Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-08-11
Many Protests Filed Against
Granting the Appeal of Ben
ton County Murderer
FATHERS IMPRISONED PROTEST
William Murray, of Cedar Rapids,
Whose Son Was Murdered by Novak,
Relates Damaging Details of That
Criminal. Career In Letter to Cover
nor neutrality-suspicious. of Others


county, or the Communication of his SEN
tence from life to ten years, among
+ Them one from the father of the young
Enan whom Novak killed.
The governor will do nothing in the
ease until the return of Judge Burn
nam from Europe An extract from a
letter written by Judge Burnham has
been fled by the attorney for Novak
In this, which is under date of March
;, 1902, Judge Burnham says that he
thinks he will sign the application for
. parole for Novak at the expiration of
the minimum he could have served had
he, the judge, followed the recommen-
dation of the jury as to the sentence.
The jury recommended ten years and
the Judge gave life. II he had given
the ten-year sentence Novak would
have been released in six years and
three months. That date has passed
and for that reason the extract re-
ferred to has been filed with the gov
ernor.
B. L. Wick attorney for those who
protest against clemency for Novak
has proposed that the matter be left
open until Judge Burnham' return.
Il is supposed that the Judge will
withdraw the letter as the public SEN
timent In Benton county seems to be
very much against Novak.
Among the large number Of protests
against clemency fled with the gov
ernOr are letters from William Murray,
whose son Novak murdered: J. IT.
Pickhart of Norway, William Kinder
knecht OF Atkins. NJ. j. Wade, William
Huntington, ]. T. Mcclure, John NJ.
Terry. Ed L. Sven, William Stewart
and others.
Protest Of Father.
The protest of the father of the vic
elm OF Novak. William Murray of Cedar
Rapids. follows:
To the Governor of Iowa.-Hon.
Sir want to enter my protest against
any clemency on part of r. A. Novak.
who is now seeking pardon at your
hands for the cold, deliberate murder
Of my son at Walford in February, 1897.
a date never to be effaced from nv
memory.
am an old man and have lived in
Benton county from 1854 to 1892 when
! removed to this city, and my SON and
his brother ran the farm OF 240 acres,
There Is not one good word to be
said in favor Of this flend who took the
life of my son. and If you should inyes-
tigate the facts you will most certainly
ma that he had committed many
crimes before the one in question.
Previous to coming to Walford No
wax had been In trouble about the loss
OF money from an express company In
Cedar Rapids; he had trouble at Atkins
where he acted for time as grain buy
er. At Walford he claimed his safe was
robbed; the station was burned in
which at the time he had a safe and
over which there was trouble, an eleya-
tor was set on fire. His own brother
in-law mysteriously met his death on
whose life the said Novak, it is said
carried insurance, and all these things
happened in Novak's town and in con-
nection with business with which he
had something to do. It can be shown
that he also tried to get strangers to
sleep in the store prior to the time
when he got my son to enter where he
took his life.
He had taken out $4,000 of insur-
ance, was fnsolvent. had gotten hold Of
an Identification check. This was found
on my sons body which had been plac-
ed on cot when the building had been
fired. Before Novaks capture suits
were brought to recover on these poll
cies and letters of administration were
taken out.
Aad ia IVA al No y.
could find, changed his name, fled to
Klondike, and there when caught de-
MED that he had ever been In WAL
ford, that his name was Smith, and de-
MED that he knew my son. whose life
he had taken.
ssThe foul crime was committed to
get the insurance and for the purpose
to pass of the body Of my son for that
OF the person who now sits behind the
bars OF prison doors and asks clemency
for what? Certainly not for anything
good that he has ever DONE not for
anything which was not fair In the
trial of the case not because there is
any claim to sympathy for him. that he
acted in self-defense, that he was
drunk or for any other cause. 1t was
cold, deliberate and most foul muir
der, and 1t was committed to get insur-
ance money, that being the only purpose
There never had been any trouble be-
tween the two men prior to this time.
There was no cause why such murder
should be committed and no revenge
for my son had never wronged any per-
son in this wide world.
"only one Juror out of twelve hung
out for the ten years. and only two
Judges Of the supreme court dissented,
but there is nothing to show that these
Judges or this juror ever thought that
the accused was innocent of the crime
charged.
II speak not only for myself but for
the county and the people in this mat
ter when say that the sentiment is
unanimously against any pardon for
this man who shed an innocent mans
blood for mere gain.
"Your Excellency trust will not lis
ten to the appeal from such person.
"Yours very respectfully,
"WILLIAM MURRAY"
Expressions Of Others.
William Stewart OF Atkins says that
ut would be menace to the commu-
nifty IL such pardon were granted by
the governor" He is fully convinced
that the Sentiment Of the community
Is decidedly against such pardon" Mr..
Stewart refers to the crime as cold
blooded
~ ~ ~ A. =.