and in few hours crowd OF
excited men gathered at the Foley home
stead. Coroner Sewer notified and
hurried to the scene. He impaneled a jury
and, after examination of the bodies.
the inquest was adjourned until the next
day. The body of Mrs. Foley was found
lying on the floor with her arms against
her face. Miss Fannie Foley, when she
ran into the room, after springing from
the bed In the other room, wounded, fell
upon her knees at the foot Of the bed in
the second room. with her head and
resting upon the bed. There she expired.
The night robes of the two women were
saturated with blood that had flowed from
the .gunshot and pistol wounds they had
received.
The fact that the murders were commit
ted with weapons belonging to Foley
the window through which the shots were
fired. and the further fact that Foley
claimed he had not heard the shots while
riding between the Lyon home and his
own home. and his statement that the
women,s pocketbooks would probably be
found In pond near the farm. caused
suspicion to fasten upon him. The pocket
books were found in the pond and then
some Of the neighbors and the officers be-
gan comparing his statements with fhe
facts obtained from others. A number of
persons heard shots between Q and 9.l5
O'Clock that night. and Il was deemed verv
strange that Foley, who was. according
70 ms own story near the Ligon home
aDout that time did not hear them
Foley said he believed a man named Hon.
yer who had recently been discharged from
the penttentiary, had killed his mother ana
sister. But Sheriff HNmer and his ienutjss
could md no one who had seen Hoover in
the nefghborhood. "
Foley brought to Kansas CITY.
The coroners jury remained in sass,o,
Lour aays; durlng all OF which time Foley
vas watched. II then adjourned. after re-
Ccmmending that Foley be held. Thar 1yss
saturday night November p Foley was