Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-10
Evidence Against Wheeler In
Lye Throwing Case on Trial
at Allison
MANY WITNESSES ARE CALLED
Testimony for tho state is Considered
Strong. So Far az Given--Mrs. Ram
ssy and tho Officers on the Stand -
Case Will Not be Finished for Sew
sral Days.
Special to Times Republican,

Special to Tunes Republican
Allison, Dec. 10.--Interest in the
Wheeler case continues at fever heat
Not more than half the states evil
dsnce has been taken and 1t Is said at
least thirty witnesses have been sub
poenaed for the defense. While Jerome
". Brown was indicted with Wheeler
for completely in the crime, Wheeler is
being tried separately. The crime Of
Wheeler is accused occurred July 80,
1904, and consisted In an alleged at
tempt to MAIN Mrs. Parnie Ramsey,
Of Clarksville, whom 1t is claimed
& had refused to marry Brown. Wheeler,
1t was claimed had 6 grudge against
hsr.
The evidence against Wheeler is CIR
cumstantial, but seems to show quite
@ clear case against him. Several
young men testified to having had a
key Of beer in building adjacent to
the Leet building on the night Of July
so, and one of the party, George De-
Bolt, claims to have seen Wheeler thru
the window mixing a substance which
4 to have heard Wheeler remark THAT
would AK her." or words to that effect.
DeBolt states that on account Of
3 Wheelers recent trouble with his wife
and she having left him, he supposed
the remark had reference to her. He
4 claims that he went to the home OF Iva
Rains where Mrs. Wheeler was staying
and warned her not to go to the door
lf anyone called during the right. 9th
or witnesses claim to have seen Wheel
Or at various times on that evening
and that when the doctor was called he
! was present and seemed to take undue
interest In the matter These seem to
have been some OF the chief reasons
for his arrest. Others facts developed
later which the authorities considered
sufficient ground for the arrest Of
Jerome v. Brown rs an accomplish.
Both Wheeler and Brown were. indict;,
Cd separately on q charge OF assault
with intent to MAIN and were indicted
Jointly on the charge Of conspiracy to
commit felony.
In the trial Of Hugh Wheeler on the
indictment first mentioned Mrs. Par
4rie Ramsey was the first witness and
testified substantially as follows:
That on the night of July 80 she was
ut her home three quarters Of a mile
northwest Of GAINESVILLE. At about
1920 O'clock she was awakened by a
voice calling her as she went to the door
OF her bedroom and the party asked
her to come to the front door saying he
had a message; that she went to the
front door and as soon as she opened
it q LIQUID was thrown In her face,
81 4. In n
her eyes; also scattering on her night
robe and on the carpet. She states
that she screamed, and her father
hearing her screams came soon after
wards. She states that she is not ia
miliar with the voice that called her
as she has known Hugh Wheeler at
sight for a number OF years, ana mas
been personally acquainted with Joe
Brown since 1898. She states tnaa
Brown, before the death Of his wire.
was one of the nearest neighbors, ana
that his wife died In the fall OF l9ol;
also that Mrs. Ramsey's husband died
IN the spring OF 1901; that IN the sum-
mer OF 1902, and several times since
that. Brown made a proposal OF mar
rage to her, and on the last occasion
In February, 1904, she told MIN ahat
unless he stayed away and ceased 10
annoy her she would take steps 10 pre-
vent him from coming on the premises.
( 1,his statement she thought angered
him, and afterwards she claims 10
have been afraid OF him.
the evidence Of Sheriff "A. w. john
son In substance was that ne was no
tified to 70 to Gainesville on July y,
1904. to make an investigation regard
Ing the assault on Mrs. Ramsey; that
IL the afternoon Of that day he went 70
her residence in company with j.. +.
Mott and Thomas Smith; that they
made an examination at the place
where Smith had seen the morse ana
buggy and found a mans tracks Lead
ing from there; that he noticed q Pc
culiarity Of the track of the man; that
he made a remark to the others that
he would know those shoes that made
that track lie he should ever see them;
that he also took notice from the tracks
that the horse had been driven up to
the post from the south and went north
on leaving; that directly across the
track where the horse had been tied he
saw the same tracks that he had seen
near the buggy leading toward the
house of Mrs. Ramsey, also that on
the railroad track near there he found
a rag covered with some substance and
which he introduced In evidence; that
he also found the same foot prints
leading from the house; that the foot
prints leading toward the house were
close together indicating that the per.
son went slowly and those leaving the
house were four or five feet apart
showing that the party had been run
ming: he states that on the same af-
ternoon he went to Wheeler's room;
that Wheeler was lying on q cot and
his shoes were setting near: he states
that he recognized at once that the
shoes had the same popularity MOTTO
ed in the tracks. He arrested Wheeler
and took him. to the Jail, locking his
room before leaving. On the following
Wednesday he returned to make fur
ther search Of Wheelers room and |
found the following articles: part |
of an old shirt of identically the same |
cloth as the piece found on the rail-
road track. that he took this piece and 1t |
exactly fitted a portion torn from the |
shirt: that he found IN cupboard a |
box containing Lewis I've about half of
which had been used; that in wood |
box he found piece of pine on which |
was I've and which he supposed had
been used to dip I've out Of the can.
These articles he offered in evidence
d IL IL H..