Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-09
Believed That Will Be the De-
Tense Offered by Attorneys
!. For Accused Wife
THE CIRCUMSTANCES RELATED
Disappearance of Son Who Had Besa
Punished Had Haunted the Father
Who on Several Occasions Gave Ev-
idenee of an intention to Kill Him
SELF.
Special to Times-Republican

2 cauSeus II nor from TIE euectS OF pOi-
son administered, then by his own act,
( will be the claims of the defense in the
case. of the state against Belle Lewis,
-soon to be tried in the Keokuk county
district court. Mrs. Lewis is now con-
tined in the county Jail at Sigourney.
while her children. some of them un-
able to support themselves are living
rs best they can in this city. trusting
to their mothers innocence in which
to them.
An Unusual Case.
The case Of Mrs. Lewis is one of the
saddest. as we'll as one of the most
Intricate OF the many murder cases
which have had their origin in Keokuls
county. Its scene is laid in that sec
7 ton which~is known in several parts
of the county as "hell's half acre" be-
cause of frequency with which sem
sational cases develop there. Hon.
George Woodin, who not long since
passed away after life's legal work in
Keokuk county, has been known to say
In his droll manner that he was wont
4 to look for sensational case from
the vicinity OF Butler about twice each
year and that the time most popular
was when taxes are due-the spring
and fall.
The Lewis case, however. is too SER
ious to admit of joking. To see Mrs.
Lewis, dumbly awaiting her fate In the
little Jail at Sigourney. fully realizing
her helplessness in many ways, ami
then to visit the little home where her
children, the oldest of whom is girl
in her twenties. are barely subsistlng.
waiting for the return OF the parent.
3 who has always been kind to them and
has stood between them and the hard.
cold world, Is to realize in a measure
4 al that the awful charges means to
the woman.
It means that, even If she is innocent
and declared TO be guilty by the
fury, which will sit upon her case. she
and her family of girls and boys must
ever face world which knows Of the
charge.
And all this because OF, charge
which Mrs. Lewis says is as groundless
as the most utter lie. She, the mother
~ seven children, Is accused in an In
allotment found by sworn grand jurors.
with administering fatal dose of poi-
-1On to her husband, the father OF those
children.
After living with him for more than
twenty years. sharing his joys and sor-
rows, his losses and his gains, this
woman is charged with the heinous
crime OF numbering him in cold blood.
OF giving him as medicine when he
lay on a bed Of pain. a dose OF laud-
anum sufficient to cause his death.
The circumstantial evidence had been
collected and has been placed before
the grand jury of Keokuk county and
this body of men has reported an IN
dictment charging in six counts that
Mrs. Lewis is the murderess of her
husband.
The Motive.
There are two theories as to the
motive; or more properly. one theory
In two parts. The evidence before
the grand jury contains hints that
Mrs. LewisaIid Ira Glassford labor
err employed on a neighboring farm,
were unduly Intimate. Witnesses say
that they were together on several oc-
casions, that they drove together to
Ottumwa to attend a circus. The cyl
dence Is denied In part. and In part
supported by that of Glassford. who
Is q witness for the prosecution and
says that on few occasions he accom-
panied Mrs. Lewis away from home
at her husbands request. The fact
is also established that Mr.. Lewis life
was insured in fraternal organiza.
ton and the Inference may be drawn
mt nf the wQV
by the woman In order that she might
be rid OF her husband and secure ma
insurance money also.
Boy Ran Away.
The first trouble that entered the
nome, which Is said to have been at
the root OF the finally more serious
difficulty. was the disappearance OF
the oldest sen. Frank. Some boyish
prank displeased his father and he
was whipped. The boy never forgave
his parent and one morning he left
home. From that day he has never
been seen by any. Of the family and no
word has come from him. The father
repentant for his hasty action, brooded
over the fact, SO Mrs. Lewis and her
daughter say. and as time went on and
no word came from the boy, the faith
er's sorrow became more marked.
The family heard that Frank had
Joined circus and Mrs. Lewis says
that when a circus was advertised to
appear in this city she and her hus-
band made plans to come and make
search for their runaway son. Some
thing occurred which kept the father
at home, she says, but he insisted upon
her coming and himself induced Ira
Glassford to drive her to this city.
Arriving here. Mrs. Lewis says, she
walked the streets and haunted the
circus grounds until time to start home
hoping against hope that among the
thousands of faces she could see thar
OF her boy. At last. late in the after
Ioon, she gave up the search and re-
turned home with Glassford. arriving
there about dark. This is the occa-
sion referred to in the evidence before
the grand jury.
According to different members OF
the family and to people who knew
them when they lived here. Mr.. Lewis
was subject to ear ache for some time
and that the affection was serious is
evidenced by the fact that some of the
children suffer from the same ailment
even now. The best remedy they
could find, IS Is said. was laudanun,
and a bottle of the drug was kept in
the home at all times. There was a
bottle Of the poison in the kitchen adj
Joining Mr.. Lewis bedroom. on the