Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-23
HUNTER MURDER Trial
A Jury Is Secured and the TAX
ing of Evidence Begun at
Osceola
PRISONERS CRIME 6 CONVICTION
Second Trial Now Being Held Before
Judge Parrish's court-Hundred
Witnesses From Mt. Ayr Now at
osceola-The Case HotIy Contested
on Both Sides.
Special to Times-Sepublicans

Special to Times-Hepubltcan,
Osceola, April 23.-District court is
now in session, Judge Parrish on the
bench. A jury was ~impanelled yester-
! day for the trial of Matt Hunter fol
the murder of Homer Holland. This
is the second trial of this case, and is
here on change Of venue from Ring
gold county.
The defendant and deceased We're
prominent young men, residents OF
Mt. Ayr. Ringgold county. The murder
was the result Of a feud growing GU
of a gambling deal a short time before
IT seems that Holland had retained
possession of some money, (S20), which
Hunter claimed was his, but which
Holland claimed r%ightfully belonged to
on a former deal, in which he claimed
to have been defrauded by Hunter.
Hunter, after %brooding over the mat
ter. determined to be avenged, and,
meeting him ON the street in MI. Ayr,
on Nov. 8, 1901, deliberately shot him
with a revolver, infiicting a wound from
which he died almost instantly. Hunter
was tried at Mt. Ayr in the January
term of court, 1902, for murder, and
was convicted and sentenced to pen
itentiary for life. The case was APP
pealed to the supreme court on a writ
cf ov.roV fyAttHA fr;aI 800 &h1 G,I Il; a ~ &c
the lower court was reversed, and a
new trial ordered. The defense then
took a change of to Clark county
and trial was set for this April term
of court. There are some 100 witnesses
up from Ringgold county, besides many
interested friends of each party. The
attorneys for the state are j. S. Banker
county attorney for Clark county, Full
Ter, county attorney for Ringgold coun-
ty, and the firm of Temple, Hardinger
& Temple. of Osceola. Those for the
defense are Lewis Miles, of Corydon,
and John H. Jamison, and Stivers and
Slaymaker, of Osceola. The case will
be holly contested on both sides, and
will be fought to a finish.
The jury consists of ten farmers. n
retired farmer and one insurance agent,
They average under middle age and are
men of reputable character and habits.
states lawyers regard 1T as an ex-
ceptionally good jury. only one man
of the twelve, they say, would take
money on a chance which, in the trial
of d case, in which SO man sporting
men are parties, is a point of some inn
portance.
The prisoner, who finally gave up the
attempt to furnish $4,000 bail. has not
fat during his seventeen months
of Jail and penitentiary life, and his
hands keep up their constant fumb-
ling and twitching. 1t may be doubted
howeve. whether he is thinner or more
than when he first went to
trial over a year ago. His sisters, Misses
Anna and Kathryn, sit close beside him
as Ices also his father, DR.. T. H.
Hunter, of Emmetsburg.
The evidence today did not vary
from thai formerly given fixing Hunt
er's movement just after noon of the
day of the shooting, as he went to the
Commercial House (for his revolver the
prosecution says), and hunted Holland,
except that James Roger n Mrs. G.
T. Lesan furnished lie wcorroboration
to DR.. and Mrs. j. T. Merrill. Mr.. Miles
cross-examinations were skillful and
vigorous, but in general without great
effect. Twelve witnesses We're examin-
ed yesterday afternoon.