Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-16
CLAIM POSITIVE Abb
Attorneys for Charles Thomas
Say He Can Easily Prove
His Innocence.
Say the Testimony Is Positive
On the Question OF
An Alibj.
The State Has Subpoenaed Over
Forty Witnesses..News
OF Iowa.

o.
out about forty subpoenas for Wit
nesses among them being subpoenas
for Mrs. Scofield and Clyde Scotield
mother and brother of Mabel. Con-
stable Perry went to Macksburg to
serve these. They We're also closeted
during the day with some of the resi-
dent witnesses and spent a good deal
of time with Policeman Hockersmith
who has been working up the evidence
against Thomas. They claim they
will be able to puncture the alibi OF
the defense but on this score the de-
worried.
Mr.. McHenry said; THE alibi is
as strong as testimony can make 1t.
We will account for every minute OF
day to the after noon of the Sunday
following the disappearance of the
girl He worked Friday night. drove
to funeral Sunday morning. went to
his home, where he remained until
Sunday morning returned to the Press
barn Sunday at 8 a. M, was In and
about the barn until noon and at noon
went to another funeral, from which
he did not return until late in the af-
ternoon. We will show his presence
at the funeral Saturday morning by
the testimony of hack drivers who at
tended and who talked with him while
waiting for the conclusion of the SER
vices. We will also show this by en-
ployes of the Press barn.
I'VE will also show that Harry Mis-
kimen. son of Patrolman Miskimen,
who has taken a great interest in this
case, worked for A. Il. Hansen at the
time 1t is claimed the poison was sold.
Hansen says that he did not, but tha-
is not material. Hansen says that
Miskimen worked there before October
10, the date of the first sale of poison
as shown by his record. We will show
that Harry worked there while
Thomas was working for Welles &
Antes, and that this was at a time
subsequent to the, finding of the body.
Harry is now employed by the Sher-
man Drug company. l have not said
whether or not Thomas will admit the
purchase of the poison. and will not
say at this time. We do claim, how
ever. that the state is putting up a
cat hop on Thomas with this poison
record. Time will develop what l
mean by that.
Il understand the state will not sub
pnna Miss Hammond. who was Mabel
scofield's boon companion both In
Macksburg and in Des Moines. We will
cause her to be brought into court. how
ever, and are depending upon her testi-
mony to a considerable extent. She
knows that the girl was not murdered
by Thomas.
Another thing. When the body was
found the shoes found on 1t were covered
with mud. The weather was dry at that
time and there will be plenty OF evidence
20 show that it was not muddy weather.
The skirts worn by the girl were filled
with burdock burrs and Spanish needles.
Then, too, she wore pointed shoes. We
viii prove that the men who round her
body noticed tracks of pointed shoes
thru the damp and muddy soil leading
In the direction in which the body was
found and that there were no accom-
panying tracks. These led around a
bayou near Boatman's Island to high
bank directly beneath which the body
was found and to point near tree
that oyerhung the river. We will con-
tend from this that the girl walked
across this tract where there were burrs
and Spanish needles and that she took
poison and then either fell into the river
nom the overhanging tree or rolled
down the embankment into the water.
I'VE will also prove that she suffered
from heart trouble and that her father
lad prescribed medicines containing
Choral for her, so that she had an OPP
rortunity in this way to procure the
poison"
Yesterday rather portly man, wear
ing black mustache, was stationed
nearly all day directly opposite the ele-
yator on the sixth floor of the Iowa Loan
and Trust building. where the offices OF
McHenry & McHenry, attorneys for the
defendant, and OF Judge Spurrier, attor-
rey for the prosecution, are located.
Both sides claimed that he was there to
watch the coming and going of witnesses
Of the other side.
Hack drivers who were quoted Aast
night as saying that they saw Thomas
a, the Kahler funeral said that they had
rot made the statement. Two of them
said that they thought he was there ana
that they talked with him, but would
not make the positive statement. other
drivers refused to talk about it at all.