Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-11
ALL A FAIRY TALE
Declares John Ashcraft in Answer
to Charge of Attempted
Murder.
PREVENTS WIFE IN sU1CIDING
Having Wrested Carbolic Acid From
Her-Case Goes to Jury
in Circuit Court.

The case of John Ashcraft. on trial
given to the jury in the circuit court
at IL o'clock this morning. after ad-
dresses by II. \. Weld. states attor-
ney. who conducted the prosecution.
and II. NJ. McCaskrin, who appeared
for the defendant.
Mr.. Weld made a scathing denuncia-
ton of the character Of the testimony
offered i'm behalf of the defense. par
ticularly that portion from Boards
town, ILL.,. where the Ashcrafts lived
prior 10 their removal to Rock Island.
declaring that the sum total of the
brains of the BearGstown witnesses
was not adequate to equip a team of
ordinary mules" This remark was
prompted by the display of lack of
knowledge of the definition of the
English language displayed by some
of the imported witnesses on the
stand during the hearing yesterday
afternoon. many ccnfessing. On cross
examination by the state. after they
had replied to the satisfaction of the
defense. they did not know the mean
ing Of mental condition" or truth
and veracity."
Says Wife Tried TO Suicide.
Ashcrafr. who is charged with hav-
ing tried 10 force his wife To drink
carbolic acid while she was sick in
bed with typhoid fever. went on the
stand in his own behalf. and swore
that the whole story of his wife was
manufactured from her own magma
ticn; that, in reality, instead of his
trying to destroy her, she attempted
to commit suicide and was prevented
from doing so by him.
He stated that in the night of the
alleged murderous assault his wife
called him to her bed and asked him
TO prop her head with a pillow the
latter having slipped from its place.
He had neglected to put away the
carEolic acid bottle. with which he
had just been disinfecting. and when
he leaned over her to rearrange the
pillow. she grabbed the bottle from
his hand and had the neck to her lips
when he wrested it from her. some
of the acid spilling on her face in the
struggle. He declared that he did not
pretend TO her that he was drinking
the poison while he was lying on the
couch beside her bed, as she claimed
he did.
Defendant Contradicts Himself.
.Ashcraft had had a few drinks that
night. but he said that he was not in
toXicated. Officer Thode was intro
iuced by the state to relate what
told the police on the night
Of his arrest. 1t was contradictory
To that related on the witness stand
by the defendant, but he said if ne
had made those statements to the po-
lice it was All mistake. that he must
have been excited and really did not
know what he was saying.
Mrs. Ashcraft. frail, nervous wo-
man. apparently one who has borne |
more than her share of this worlds |
woes. told a straightforward story, |
the substance of which was given in |
these columns yesterday; that Ash
craft had feigned suicide. and when |
he supposed she had fallen asleep. |
placed the carbolic acid bottle to her
lips and attempted to force her to
rink of the contents.
The defense introduced a number
Of witnesses from Beardstown and
Moline, mostly women, VINO had
known Mrs. Ashcraft while she lived
in their neighborhOOds. They all
stated that she was a woman who was
not truthful and that at times she
acted like one insane.
The jury returned a verdict of not
guilty at noon.
Arguments In WAR; Case.
Arguments were heard this morning |
on Il motion of counsel for the de |
Tense for the filing of bills of particu-
lars in two of the embezzlement in
lictments against j. w. War;. 1t was |
Ia ken under ndYiSemenf by the court |