Omaha daily bee., 1898-12-11
FOR KILLING HIS BENEFACTOR
Will Adams on Trial and Confronted with
Strong Evidence.
IMPLICATED BY CONFESSION OF JAMES oGG
Adams said to Have Brought AbOu
Death of His Foster Father by
Loading Bottled Beer
with Arsenic.

MARSHALLTOWN, Ia, Dec. 10.-(Spe-
cial 1.-THE second day Of the trial Of Will
Adams for the poisoning of Charles Rus
sell, the wealthy Liscomb farmer, and the
close Of the states case was marked with
some decidedly interesting testimony which
has woven a strong chain OF evidence
around the accused. James Ogg stuck to
his story told in his confession to the effect
that he went to Union at Adams request
and purchased the arsenic for him; that he
gave the poison to Adams and that on the
day Of the poisoning he drove over to
Russell's to do some blowing. Before he
left, he said. Adams put the bottle OF pois-
oned beer in the buggy, telling him to give
1t to Russell and not to drink any himself,
although he might pretend to. He testified
that after Russell had been taken sick
Adams told the witness to say he had found
the beer 10 the road. near the home Of
Russell's divorced wife; that he had drank
some and that 1t made him sick. The cross
examination failed to shake Ogg's evidence.
State Chemist Macy, who analysed Rus
sells stomach, testified 1t contained arsenic
In sufhcient amount to cause death. q. j.
Everist, a neighbor, testified that after Rus
sells death. but before Adams had been
accused Of the murder, Adams had offered
him half the farm II he would swear to
q supposed statement of Ogg. Adams wished
It brought out that Ogg had said that his
aunt. Russell's wife. had offered him $50
to kill her husband.
e. G. Warning testified that Adams asked
him to swear that he had thrown the bottle
Of beer In the road, or had found 1t there.
or had seen two strangers throw 1t there. A
number of other witnesses testified to minor
points more or less corroborative.
Defense offered by adams.
In the afternoon the defense opened Its
case by attempting to impeach the veracity
and character of Ogg. but met with poor sue
cess and abandoned the attempt. The de-
tense is attempting to place the crime on
James Ogg and introduced Mrs. Beaman.
sister Of Mrs. Adams, who testified that four
or ave days before Russell's death she saw
q bottle Of beer fall out of Ogg's pocket and
that he explained 1t was medicine for his
mother.
Louis Adams. the defendants brother, tes-
titled that Ogg asked him one night where be
could buy some beer. Unah Bittner, q
brother Of Mrs. Adams. swore Ogg wanted
to borrow money OF him to buy beer and
that Ogg said he had poison to kill dogs
with when he went to steal watermelons.
The most important witness so far intro
duced by the defense Is Mrs. Amanda Adams,
wife OF the defendant. who swors her hus-
band could not have put the poisoned beer
in the buggy. as he had not been near the
vehicle that morning. She said she saw
ogg drive away and there was no bottle
of beer In his buggy. She admitted Adams
often brought bottled beer home.
DR.. Mershon also helped the defense by
testifying that It was the defendant who
first notified the coroner by telephone OF
Russell's death. and that 1t was Adams who
gave the beer bottle to Mr.. Williams to give
to the officers.