Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-04-30
MAN AND WOMAN ON
TRIAL FOR MURDER
Mrs. McDanieIs and Her Par.
amour Accused of Killing
Her Husband.
THEY SAY HE suIcIDEr
But the State Expects to Prove a Con,
spiracy to Get Him Out of the
Way, in Order That They
Might Live Together.

Avoca, IT,, April 30.-Charged with
aiding her paramour in the murder OF
her husband, Mrs. ELLA McDaniels is or
trial here for murder in the first de-
gree. Mrs McDaniels and her alleged
partner in crime, a. Nj. LiviX, are joint
defendants in the one prosecution. The
story OF their alleged crime is one OF
the most revolving in Iowa criminal
annals, and another In the remarkable
series of cases in which wives have lt.te-
ly been accused of numbering their huS-
bands
1t is only a little over two months
since neighbor driving past the Nc
Daniels farm near Macedonia, saw Nc
Daniels rush from the house, bleeding
FROM horrible wounds In the throat and
shout They did IT. Exhausted, he fell,
and the neighbor, entering the house.
was told by Mrs. McDaniels and Livix
that Mcloaniels had committed suicide.
and would die. Another neighbor COM
ing along, took LiviN with him for a
doctor. On the way Llvix told him not
to hurry. as McDaniels would certainly
die, which proved true.
Tho UnfalthfuI Wife.
I.ivix lived on farm near the Nc
Daniels place, and there was liaison
between him and Mrs. McDaniels.
which they have admitted. The Nc
Daniels family was to move March l.,
and it is said Mrs. McDanels declared
She would not go with her husband.
but would remain with Livix. 1t is
claimed by the state that the unfaith-
full wife and her paramour plotted and
killed McDaniels to be rid of him.
The prisoners story is that McDan-
iels had been nearly sick and very de-
spondent several days. ON the fatal
morning he complained of violent pains
and said he had taken strychnine. LiviX
started for a doctor. but had hardly got
out of the house when McDaniels cut
his throat with razor he had Sc
cured by kicking off the top of a bureau.
Mrs. McDaniels had been twice mar
riea. and her oldest child, aged 16, by
the first husband, is expected to give
decisive evidence for the state. He was
In the house when the crime was COM
mitted
livix has been married but his Wife
divorced him. Judge w. r. Green is
presiding at the trial, in which much
interest is taken.
Yesterday morning Judge w. r.
Green called the case and the work
of securing jury was at once COM
menced. Juror after juror was ex-
cused both by the state and the de-
Tense, until the noon hour was renched
and an adjournment was taken until
100. A jury was finally secured at
S:l5 o'clock.
Good Witness for Prosecution.
A. w. Smith. the first witness called
testified that on the day McDaniels met
his death 1T was necessary for him to
pass along the road past the McDaniels
la ct oft 1 hot ,,I, 4 Al,
In the forenoon when he saw MIR. Me
Daniels run from the house, which Is
about go feet from the road, and saw
him fall from loss of blood about two
or three rods from the fence. He fur
Their stated that while McDanies ran
toward the road he beckoned to him
and called out, "They did It," several
times; that he noticed horrible cash
in the left side of the mans throat and
that after he fell he saw him a mum
Der OF times pick up snow and put 1t In
his mouth indicating that he was suf-
fering from Il terrible thirst, such as lis
common to persons suffering from eX-
cessive loss of blood. MIR. Smith said
that as soon as he could rein his horses
UP at post he tied them and was
making ready to go through the fence
to the assistance of the wounded man.
when the defendants ran down from
the house and informed him that there
was no use of him volunteering his
assistance; that McDaniels had COM
mitted suicide and was past all hope
of recovery. They, however, asked him
to turn his team around and take Livix
to town to call a doctor; but about that
time John Burger, Mills county farm
er came along going toward the town
started for the town.
Mrs. McDaniels Indifferent.
After that he stated that he stoo,
and talked to Mrs. McDaniels for some
minutes. and being assured by her that
he could do no good by staying. started
on down the road: not, however, till
after she had given him something of
Il history OF the troubles between her.
and her husband, she making a state
ment that he had during the past vim
ter threatened to kill her and Livix,
and had grossly insulted her son by u
former husband.
Mr.. Smith was also quite positive
that Mrs. McDaniels expressed no sor-
row over the supposed death of her
husband; that she talked to him as
though the matter was one of perfect
Indifference to her, though she seemed
anxious that he should depart from
the place. After leaving the place he
said he continued on south, but soon
looheu Dack and saw the wife running
from where her wounded husband was
laying toward the house.
The Cross Examination.
on the cross examination the witness,
was positive in his declarations as to
what he saw and heard on that day,
ard refused to be badly tangled at any
point of the cross examination, which
was brought to an abrupt close by adj
Journment time at O'clock.
crNMc r,cn r. ,,,o