Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-13
MY CLEAR MYSTERY
Arrest Made for the Murder OF
Mabel Schofield at Des
Moines.
Charles Thomas is Accused OF
Causing Her Death by Civ
ing OF Choral.
Girls Stomach Analysed and
Traces of Poison Pounds
Story OF Case.

! IIGAiNFu III the court OF justice It's on
the charge of murder. lie is accused o
having murdered Mabel Schofield on o
about Oct. u. 1899, by the use of pois
onous drugs, to-wit: chloroform, chlor
al and knock out drops. Judge w. A
Spurrier has been retained TO prosecute
and ii was he who drew the information
and upon whose advice the warrant wa.
issued. Thomas was arraigned anC
asked for time to prepare for the pre-
liminary hearing. The case was sc
down for preliminary hearing Feb. IL
Justice Iris told the defendant that h
would be admitted to bail in the sun
of $4,000 but in default Thomas wa:
locked up il the county Jail 10 await tn,
hearing
The evidence upon which the warran
was issued, as rected by Judge spur
riei, strongly supports the theory o.
murder which was advanced at the timt
of the finding of the body of Mabe
Schofield in the Des Moines river east
of the public bath house. In short
Judge Spurrier's is the only tangible re
cital of facts and circumstances that
has been given since Oct. IL 1899, IN
support OF the theory of murder.
Thomas. who 10 accused of the muir
der is the son of Jasper n. aud Mar
garet E. Thomas of 1915 Woodland ave-
nue.. with whom Mabel Schoiield made
her home while in Des Moines. 1t was
from this house that she started with
her mother TO go TO the Chicago Great
Western depot the day she disappeared,
and 1t was at the depot that she was
last seen alive. on that day Mr. Thorn
as was absent from the house working
his trade and Mrs. Thomas, who is a
nurse, was not at home.
Judge Spurrier said: We think that
we have strong crcumstantiaL case
against Thomas. and If | did not think
SO I would not go into it. drew IN the
and advised Mr.. Crawford
to swear to it, Mr.. Crawford, with DR..
7. y. McCash of the University Place
Church of Christ. are members of
committee of citizens organized to re-
ceive contributions of money and en-
deavor to solve the mystery surround
ing the death of Mabel Schofield Six
months age they came to me and told
me of certain evidence they had dis
covered. Up TO that time / had taken
it for granted the girl had committed
suicide or met an accidental death.
What they told me caused me to change
my mind and since that time the case
has been worked out under my direction
and with my advice.
First of all we viii prove that Ma
bel schohed was poisoned. The in
alleged that death was caused
by chloroform and choral poison adj
ministered by Charles Thomas. We
expect to prove that on Oct 10, 1899,
Charles Thomas purchased chloroform
at Hcnsen's drug store. then located at
the northwest corner of West Eighth
and Locust streets We will also prove
that on the day following one Charles
Thomas purchased choral, or knock out
irops. at the same place. The poison
'ecord kept by Hansen shows the sales
and shows they We're made to Thomas.
The druggist who made them recollects
he circumstances and we expect him to
testify that the defendant was the iden-
lcal Charles Thomas who made the
purchases We will show by him that
lie asked Thomas what he wanted tive
poison for. and that he replied he was
it for Wells K Antes. under4y
akers, whose place of bushes was five
ioors west of the Hansen drug store
We will prove that at that time Thomas
vas not working for Wells & Antes
hat ne did not so to work for them
Until some time later, and that ne was
never authorized to or requested TO buy
poison for them. In this connection we
Will also introduce evidence to show
hat. at a subsequent time when he was
questioned about the purchase of the
,oison. he hedged and said that he had
Fought it to cure toothache.
Another point we viii bring out is
hat there was choral poisoning in the
tomach of Mabel Scholield. After the
emans We're inferred at Macksburg, |
Ter old home, they We're exhumed, the |
tomach removed and brought TO this
ity and given to Professor Macy of /
Park College, who made the |
nalysis and whose report shows the I
races and evidences of choral poison |
ng. To substantiate the theory that I
cath occurred before the body was
laced in the water, we Will show that |
here was no water in the organs when |
/ was removed from the water. and I
hat death was not caused by drown
ns.
we will show that after the poison
ng the boay of the girl was taken to
he river in a buggy BY two men, that
hey had the body on the seat between
hem and we Will trace 1t by stages
rom point on West Ninth street to
car the place where ii was found in
he river and Where the carriage tracks
rere seen in the mud on the following
ay. w Will show that the course taken
as q ZigZag one evidently calculated
) avert suspicion and to create the inn
reasion that a sick person was being
AIKEN to the hospital. We have evidence
lat tends TO show who the two men in
lie buggy were and more especially to
stablsh the identity OF the man who
e know was not Thomas.
We have not evidence yet as 10 the
lace where the poison was admins
cred but will be able to show that on
he day when 1t must have been adj
Mustered that the people al the Thorn
S home, with the exception OF Mabel
ere away from home. We will show
rat on or about this day Thomas quit
he place where he was employed and
ave as a reason for quitting that he
ltended to attend a certain funeral.
We VIII show that he did not attend the
neral We will show that that morn
lg' Mrs. Schofeld, who was in Des
roines visiting with her daughter re-
Irned to her home at Macksburg. We
Ill show that Mabel who had been