Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-09
LOOKS DARK TOR HOT
Taking Of Evidence In tho Famous
Dynamite Case Well
Under Way.
County Attorneys Statement Indi.
Gates the States Case is
Well Prepared.
Great Interest Being Taken in the
Trial Summary Of the
Testimony.
pecial to Times.Republican.

4 -
est is being manifested in the Hoot case,
now on trial here. AZ announced IN
these dispatches yesterday a jury was
secured and the taking of evidence be-
gun. County Attorney Reeds state
ment to the court shows that the state
has chain Of evidence that will be hard
for the attorneys for the defense to
break.
In his statement Attorney Reed said
in January or February Hoot was mar
Iried after short courtship After liv-s
4 ing together for some months the couple
separated. Then followed detailed ac-s
count of the sending of the letter and
box, a description Of the cabinet, the at
ltempt to open the cabinet, the slight ex-
lplosion while in Mrs. Hoot's hand, the
ltest Of the box and the terrible explo-"
sion resulting.
4 Mr.. Reed said he thought the evil
dence would show that somebody had
sent a deadly explosive to Mrs. Hoot
4 with the intent to kill her. 1t would
also show that whoever wrote the adj
dress on the letter and packet vas ey-s
lidently good penman and had endeav-
lored to disguise his handwriting
/ He said they would introduce
las witnesses the express employees
from Chicago to testify regarding the
sending of the package. They would
Ialso introduce Sheriff Law to give his
Testimony as to his chase after Hoot
and, the ultimate capture of Hoot.
They would also introduce several
mileage credentials slips signed by j.
4 w. Hoot or j. M. Howard. and would
!also have the conductors who took UP
the credentials and tickets. These con-
ductors are the men who carried Hoot
lfrom Omaha to Des Moines. from Des
Moines to Davenport, and from Rock
Island to Chicago.
4 The chambermaid from Omaha would
also be introduced to prove that while
taking care of Hoot 9 room she saw a
box similar to the one received by Mrs.
/ Hoot in the room. The cabinet maker
Who made the cabinet for Hoot would
/ also be introduced to show that he made
the box or one similar9to the one Mrs.
Hoot received. The hardware merchant
who knew Hoot and who sold him the
dynamite would also stify as to the
buying of the explosive Another Wit
ness from Omaha who say both Hoot
land the cabinet would give testimony.
with these witnesses and others Mr..
Il Reed said the prosecution would make
A their case and endeayor to prove the
I Finding Of the grand ury.
a Attorney Pickett for the defense
4 waived the privilege Of making a state
4 ment to the jury and said they were
A willing to allow the testimony to show
Their case
NTre,
jness examined. The examination was
4 She gave her name and age and said
Presided at S37 Argyle street, had lived
there sixteen years: vas married to Hoot
4 Jan. %, 1899 Said Hoot was travelling
Iapound most of the time after their mar
A riage-or atsleast she supposed he was.
4 WAS living al above residence on Oct.
4 80. 1899. and received a letter on that
Idate. (Here letter purporting to be the
one signed Tab" was produced and
Identified by Mrs. Hoot, and also idsn-
titled the contents as that OF the letter
81 received by Mrs. Hoot. The letter was
Il introduced as evidence and marked
Il Exhibit 30 I'll
j. She said she opened the letter and read
it and on the same day received an ex-
press package. The package Was deliv-
cred about O'Clock by Mr.. Bodell. She
at first set the package down by the
door While she secured package she
desired to send by the expressman and
then took the cabinet to table and pro-
. lceeded to open it. (Here Mrs. Hoot gave
E a minute description of the cabinet)
I She said che could find no way to open
the box until she turned 1t in such a way
that it opened slightly of ita own ac-
cord, showing crevice and revealing
4 to her the manner Of opening. She
started to pull it open and the action
A waa followed by a slight explosion and
a pun of smoke from the interior
At this point cabinet, claimed TO BIZ
. duplicate of the original. was intro.
duced and given to the witness TO,
Identification. Attorneys for the de.
a tense objected to the Introduction OF tht
box and the point was argued by coun.
q sci for both sides. The objection wa.
q oyerruled, IS the prosecution stated
that it was an exact duplicate Of TIL.
q original and that the original was no
in existence. After telling Of the dis.
! position of the box the defense took tils
q witness and Senator Mullan interrogat.
q ed her.
Mrs. Hoot said she had no troubls
8 with Hoot during the first week OF theil
marriage. She said Hoot left her al
Il Des Moines to come home alone at tn,
end of the first week of the honeymoon
a Hoot was at home again some weeks
later and again for a day in March
They lived together while Hoot was a
home. She Joined Hoot in June at Du
buque and together they went dowr
the river as far as Clinton, where sils
u left the boat and came home Hoo
came to her home in Waterloo agar
. August 10, 1899 but only remained
a about an hour.
4 Said she knew the letter and the boz
swere addressed to Hoot, but though
J. the letter was from Mr. Hoot,s cousir
in Chicago and the contents aroused
/ her curiosity and she opened 1t. In re-
Spouse to a humorous question Mrs
Hoot created ripple of laughter b,
!. acknowledging that her woman's curl.
4 osity got the better of her judgment.
= She said she and Hoot had had sew.
& eral conversations on the subject 8
q separating. She said Hoot had sait
they could not pull together and nigh
I. ar well separate. That these CONVEX
81 sations were held at Kansas City dur
4 ling the first. week Of their marriage an4
n at aabuta during June and while SAh an