Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-12-02
NOVAK is FOUND GUILTY.
Verdict of the Jury Is Murder in
the Second Degree.
imprisonment of Zen Years mt Hard
Labor ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS said
to BE Compromise One-An
Appeal VIII BE Taken.

vinton. Ia. Nov 22.-The Novak trial Is
rapidly drawing to a close and by tonight
or tomorrow forenoon the case will be
submitted to the jury. County Attorney
Tobin finished his closing argument to the
Jury at IL o'clock Saturday morning In
the afternoon Judge Ney opened for the
defense and spoke the entire afternoon.
closing shortly after five o'clock. Mr..
Miner will make the closing argument for
the defense this morning and will be fol-
lowed by Mr.. Boies who will make the
closing argument for the state. Ikis not
at all likely that Judge Durham will
give his instructions to the jury before
tomorrow forenoon.
The following dispatch. which was made
public. has caused a sensations:
Seattle. WASH, Nov. 20.-Charles Wood.
who recently came here from Vinton. Ia.
walked into the police station to-day and
stated that he had met and talked with Ed
ward Murray, for whose murder Frank Mo-
wax Is on trial in Iowa. Chief Of Police
Reed wired the sheriff OF Benton county
the full particulars of the case. and got
several kilograms In return. Investiga-
lions made by Chief of Police Reed salts
fed him that there is no truth In the story,
and he regards Woods statement as an
effort to save Novak from the sallows.
or else the eccentric ramblings OF a man
who Is not mentally sound.
The Twelfth Day.
Vinton, Ia. Nov. 23.-Frank Novak's IA to
will be in the hands of the Jury to-day.
In closing for the defense yesterday At
torney Miner spoke for seven hours, con-
Guiding at three O'Clock in the afternoon.
In his argument Mr.. Miner arrag ned coun-
sci for the state for the reliance they had
placed in Detective PERKINS, statements,
and declared the jury could do no other
thing than promptly return a verdict of
acquittal. He declared that no motive had
been shown for the crime and that the
o,,lx irnr i,,it ~ tincy 1axy
the fact that Novak changed his name at
Omaha to Frank Alfred. and he contended
at that time he was still suffering from the
effects of breathing monoxide gas in his
burning building.
Mr.. Boies began the closing argument
for the state Immediately after Mr.. Miner
concluded, and spoke until $3.50. when adj
journment was taken until nine o'clock this
morning.
Vinton, Ia. Nov. 2.-The Novak murder
case went to the jury at II 10 yesterday
morning, at which hour Judge Burnham
finished reading his instructions. At few
minutes before II o'clock in the evening
Judge Burnham was notified that the Jury
in the Novak murder trial had arrived at
a verdict He at once convened court and
the jury was brought in and reported the
finding of the following verdict:
I'VE. the jury, find the defendant guilty
of murder in the second degree, and recon-
mend that his punishment be placed at
ten years in the pententiary at hard
labor"
The defendant showed no emotion and
said 81 will have to stand it, but I'm in
nocent of the things charged against me-
His counsel stated that an appeal would
be taken to the supreme court for the rea-
son that the record was full of errors. They
stated, however. that they considered it a
victory. 1t Is understood that the verdict
is a compromise one: that two men stood
out for acquittal, and that 1t was either
the verdict rendered or no verdict, and
1t was decided to return the one they did,