Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-09-30

SUICIDE THEORY SUSTAINED
Jury Declares tho Young Defendant
innocent and Took Only Two Bal
lots ID, Reach verdict-EIeven to I
for A1oquittal on First BaIIot-Case
Revibwed.
to rimes-hepupllcan.


Slifer. who has been on trial here fo'
murder, is today free man. having
been declared not guilty of killing his
Young wife. The verdict came as no
surprise to a majority OF the people
who had followed the evidence closely.
When the jury brought in It's verdict
discharged a big demonstration In his
behalf resulted. The Jury was out Ions
ger than was expected. 1t was OF
course a trying time for the defendant,
but he bore 1t with fortitude and when
at last he realized he was free, and
that the black stain upon his char
acter had been removed so far as 1t
lies In human power to remove 1t, tears
of thankfulness and joy came to his
eyes and there were few who witness
ed the scene but felt that the ver>
dict was just. The jury stool IL to l
the vote was unanimous on the second
ballot. The delay in arriving at the
verdict was due largely to the fact
that the jurymen desired to examine
the exhibits which were numerous.
The total cost of the case to this
taxpayers Of the county is estimated
to be about $4,000.
A total Of 104 witnesses testified in
the case. OF this number So were
for the state and So for the defend
ant. The state had 20 experts and
the defense 26.
The Case Reviewed.
On the night Of December 10, 1903,
Katie Slifer. the young wife Of w. e.
Slifer, farmer near Grundy Center,
was found dead in bed. Two hours be-
fore she had retired with her husband,
apparently in good health. The hour
was IL o'clock and some minutes when
the husband, who lived with his par
ents, aroused the family and the neigh
bors were summoned. They found the
body of Mrs. Slifer lying in bed in
repose, and In Il natural and
position. There were no
signs of a struggle, save for a guam
tity of vomit on the sleeve Of the won
ans night dress and on the bedclotfes.
At the dawn Of the following morning
room where the woman died, a bottle
which had contained chloroform and
note signed Katie" which read Il
take this to end my trouble" An in
quest was held and a verdict of suicide
rendered. Death occurred Saturday
night and Mrs. Slifer was buried Mon
day. A few days later it was rumored
that friends Of the dead woman and
some others were not exactly satisfied
as to the cause of the womans death.
Mrs. Slifer's demise occurred few
hours after her return from a trip
overland to Marshalltown with her
An investigation was set on
foot quietly and it was found that the
chloroform had been purchased at a
certain Marshalltown drug store. The
clerk who sold the drug said 1t was
purchased by man. 1t was said he
identified Slifer as the one who bought
1t. An autopsy was held and re-
putable chemist found no traces OF
chloroform in the stomach, but did
and traces of it in the lungs and
brain. This autopsy was ten days
alter QedIIl. Dll1CI WAS OOuIio ONSI W
the grand jury and later indicted for
murder in the first degree. His trial
began Monday, September II and
ended Thursday.
Because of the mystery surrounding
the womans' death, the prominence of
the defendant and his people in the
in which they lived, the
prisoners youthfulnsss and the skill
with which the crime, If crime there
were, was committed the trial at
tracted the greatest attention all over
the state.
Evidence Reviewed..
The evidence has been given in great
detail in these columns, but short
summary Of the leading contentious of
the prosecution and the defense may
be of interest:
The prosecution claimed, and by it's
evidence sought to show that Sitter
bought chloroform at Powers drug
store in Marshalltown. There was
much difference of opinion as to the
,ositiveness of the clerks Identified
ion. On direct examination he stated
,e was positive it was Sitter. On
.ross-examination he still maintained
hat Slifer was the man, but was I'M
bile to tell why or how he was able to
IDENTIFY him from others. The state
llso maintained that the absence of
hloroform in the stomach when the
autopsy was held proved that the poi
on was not swallowed and that the
races Of chloroform in the lungs and
,-aia showed Mrs. Slifer died from in
Ealing the drug. Medical experts were
placed on the stand to prove this
heory. The autopsy showed no traces
# irritation of the throat or
'sophagus, which the experts for
he state We're inclined to
believe would have been noticeable,
the poison had been taken into the
tomach. 1t was commended also that
t would have been impossible, prac-
ically, for Mrs. Slifer to have taken
he chloroform by inhalation, self adj
The state also tried to
how that the note found on the dress
r was a forgery and that it was in
,lifer's own handwriting. Experts
ma persons familiar with the hand /
,riting of Mrs. Slifer and the defend |
mt, were placed on the stand and gave |
s their opinion that the writing on the |
ote was that of S1ifer. Letters writ |
en- by Mrs. Slifer and defendant We're
Introduced and compared. Neighbors
'ere placed on the stand to show that |
he actions of defendant after death |