The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-05-19
FOUR ON TRIAL
FOR THEIR LIVES
TESTIMONY IN GILLESPIE MUIR
DER CASE AT RISING SUN.
TEN WITNESSES ARE HEARD
Aged Mother of Victim and Defend
ants, Bowed with Grief Breaks
Down While Telling Her
Story on the Stand.

Rising Sun, Ind.,I May 14.-Testi-
mony was begun Friday in the trial Of
James Gillespie, Mrs. Belle Seward and
Mr.. and Mrs. Barbour, for the murder
Of Elizabeth Gillespie, with the moth
er of the victim and of two Of the
defendants as the first witness. Mrs.
Gillespie sat beside her son, James, in
the courtroom, previous to being
called to the witness-stand, and seemed
in good health. but she broke down at
times during her testimony.
Previous to Mrs. Gillespie being
called, Prosecutor Harry McMullen pre-
sented the case for the state, saying
that there was no direct evidence, but
strong chain of circumstantiaI evil
dence. ~
Mrs. Gillespie Testifies.
Mrs. Gillespie testified that she was
so years old, and her twins-James and
Elizabeth-3S, that she had been a
widow IL years, and that James left
her home four years ago, since which
time there had been trouble in the fam
ily.' She related the preparations for
party on the night of the shooting, and
the incidents Of that night clearly until
she came to describing Elizabeth in her
PROSTATE condition by the window,
when she broke down.
Mrs. Louise Bloss, who was with Mrs.
Margaret Gillespie from the night of the
shooting to January, testified that none
Of the defendants attended the funeral
or called at the Gillespie home prior to
the death of Elizabeth. Elizabeth was
shot on December s, and Mrs. Belle
Seward, sister of the victim, called on
her mother on December 26. James
Gillespie, the twin brother, and other de-
PENDANTS had not called at the Gillespie
home. Mrs. Bloss was asked if any Of
the defendants had done anything for
Mother Gillespie" since her daughter
had been killed.
The defense objected to the question
bearing on the relations between
Mother Gillespie" and the defendants
since the shooting. The jury was then
excluded from the court room while
counsel argued at length on the compe-
tency of the evidence. The court over
ruled the objection of the defense, and
Mrs. Bloss answered the questions, tell
ing what happened when she was with
Mrs. Gillespie during December, when
the only attention of any of the defend
ants was a single call from Mrs. Sc
ward.
Mayor Charles B. Matson, who was
the attorney for Mrs. Gillespie and her
daughter Elizabeth, testified regarding
Mrs. Gillespie dispossessing James of her
farm and notifying her tenant, Joseph
Henschen to pay no more rent to James
Court ruled out the notices that had been
served on James Gillespie to vacate the
farm. Mayor Matson testified to the
life insurance that Elizabeth carried,
payable to her twin brother James. On
cross-examination Mayor Matson said
there had been no i'll feeling between
James Gillespie and himself.
Joseph Henschen, tenant on the farm
of Mrs. Gillespie, was expected to tes-
tify regarding what James Gillespie had
said about his sister Elizabeth, but he
could not remember anything positively.
Court then adjourned. Ten witnesses
were examined, and the defense was
openly jubiIant over the failure to get
Mrs. Gillespie and Joseph Henschen to
respond to questions.
: Sensational Story.
Rising Sun, Ind, May IA sensa-
tional story was sprung this morning
when the defense in the Gillespie
trial produced a witness who saw a
man, not James Gillespie, run down
an alley near the Gillespie home after
the shooting. Joseph Henshen, a
tenant on the Gillespie farm, testi-
fled that James Gillespie complained
to him that Elizabeth had been given
more than her share of the farm.
Laura Johnson testified that Mrs. Bar
bour had a spite against Elizabeth
and spoke of throwing vitriol. John
Griffin testified he heard James adj
dress insulting language to the dead
sister The court at noon adjourned
till Monday.