Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-21
IRA HANMOND'S Trial
Is Accused Of Completely in Caus-
ing Death Of Miss Maude
Stone.
Case Will Be Taken Up at Mt
Ayr Today-.Story Of the
Crime.
One Man Now Serving Term in
Prison for Causing Her
Death.

Stone. Hammond was indicted fol
murder in the second degree, along
with DR.. j. W. Crofford who was tried
at Leon last November and sent te
the penitentiary at Fort Madison fol
thirteen years by Judge II. M. Towner
Judge Towner will preside oyer the
Hammond trial, inasmuch as Judge r
L. Parrish, the other judge of this dis
trict, was originally employed as one
of the attorneys in the Stone murder
case and hence can not try it now.
on bail since he was indicted and has
been living at his home near Leon
The state believes that it has bitter
case against him than it had against
DR.. Crofford, and that there may be
something to this is shown by the fact
that M. L. Temple, of Osceola. who
was chief counsel in the defense OF
DR.. Crofford, has refused to have any
thing to do with the Hammond defense
| Both Hammond and Crofford were
indicted for the murder of Maude
Stone, of Leon, who was one of the
prettiest and at the same time the
wealthiest girls of Decatur county
Her story was romantic and at the
same time pitiable one.
| Maude Stone was the daughter of a
prominent and wealthy Englishman
who died at his home near Leon some
years ago, leaving a valuable estate
for his widow and children. His
daughter .Maude had her share in the
general estate and in addition had
several thousands Of dollars in the
bank at Leon in her own name.
Maude attended the Leon high
school and graduated few years ago
with high honors. standing near the
head of the class. While attending
school she roomed and boarded with
frineds in Leon. went with splendid
set and was loked upon as one of the
highest minded and best girls of the
county; never was there a breath of
suspicion against her virtue or con-
duct.
Shortly after Maude Stone had
graduated from the high school and
returned to her country home there
moved into the neighborhood q fam
lily named Hammond. a poor family.
but the son Of which, young fellow
named Ira Hammond, proved very at
tractive to Maude Stone. A friendship
soon grew up between the two
young folks and they We're constant
|companions. When Ira Hammond be-
gan calling too frequently the Stone
family objected and peremptorily or
dered Maude to have nothing further
to do with him, and apparently she
obeyed.
But the friendship and courtship of
Maude Stone and Ira Hammond was
still carried on clandestinely with
secret meetings and secret correspond
ence. Letters were written by each
and deposited in hollow OF an old
tree and the young people met and
enjoyed each others company in sec
ret. 1t was during this clandestine
courtship that Ira Hammond is said
to have won the virtue of Maude
Stone beautiful, wealthy, refined, ed
ucated and previously chaste), and by
calling her his wife and promising
early marriage when the opposition
descended secured the accomplishment
Of his lust.
The girl and the boy continued this
relationship until Maude became en-
ceinte. and to avoid discovery and dis
grace something must be done at once
1t was decided that she should go to
Lamont, little town not many miles
distant, and there consult with DR.. j.
W. Crofford at his sanitarium for re-
lief and an operation, If such could be
performed. So telling her folks that
she was going to Mt. Ayr to visit
friends and relatives, Maude Stone set
off one day last summer. carrying her
secret and her trouble with her Ar
rived at Lamont she left the train and
went direct to DR.. Croffords sani-
tarium
A few days later Maude Stone died
in the Crofford sanitarium and Ira
Hammond conveyed the sad news to
the Stone family. which did not yet
know that Maude was at Lamont or ILL.,
When the girl died she was alone, so
far as her family was concerned, there
being with her only DIR. Crofford and
his wife, Ira Hammond, her lover, and
his mother. Ira Hammond conveyed
Mrs. Stone overland to Lamont and
arriving there found the doctor pre-
pairing the body for burial, refusing
any examination to be made. He
gave it out that Maude had come to
him sick and he had operated on her
for appendicitis. but the story did not
hold together and 1t was the general
belief that criminal operation had
been performed on Maude Stone by
DIR. Crofford at the instigation of the
lover, Ira Hammond.
The grand jury investigated the
girls death and as result indicted
both Crofford and Hammond. They
demanded separate trials, and this was
was granted. DR.. Crofford was tried
last November, Judge Towner presiding
and was found guilty of murder in the
second degree and sent to the peni-
Tertiary for thirteen years. Later his
certificate of practice was revoked by
the state board of medical examiners.
During the Crofford trial some of
the most salicious letters ever offered
in testimony in an Iowa murder trial
were read, proving that the girl was
In serious trouble and that she and
Hammond We're considering the ad-
visibility of an operation. The letters
were written by Hammond to the girl,
and referred frankly and brutally OF
exultantly to their immoral relations.
They also showed that the girl had
had a child previous to the one which
caused her death, the first child hav-
ing been secretly buried in the grave
yard near the Stone home. A few let
ters from the girl to Hammond were