Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-30

farmer OF Liscomb township.wa placed
in the county jail Tuesday night a $3.50.
Drury was arrested at 6 o'clock Tues
uay evening, While eating supper at his
home. three miles southwest of Lis
comb. He took his arrest coolly, and
had but very little to say while being
brought to the city by Deputy Sheriff
c. S. Hutson, who took him in custody.
Before Justice w. NJ. Clark he waived
examination. and was held without
bonds.
With the arrest o. Drury is brought
to close the first chapter of a case
on which Deputy Sheriff Hutson and
County Attorney Nortllup have been
working since the supposed suicide of
Mrs. Eta Drury on the morning of
Saturday, Dec. 5. Mrs. Drury was
found by her husband. upon his return
from the barn, where he had gone to do
his chores. A pistol shot had attracted
his attention to the house, so he
claimed, and when he arrived, twenty
minutes after he had left his wife, pre-
sumably asleep, he found her dead,
with two bullet holes thru the right
temple. Rumors of murder were inn
mediately started, and it was on that
theory that Coroner +. p. Lierle con-
Quoted an investigation. The facts,
ascertainable at that time, together
with the circumstances. worked against
the theory of murder, and the coroner
tSd 81 a q of
suicide. While jury was dmpaneled,
no inquest was held.
Officer Not Satisfied.
Deputy Sheriff Hutsor was not quite
satisfied with the case. as 1t rested,
and began conducting quiet invests
CATION He learned even more than he
had hoped for. in the way of circum-
stantial evidence. and Tuesday. accom-
panied by County Attorney Northup.
spent tine entire day III The vicinity of
L,scomb and Union. talking to people
Who had made statements of one kind
and another since the tragedy. Mr..
Nor,hup was satisfied that the evidence
should at beast go before the grand
-...-.-- c..la inflammation -su.arn- ia -hH-
John II. Lane, Mrs. Drury's brother,
was Issued by Justice Frank h. Long,
OK Union. The warrant was issued by
Justice Clark, and the prisoner ar
rested. He was arraigned Immediately
upon his arrival. at 9 o'clock.
The States Theory.
While the evidence. as so far col-
lected is wholly circamstantial, County
Attorney Northup thinks that more
viii develop when the grand jury be-
gins Its Investigation A great many
people In and about Liscomb and I'm
ion, firmly belive that Mrs. Drury was
murdered, and they have held that be-
lief ever since the tragedy. They say
that they will tell all they know when
summoned before the grand jury. The
states theory, at the present time, is
that Mrs. Drury could not possibly
have inflicted both wounds. within the
length Of time that her husband had
been away from the house. The
wounds were both in the right temple.
above the ear, one little farther back
and slightly above the first. Either
would have likely proved fatal and the
state holds that after the unconscious
ness resulting from the first wound, 1t
would have been impossible for the
woman to have regained sufficient self
control to grope about in her dying
struggles, and secure the revolver.
again.
1t is also claimed by Witnesses who
will be subpoenaed on behalf OF the
state, that Mr.. Drury acted very
strangely on the day OF his wife's sup
posed suicide, and that from his ac-
tons those who visited the Drury home
on the day OF Mrs. Drury's death. sus-
pectsd that all was not right. His hes
itancy In answering certain questions
put to him. and his actions generally
gave rise to these suspicious.
No Cause for Suicide.
Another phase of the case is that
no cause whatever has ever been adj
vanced for suicide. Even the husband
himself cannot explain that. He said
at the time Of the tragedy that his wife
was in perfect health and OF sound
mind, and he knew of no reason why
she should want to die. 1t was limited
at the time that a possible reason for
the act lay in the presumption that
Mrs. Drury was somewhat respondent
because of the marriage of her daugh-
ter. Mrs. Jennie Dewitt, of Clemens,
ana the IdCl tHdt SIZE listu iSis AAoiiiS'
The marriage, however, was not OPP
posed by the mother.
The Motive For Crime.
AS far as the evidence in the case
has developed there is no good motive
for the crime having been committed
by the husband. If the stories being
told are true there would be the best
motive in the world, but these stories
can not be relied upon as having much
accuracy, and producing more than
hearsay evidence. The state is not
ready, as yet, to divulge the exact lines
upon which prosecution will be COM
menced. but County Attorney Northup
is OF the opinion that the state Will
have a good case.
First Degree Murder.
First degree murder is charged in the
and is in effect that the
defendant ''unlawfully, Intentionally,
feloniously, premeditatedly and with
malice aforethought, did commit an az
sault with deadly weapon, being a
pistol, then and there held in the hands
of said Grant Drury. loaded and
charged with powder and bullet, upon
the body of one Eta Drury: that the
said Grant Drury did. by lying in wait,
and with the specific intent to kill and
murder the said Eta Drury, shoot off
and discharge the contents of the said
deadly weapon. at and against, in and