Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-03-09


Daughters Infant-Defense Rests and
the Arguments Are Begun This Morn
ing-Reference to Heilwsgon Case.
At the opening of the circuit court
this morning the state announced
that it would offer no testimony in re-
buttal ia the Treglown trial and closed
its case.
Before beginning the argument
States AttorneySearIe entered a nolle
as to Margaret Treglown, for whom
Hon. William Jackson appears, being
satisfied that though she was cuipa-
BILE, she was not sufficiently connected
by the proof to warrant the jury in
finding her guilty.
Mrs. Treglown did not seem to
realize that she was free. She APP
peared dazed and bewildered and it
was some little time before she fully
appreciated that she was at liberty.
She talked freely about the case and
her connection with it. She clings to
her hus band and trusts that he, too,
will be liberated and join her. She
complains bitterly of theconduct of her
children and blames them for all
the trouble that has come upon them.
She would make no statement rs to
the vital facts in the case, as To
whether the child was actually choked
to death or was dead when born. but
stated she may say something later.
She also says that she has been wo
fully neglected by her sister in Mo-
line and her brother, who is quite
prominent in military circles. The
termination of the case as to her
seems to meet general approval. Not
a few believe that she knows about
and perhaps took some part in the
tragedy, but considering her mental
allbre. no one who has followed the
trial closely but believes that any
she might have had was
under the coercion of her husband.
Mr.. Searle, in opening the case to
the jury, made strong presentation
of The law and the facts relative
thereto. He claimed a conviction
upon the evidence and argued that
no substantial defense had been made.
He made no appeal to prejudice or
passion, but laid before the jury the
cold, naked, uncontradicted facts, and
asked for n conviction with Il punish
ment commensurate with the atrocity
of the crime. He closed about IL
o'clock, and after short recess Mai.
Beards!ey commenced his speech IN
behalf of John Treglown. In open
ng, he made reference 20 the He'll
wagon case, in which he claimed
hat q great mistake had been made.
70 any reference to This case Mr..
Searle objected, and the jury was dis
until 1850 to allow counsel to
argue as to the propricty of refer
ence to this case.
Expert Testimony.
Nearly the whole afternoon yester-
day in the Treglown murder trial was
devoted to expert testimony, the de-
Tending attOreys relying almost eXclus-
lively upon this sort of proof to estab-
lish the innocence of their clients.
DIR. c. +. Whiteside and DIR. Joseph
Tremblay, both of Moline, said that
from the conditions found upon post
mOrtem i: was their opinion the babe
was born dead. But upon cross-eX-
these two doctors substan-
tally admitted that upon the facts
proven by the physicians who con-
iucted the autopsy they would give
t as their opinion that the
;hild lad lived from one hour
o day and was strangled.
The last witnesses were Thomas |
justice of the peace, and |
'eter IngleSen. attorney, both of Mo-
inc. They testified to having called
It the Treglown house for the purpose
# getting notes of evidence from the
members of the family, and that
Annie admitted to them that she did
lot know what was done with the
hid, a she had never seen it; that
he did not know what her father had
one to the infant, except what she
ad been told by her mother.
The defense rested its case at j:10
;. m. whereupon the court was adj
burned for the dav.