Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-21
MISUNDERSTANDING
Flhs Gray Murder Case Given
to the Jury Late This
Afternoon.
Defense Has Few Witnesses Gray
1estihes In His OWl
Behalf
Admits He Saw tho Murder But
Says He Was Trying to Pre-.
vent Quarrel

The case OF state against John Gray,
on trial for the murder OF Joseph Will
liams. was given to the jury this after
noon at 8 o'clock, and at o'clock ver-
dict had not been returned. The closing
argument was concluded at 2:3O and
Judge Burnham then instructed the
jury at considerable length relative to
the law, the weight to be given to the
Ieiydence, etc
The evidence was concluded Tuesday
evening at S o'clock, the defense intro
6ucing but five witnesses, including the
defendant. Mr.. Boardman. for the state,
made the opening argument before adj
journment for the day and Mr.. Bishop,
for the defense. addressed the jury this
morning, followed by Mr.. Carney. and
County Attorney Stone closed for the
state.
The line of defense was not revealed
until several OF the witnesses had been
examined. and there was some surprise
when 1t developed that Gray admitted
that he was one OF those at the scene
of the tragedy His own evidence and
tended to show that Gray acted as
peacemaker between the other tramps
and the murdered man and defendant
insisted he had no hand in the shooting.
He says, his star witness says, and two
of the states witnesses say that the
man who fired the fatal shot wore a
sandy mustache. The state has at
tempted to show that two revolvers
them and Dunn, the defendant in a
similar suit, the other one.
The star witness. for Gray was John c.
Shears. Shears is one of those speci-
mens of the gentleman tramp who has
seen better days. who will work occa-
sionally, who is well educated, but who
| is a rover for reasons that no one can
explain. He calls himself wire man
I;ufacturer. z" He makes wire novelties in
the way Of coat and pantaloon hangers,
etc. and sells them between drinks. He
was among the gang OF tramps who
were holding revelry over the kegs of
beer at the stockyards on the day of the
murder OF Williams. He came back here
| to help both Gray and Dunn out OF their
present trouble and to lay the RESPONSE
lbility for Williams death on an un-
k1lOWl TRAM ss8sf ne WIS subjected 10 q
searching examination by the state and
his words and actions were watched
icritically by the Jurors. shears APP
peared in court with his beard neatly
trimmed and with skin white and clean.
hut with tattered clothes, and he was by
all odds the star attraction of the trial.
After the evidence was closed the
state did not hope for conviction fol.
murder in the first degree and rather
surprised the defense by its arguments
Ito the effect that the evidence showed
.conclusively that an accomplice was in
+ the murder. It is thought that the de-
/ Tense weakened its case by trying to
Il show in its arguments that the killing
I5of Williams was in self defense, thus
admitting in way that Gray was par
TALLY to blame, altho it is not known
that the jury took this view of the mat
ter. At the close Of the case a majority
of those who had followed the evidence
depressed their doubt Of Gray being the
man who did the shooting. and either
a m. nj pf cln,iu az