The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-23
MEDIUM IN A MURDER TRIAL.
SAW THINGS IN 4 TRANCE AND
THE JURY SAID GUILTY.
Vision OF n Bcdy in Field and Discovery
OF Hand and Smcil-Oid Man Fcasei
Being Missing. His HouSekeeper anu
Her Son Are TO Serve Long Terms In JAN


LINCOLN, Neb. Oct. "A spirituslstic
medium was responsible for the CONVICTION
this week for mur der in the second degree
OF Mrs. Mamie Hutchinson and her son
Charles In Nuckolls county. 1t was queer
trial Tho body Of the victim was not
found and the evidence was purely cir
curnstantial.
The victim was iii Feasel we'll to do
farmer who had lived in Nuckolls county.
He was an old bachelor. For several years
Mrs. Hutchinson had been his housekeePer'
her son living with them.
On Oct 81, 1903, Feasel started for ST.
perior with young Hutchinson on load OF
corn, That was the last seen Of him. "heh
inquiry was made the Rutchinsons said
he had gone South to visit brother. ms
was found to be untrue. Then II was dis
covered that coon after Feasel's disappear
ance a nephew, Harley Feasel, and Hutch
inson had sold tie hogs Off the farm to a
q dealer in Nelson.
Neighborhood gossip led the county Of
fcers to investigate As a result a COM
plaint was filed in January char ging young
Feasel with murder and Hutchinson with
stealing hogs. The evidence was slight
Relatives of Feasel took the matter up
later, a brother from Kansas City, who is
ealthy. coming to Nebraska and person.
ally directing the investigation. Every
station within seventy-fve miles was WIS.,
tied to disco>e- If any one Of Feasel's de-
smiption had bought ticket. None was
found.
By accident il was discovered that hole
under shanty on the west side of the house
had recently been refilled with loose dirt.
In the hole was found wrench which had
spots on 1t resembling human blood. The
place for twenty feet about the house was
gone over carefully, but nothing was dis
covered.
A brother law OF Feasel, who Is a
epirltualist, suggested that a medium be
employed. The idea was scoffed at for a
time, but the brother finally agreed to
consult the m edium. The woman went
into q trance and told the inquirer that II
he would dig at certain spot in field on
the shambaugh place, adjoining that OF
Feasel, he would find the murdered man s
body.
Half the town Of Guide Rock turned
out to do the digging. Three feet under
ground part OF a human hand was found.
There were also pieces Of clothing, some
hair and an empty whiskey bottle. Dill
gent digging failed to uncover anything
else, although there was evidence that
something had been buried there and re-
moved.
The clairvoyant was again consulted.
This time she said that she could see a
woman and man lifting the body into a
buggy and driving away. At third seance
she said they had thrown the body into the
Republican River.
BY this time everybody in the neighbor-
hood had thorough confidence in the
medium, and fifty men began to drag the
river. 1t yielded nothing. but as this &C.
CURED six months after the murder IL de-
tracted In no degree from the popular belief
in the medium.
In the meantime young Hutchinson
had left the vicinity, taking service with
n ranchman some twenty miles awdH.
It was learned that about the time the
body was frst declared by the medium
10 be In the field he had hired buggy one
afternoon from a Red Cloud liveryman
which he did not return until the followin q
morning. The liveryman discovered that
the buggy Hutchinson had used Lad had
odor and he called in the Coroner. who Is n
doctor. The Coroner pronounced it to be
the odor OF a decayed human body Other
experts corroboratod the locel Coroner.
An examination OF the field was again
made. and buggy tracks were found lead
ing TO and from the hole The mark 81 a
tran shoe, such az was worn by one OF the
livery horses, was found in bali a dozen
places Vhe theory Of the State was that
the Old man had been murdered for his