The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-02-26
.GE0. Ill PRICE CONVICTED
And Sentenced to Five Years in
the penitentiary for Incest by
Judge Parrish at Mt. Ayr.

Ihe sensational trial of George H.
Price on the charge of incest with his
l4-year old step-daughter, Gertie Black
more, occupied five days of Judge Par
rish's court at Mt. Ayr last week, the
jury finally returning verdict of guilty
Friday evening and Judge Parrish at
once sentenced Price to five years in the
Ft. Madison penitentiary. His attor-
ney, made a motion for new trial
which the Judge overruled and fixed
the appeal bond at $4,000 which Price
gave without leaving the court room,
and the case viii! be taken to the su.
preme court.
This was the second time Price had
been on trial, having been indicted on
two charges, rape and incest. The rape
case was tried last November and the
jury acquitted Price. His attorneys, A.
l. Smith, of Mt. Ayr, and Hoffman &
Jackson of Leon, made a hard fight to
have the Indictment for incest dismissed
claiming Price. having been acquitted of
the graver charges he should be dis.
charged, as it would be putting him on
trial twice for the same crime, but Judge
Parrish refused to dismiss the case.
1t was one of the most sensational
trials ever held IN Ringgold county, the
attorneys on both sides charging the
other side with manufacturing a case.
The theory of the defense was that the
prosecution of Price was the result of
ill feeling against him on the part of
Frank Landreth, a brother of Mrs.
Price, who admitted on the stand that
be had said he would spend $4,000 to
convict Price. Mrs. Price, mother of
the girl, stood by her husband lovallv
and testified in his behalf, insisting he
was not the author of her daughters
ruin. Gerhe Blackmore testified that
her step-father was the author of her
ruin. The defense introduced witnesses
to prove that he was not, one of them
Howard Gray, who worked for Price
testified that he had witnessed criminal
Intimacy between the girl and her
brother, in her home at Prices home.
Several school children from the Price
neighborhood built up the defense y
claim Of suspicious actions by the girl at
school. One of these Daisy Powell
testified that in conversation with
Gertie Blackmore the latter had said
that she thought there was nothing
wrong about having illicit relations;
that she had had such relations with
her brother and Bert Reasoner; and
that Frank Landreth had told ner if she
got into trouble to lay it on her step.
father, George Price, The state how
ever, secured some damaging admissions
from these witnesses and on the whole
their testimony did not materially
strengthen the defense.
During the trial of the case o. w.
Wilkie of Leon was used as a witness
for the defense. He spent some weeks
in Mt. Ayr last summer selling rugs and
testified to having conversations with
Gertie Blackmore in which she said
Price had nothing to do with her seduc.
ton and produced letter written by
her, stating in substance she was not
going to testify against Price. 1t was
afterwards brought out that the letter
was one written by Price and sent to
the girl to copy and sign as her own
letter. Wilkie was later arrested for
contempt of court in violating Judge
Towner's order that no one talk to her
about the case. Friday evening the
contempt case was called and Judge
Parrish fined Wilkie $50. He has re-
tanned Hoffman & Jackson as his at.
torneys and they will appeal the case to
the supreme court.
The case was given to the jury Fri
day at 1850 and at 4:3O that afternoon
they returned verdict of guilty.
The Mt. Ayr News of Friday had the
following to say in regard to the argu-
ments of the attorneys in the case:
After brief recess County Attorney
F. F. Fuller began at 1890 yesterday y
forenoon the arguments for the state
Mr.. Fuller spoke over two hours. He
reviewed the evidence in detail, arguing
that Price's guilt was the only hypoth-
esis that would satisfactorily explain all
the evidence. He asserted that every
attempt of the defense to explain the
case Of Gertie Blackmore's downfall on
any other theory had been met and
overwhelmed by mass of controvert-
ing evidence. He severely scored Price
tor his claims to pure and religious life
and his previously good reputation.
The total depravity of both Mr.. and
Mrs. Price, Mr.. Fuller claimed, was
shown by their permitting the witness
Gray to go on the stand and swear to
the shameful relations of their own