Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-01
ADMITS The Shooting.
Mrs. Frances Alexander on Trial
For the Shooting Of John
Bennett.
Woman Claims She Was Defend.
ing Her Virtue, as Bennett
Assaulted Her.
Jury in the Murphy Robbery
Case Disagrees--Sanford Case
Goes Over.

III
the state case against Mrs. Frances AL
eXander, charged with assault with in
tent to commit murder, was called. A
4 jury was secured this morning and the
taking of evidence was commenced. The
| trial occupied all day.
| On the night of Saturday, June 1 last,
John Bennett, young man employed at
the Soldiers Home as fireman, was
shot while returning from town to the
institution. The shooting occurred near
the corner of Main and Eleventh streets
between 10 and II o'clock. The ball en-
tered Benefits neck. missing fatal
| spot by hairs breadth, and is still
lodged in the neck of the young man,
altho he soon recovered from the effects
Mrs. Alexander, a woman who resided
with her negro husband, Robert Alex
ander, in the west portion of the city,
was arrested early the following morn
| ing, as was the colored man. charged
with the shooting. She admitted that
che shot Bennett, claiming at the time
that he attempted to rob her, but later
claiming that he assaulted her with
criminal Intentions. Alexander was la
ter released. the evidence not being
strong enough to show that he was i'm
plicated, altho some of the witnesses in
the case have testified that Mrs. Alex
ander was seen In the company of a ne
gro o short time before the shooting
took place. Mrs. Alexander has been
confined in the county Jail ever since
her arrest.
AS there were no eye witnesses to the
shooting the state had difficulty in COM
batting Mrs. Alexander's defense, which
was to the effect that Bennett assaulted
her on the street and that she shot him
to protect her virtue. Mrs. Alexander
is a white woman, is young and rather
good looking but to remove the preju-
dice that the jury might have against
her for marrying a colored man the de.
Tense attempted to show that she has
negro blood in her veins and that her
parents were both mulattos.
The state, to combat the claim OF de-
tense against criminal assault, intro
duced evidence impeaching the charac.
ter, OF Mrs. Alexander. and also evidence
to show that Bennett is young man OF
good character Defendants testimony
showed that Bennett had been drinking
some on the night of the meeting, but
that he was not intoxicated.
The following jury listened to the evil
dence: w. p. Mech, w. B. Strickland.
C. L. Hall. Roy Leonard, II. E. Fanton.
c. B. Rogers. Henry zllm, o. A. Dig
gins, E. N. Delano, G. L. showalter,
Con Retz and Charles Meier.
ANOTHER DISAGREEMENT.
The case of the state against James
Murphy, in which highway robbery was
charged. was given to the jury late
Monday afternoon. It was expected that
conviction would be secured in short
order, but shortly before 10 O. clock p. m.
the jury reported to Judge Caswell that
an agreement was impossible. The
judge therefore dismissed the jury from
further service in the case and a res
trial will therefore be necessary. The
watch Murphy Is charged with stealing
is almost worthless, and While this does
not lessen the crime in the eyes Of the
law the jury probably took this in con-
sideration.
When the case against James San
ford. charged with robbing rooms and
guests at the Globe hotel of jewelry and
money, was called, the court. because of
O defect in the Indictment returned by
the grand jury, remanded the case to
the November grand jury, holding tina;
the present indictment was worthless.