The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-30
The aa1ieha Daily gaole Thursday 1uring are 50 1899

n m II was used against me n the
trial"
Now these women here say that Kill
ed my husband and whisper about me-"
The other women prisoners know that
Ars- Kew constantly worries about her
husbands death and they annoy ne- whtn
the matrons are not watching Ms. r,tz
gerald. the chief matron. keeps Mrs. New
away from them as much as possible and
comforts her in many ways Her life sen
tence has been conmnted &c forty years IN
order TO give her legal standing to recover
property held by the attorney VINO con-
Quoted her defense IN the murder trial
Lesvenworth, Kan. March e-George
81. Dobbs. the man serving life sentence
for the murder OF Joseph New. was
brought into the deputy warden's office to
be interviewed this afternoon. Dobhs Is
"A years old and tall He wore good BE-
havior suit ana has a fine prison record
He works around the penitentiary as
carpenter and is in poor health. His ner-
vous system Is badly shattered and he
displays emotion when talking OF the
murder OF New. He was told that his
innocence would probably be declared
soon. as the real mu.> erer OF New was
supposed to be under arrest. Dobhs was
unable TO speak at once and tears came
10 his eyes.
Give me little time 70 collect my
were the first words he uttered. When
he became calm he was told the names CT
some of the men under arrest and asked
about them. He said:
81 don't know any of the men arrested
charged with the crime. The description
of Allgood TALES with a man who called
at my place to buy cattle ten days before
the murder OF Joe New. but don't know
him.
Now about the murder Of Joe New.
lived two miles and a half from News and
considered Joe my best friend. I fell from
the Star schoolhouse five weeks before Joe
was murdered. While I was sick he sent
his wife down to clean up my house. Mr..
and Mrs. T. Q. Combs came out from Flu
reka to see me and were there al the time.
When I was able to be moved Joe and his
wife took be 10 their home and cared for
me. The first work did after getting well
was to build a corn crib for him. The
night OF the murder 1 was two miles and
a half away and about O'Clock. when
they say it occurred I was al home play
ing the organ with my little girl. She
played the light part and me the heavy.
1 heard the next morning that he was
killed and went up Immediately. ! shaved
Joe, laid him out and dressed him for
the funeral"
At this point Dobbs gave way 20 HIS
emotions and tears came to his eyes.
81 helped hunt evidence to convict the
murderer" he continued. land was on the
coroner's jury. Eleven days afterwards
they arrested me. was told before the
arrest that was suspected. There was
excitement. but heard little Of Il. / went
to Sheriff Knox, who did not put me under
arrest at first, but told me to go home and
he would send for me when wanted. The
day after 1 was arrested and twelve days
after the murder. my shoes were taken
and prints made in a corn field leading
from the chicken coop. There were no
prints the morning after the murder. for
myself and others examined carefully
The main evidence against me was those
shoe prints. There was other circumstan-
SioNA SNAASA4Sc mat bSifNWtA a hlAJtHN4t
and was around cattle scales trying 20 get
shot. ! borrowed the gun 10 shoot hawks
MY lawyer did not try 10 defend me.
That was plain TO everybody. ] begged
separate trial. but It was not allowed and
my children were not PRINTED 10 testify
to show that j was at home at the time
OF he murder. They tried 10 make me be-
lieve that the woman made a confession.
but learn this IS not so"
In closing he said: Il want the papers
TO publish I am innocent. To have people
think that I murdered my friend is worse
on me than to be kept here"
Dobbs has two children. They are with
a brother IN California He owns eighty
acres OF land.