Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-19
JIA|[' 5 CASE Strong
iapid Progress Made In Lavel-
leur Murder Trial-Expert
Testimony Given
sRuEsoME DISPLAY IN COURT
DISPLAY IN COURT
Doctors and Attorneys Brought Skull
Together With Pieces Of Bones of
Legs and Arms of Victim, Into Court
to Prove States Claim That They
Had Not Been Burned OFF.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to mes-Republiean.
Newton, Dec 19.--Rapid progress is
being made in the Lavelleur murder
trial and the state is making fairly
7 strong case by the Introduction of eN-
pert evidence tending to show that
Lavelleur was killed before the barn
was fired and that the legs and arm
were sawed off or chopped off before
being burned. The skull of the alleged
victim was exhibited in court as were
pieces of the bones of the legs and
arms and attracted much attention
from the curious crowd.
A number of expert witnesses were
placed on the stand by the state, and
there were lengthy and exhaustive dis
cussions relating to bones, blood and
the possible and probable action of fire
upon them a few minutes before
noon the state announced that it was
practically thru with Its evidence, but
would reserve the right to recall =
witness after dinner.
The doctors and attorneys, who had
recently visited the grave, had sawed
Off the ends Of the bones of the arms
and legs and brought them in TO sub
stantiate the states claim that they
had been broken off before the barn
was set on fire, and had not been burn :
ed off. The contention OF the expert
witnesses was that the bones had been
violently fractured and then some
what burned instead of burned off. 1t
was said that the flesh remained up
on some of the bones within an inch
or two of where they We're severed,
and 1t was claimed that q fire of suf-
f1cient heat to burn off bone would
also have consumed the adjacent flesh.
When court convened after adjourn
ment at noon the state put on several
witnesses and consumed practically
the entire afternoon in going over small
details. 1t finally announced that its
side Of the case was closed, and the
defense at once took up its line of evil
dence.
Aside from the testimony of Susan
Lengren. the feeble minded woman
who says she saw the death blows
struck and the limbs cut off, it is dle-
case. No action has yet been taken
by the state regarding Benjamin. the
man who is implicated by the test
mony of the Lengren woman.
Some OF the witnesses for the de.
Tense testified that they had seen bodies
that had been burned in fire and de-
scribed the effect of the fire upon them.
One witness, Ed Webber, had seen
four story hotel burn In Milwaukee In
1881 in which fifty people met their
death; saw the bodies next day in the
morgue. but saw no blood in connection
with any of the burned bodies. this
latter being brought out on cross-ex-
animation.
DIR. Besser testified to having assisted
in the examination of the body of La
valleur after the fire They had taken
the brain out of the skull. and to get
1t out had broken away pieces of the
inner table of the skull. The brain WIS
afterward replaced in the skull 1t
will be remembered that the doctors
who exhumed the body recently testi-
fled to finding small piece of the in
ner table of the skull in the brain, aud
it is supposed that the evidence given
by DR.. Besser disposes of that. While
Besser was a witness for the defense.
DR.. Boyd who assisted in the examina-
ton spoken of by Besser and was a
witness for the state, corroborated his
evidence along this line.
The trial has been very tedious and
slow, yet the court room is crowded -
all the time.