Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-18
INTEREST IS INTENSE
Trial Of Thomas for Murder OF
Mabel Schofield Absorbs
Interest.
Sensational Testimony OF Mag.
gle Hammond to Establish
Alili for Thomas.
Says He Was Asleep When State
Claims He Concealed
the Body.
Special to Times-Republican.

i
ken in the Mabel Schofield case is in
tense. Since the days of the S. r. Daw
son trial for the killing of his son-in
law and the sensational incidents pre-
ceding the trial few cases have attract
ed 50 much attention as the Schofielt
case. The hearing was resumed thi
morning. There was the usual clamo
to gain admission, but the public wa.
excluded.
Maggie Hammond. a witness for thu
state furnished the sensation at the
! first session Of the preliminary exam
/ ination. She testified positively to the
presence of Thomas in the Thomas
home during the time the state has
commended he was engaged in an effor!
she returned home at 6 p. m. and found
Charles there on the bed complaining
4 of headache. He went to bed in the
| front room on couch at about IL
O'clock She saw him there after he
had retired. She went to bed in the
adjoining room. She got up between
| $50 and a. M Sunday, the day the
body was found and only about an
hour later than the state claims Thomas
was passing the corner Of Second and
Ridge streets, twenty blocks away, en-
route to the river with the body OF
Mabel Schofield She stated positively
that she looked into his room and that
he was still sleeping on the couch,
where she saw him before she retired;
that he. ate breakfast with them and
then went out to telephone to Clyde
Schofield and tell him Of Mabel's disap-
pearance.
Mrs. Dean who testified that che saw
a man that in general appearance re-
sembled TIL ornas in buggy with girl,
who was leaning back. and another man
pass her home at West Second and
Ridge streets. fixed the time at e:lO to
$50 a. M Miss Hammond's testimony
proves to the satisfaction of all who
heard it and are not directly interested
in the trial OF the case~that the man
Mrs. Dean cav could not have been
Thomas. In fifty minutes at the outside
he would have to travel sixteen blocks
due north from the Dean house to reach
the point where he body was found,
would have to retrace this course, max
ing the distance back to the Dean house
thirty-two blocks, and would then have
to travel twenty additional blocks to-
get to the Thomas home. 1915 Woodland
avenue, at the time Miss Hammond saw
him in bed there. Besides this. he would
have to get rid of his horse and get into
the room adjoining Miss Hammond S
without attracting her attention, for
Miss Hammond testified that she was
awake at 5 a. M. but did not get upl
at once. The total distance he would
have to travel in fifty minutes is not
less than three miles up hill and down
and over unpaved streets for great
part of the distance. The defense con-
tends that this would have been an I'M |
possibility and that it has established |
Its alibi by the states own witness
Under the rules of evidence Miss
testimony must stand. for
the state will not be permitted to I'M
called was Lambert Bolton, who stated
that he resides at So7 Seventh street,
and is collector by occupation. He
said he had formerly lived at 101s
Woodland, avenue, next door to the
Thomas home. and that he knew both
Mabel schofield and Maggie Hammond
by sight only but that ne had endeav-
bred at one time to cell them tickets
to the Semi ON Sed show of Battle of
San Juan. He stated that he was going
to his home for breakfast on the morn
ing OF October 81. 1899, and had pro-
,eeded little way north in the alley
between his kome and the Thomas resi-
lence, when he saw Mabel Schofield
her dress and general ap-
enter the Thomas house by
way of a rear door. This was ut $40
,'ciock. one hour and ten minutes after
the left her mother at the Union sta
Ion. Upon cross-examnation, witness
,ould not swear that Mabel Schofield
entered the house. but stated he saw
Ter at the door.
This testimony is Of vital Importance
o the prosecution. So FAR in the pro-
sress of the case, Bolton is the last per-
ION alleged to have seen Mabel Scho-
ield alive and giving her whereabouts
It the time. I
Mrs. NJ. A. Canine residing at 1102
Ninth street, was the next witness
allied by the state. She stated that she
vas standing at the window in her ;
DOM, overlooking Ninth street at a.
n, Sunday, Oct. 81, 1899 and aided by
as light across the street, saw two men
nd one woman pass the house driving =
ne horse hitched to an open buggy. She
tated that the woman was in a reclin- G
1g position, and that she could not des- Z
ribe her clothes The witness stated l
hat one of the men seemed larger than u
ne other and wore SLOUGH hat They I
ere going toward University avenue G
r North street.
Mrs. Hattie Dean, the next witness,
.ated that she resided at 'Isie northeast q
,rner of Second and Ridge streets, and 6
lat she was attracted to the door of
err home at or $50 o'clock, Sunday
orning, October 81, 1899, by hearing S
,me voices in the street. She said thatI
venty feet from her going north on T.
acond street she saw two men and one S
oman in single buggy drawn by fl
,rk horse. Between the men was a f;
oman, reclining and covered to the L
eek with a cloth of some kind. She 81
ated that the men stopped and one W
them said: This is the way" In re-
onse the other said: TT Is not" They
en- proceeded UP the hill on Second
rect. Mrs. Dean said she noticed the n
oman wore a "cow-'boy" hat. and that h
lie of the men was taller than the 9TH L
and wore a light coat and SLOUGH e,