Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-27
MRS. BELLE LEWIS, FREED OF
MURDER CHARGE. WILL LIVE
IN oTTuMWA.
SHE TALKS OF HER TRIAL
Does Not Think she Was Treated
Fairly at slsourney and Says Prose.
cution Was Most severe-Rejolces
in Her Freedom.

mo, will not leave Ottumwa. II
know a great many people here and
they have all been SO kind to me. MY
mother wants me to 60 to Villisca and
live there with her but believe can
do better here than anywhere else,
will have to make my living and liv-t
ing for my children, and must do it
by taking in washing and doing other
work of that kind. So think that I
will have better chance here than at
any place where 1 am not acquainted.'
Thus did Mrs. Belle Lewis. who was
yesterday acquitted Of the charge OF
numbering her husband, sum UP her
prospect for the future. Sitting with +,
hands folded, her face calm but show
ing the marks of more trouble than
usually falls to the lot of one woman,
she told her story to a Courier report
er this morning. She returned last
night from Sigourney, where she had
been since her arrest on the night Of
January 1, and where yesterday she
was released under circumstances
which probably have no precedent in
the legal annals Of Iowa. Her release
on motion of the attorneys for the
prosecution is an indisputabIe indica-
ton of her entire innocence and her
joy over the outcome Of her trial is
clouded only by one consideration.
courier's Report Was Fair.
Attorney a. G. Steck Of this city,
who, assisted by Attorneys d. ", Hams
ilton Of Sigourney ano ssaopEc IN y 81 - >
Of Hedrick. conducted the Aefense' re-
turned home last night from Sigour.s
ney Both he d and Mrs. Lewis
spoke today Of tie fairness with which
the Courier reported the trial Of the
case and Mrs. Lewis expressed her
thanks for the support given her BY
the people of Ottumwa.
Was Treated Well At jail.
What can you say Of your treat.
ment at the hands Of the Keokuk coun.
ty officials, Mrs. Lewis, !" asked the re-.
porter this morning.
II was treated very nicely at the
JAIL" was the reply. "Mr. Baty Is q
splendid man and Mrs. Baty Is good
woman. They gave me every comfort
couldfrequire and made my time Of
imprisonment easy to bear. i do
think, though, that the prosecution
was unfair and that 1t was great I'M
justice for the states attorneys to con.
tinue the prosecution and the attempts
to prove me guilty Of killing my hus.
band when they knew that DIR. Dean
had said that my husbands death was
certain to come within short time
from Inflammation of the brain. This
was the testimony which was given by
DR.. Dean and which cleared me and 1t
could have been introduced on Mon
day instead of Thursday because the
doctor sent his report to the prosecut.
ing attorneys last Monday
Had Hard Task.
"It seemed to me-" said Mrs Lewis.
''that it was necessary for me to prove
that was not guilty instead Of the
states proving that was guilty. The
evidence against me was not strong
enough to make the people of Sigour.
ney believe was guilty and through
out the time Of the trial many women
among them some of the most promiri.
ent ones in Sigourney, came to me sew
eral times in the court room and al
the Jail and told me that they believed
me innocent do not see how any
one could believe that killed VIII.
(Mr. Lewis) after hearing the testi.
| mony given by the states witnesses,
even before DR.. Dean was put on thS
stand.
Dr.. Deans Testimony.
"My attorneys intended to have the
body taken from the grave and the
head examined, but the states attor-
neys did this before we had a chance.
The head was given to DR. Dean ana
taken out of the county. He made a
report on Monday of this week but 1t
was impossible for Mr.. Steck to find
out what that was. So we had to
subpoena DR.. Dean yesterday. AS
soon as he came to Sigourney and
found out that the case was still going
on he went on the stand and his tes-
timony brought the trial to close at
once. The state, by agreement with
the court, was allowed to call him ais
a witness for the prosecution but his
evidence was all In my favor.
sigourney People Glad.
"The people of Sigourney, or many
of them at least have been with me
all the time and yesterday, when the
jury brought verdict of not guilty
1 men and women crowded about me
lin the court room and shook hands
with me and congratulated me. Or
/ the way down to the Jail people ran
d along on both sides of the street and
Il women came from their houses and
i asked me to come in. Everyone seem.
led glad that / was free and feel SO
4 n