Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-20
BRoTHER-iN-LAW OF MRS. BELLE
LEWIS CREATES SENSATION
IN COURT.
WITNESS ILL
Sherman Murphy, Chemist, Who Ex.
amined Contents Of Dead Mans
Stomach, Cannot Testify Today, ow-
ing to Severe Attack of Tonsiiitis.


Sigourney, Feb. 10. = (SpeciaD -
Its no use for you to go home now
for they will arrest me. But before
God, l didn't do it,"
These are the words used by Mrs.
Belle Lewis to her brother-in-law on
the day of the funeral of the accused
woman's husband. according to the ev-
idence given by the brother, Samuel
Lewis of Creston. With this testimony
the state expects to prove that Mrs.
Lewis. fearing the outcome of the cor
oner's, inquest over. the remains of her
husband. fully expected to be charged
with his murder.
The introduction of the testimony
by the brother of the dead man caused
something of sensation in court last
evening and furnished one of the
many developments of the first week
of the Lewis murder trial which will
for years be known as one of the
biggest cases ever heard in a Keokuk
county court.
Important Witness III.
Because CT the illness of Sherman
Murphy of the Highland Park college
Des Moines, the chemist who made an
examination of the contents of w. F.
Lewis stomach, the Lewis murder
case was today adjourned until next
Monday afternoon. Mr.. Murphy is in
Sigourney, having come to testify at
| the trial of Mrs. Lewis on behalf of
the prosecution, but yesterday he was
forced to take to his bed with Sc
we're attack of tonsilitis and pneumo-
| mia Is feared.
Mr.. Murphy is theaman by whom
| the state expects to prove that enough
laudannm to cause death was found in
| the stomach of the late William f.
Lewis upon examination after death.
This testimony is important from the
standpoint of the state and the prose-
cutting attorney, w. H. Hamilton, says
that he does not want to proceed with
| the case until Mr.. Murphy's testimony
is put before the jury. 1t has direct
bearing upon the testimony already
given regarding the laudanum which
the Lewis family was in the habit of
keeping on hand for attacks of ear
ache to which nearly every member
of the family is subject.
Case Carefully Prepared.
Thus far the evidence in the case
has been decidedly against Mrs. Lewis
the accused woman. Every word of it
| is circumstantial, of course and the
natural tendency is to accept only a
| part of this class of evidence in judg-
| ing of the guilt or innocence of a per-
son accused of murder. The import.
ant facts brought out most promin.
entity by the states witnesses during
the first week of the trial which has
just closed, are few in number, but
large in the inferences to be drawn
from them. In the first place, Mrs
Lewis is charged by witnesses with
having been intimate with Ira Glass.
ford to a degree that caused talk in
the neighborhood. One witness said
that he saw the woman and Glassford
meet a quarter of mile from the
Lewis home. another that he saw them
driving and noticed that Mrs. Lewis
/ left the buggy before her home was
reached. walking on alone. Mr.. Lewis
brother. Samuel Lewis of Creston, and
his wife noticed, SO they say,that Mrs
Lewis and Glassford seemed to be
much interested in each other even
while the dead body of the accused
woman's husband was lying in his
home.
The Dose of Laudanum.
The evidence of Thomas Lappin, the
ditch digger, who swore that he saw
Mrs. Lewis pour into medicine
| Irr
a small vial, has not beer
corroberated by any other tes
timony introduced by the state. Lap
| pin was looked upon as the star wit
ness for the state, and if his evidence
! falls fiat it will mean much for the
chances of Mrs. Lewis for regainina
her liberty. Several witnesses have
| testified that Mrs. Lewis spoke of be
| ing unable to find the laudanum bottle
and of fearing that her husband ha6
| taken it from it's accustomed place in
the kitchen.
The Insurance Money.
Much stress is also put upon the fact
that Mrs. Lewis asked several people
who visited the house after her hus
bands death. whether the insurance
| poilcy WAS Vdllu OF NOT. IeStlmOny in
| troduced yesterday is to the effect thai
Mrs, Lewis borrowed money from
| Glassford to pay the last assessment
upon her husbands policy, and that
Glassford loaned her money for this
/ purpose several times.
The Evidence.
The evidence given by witnesses ex
amined late yesterday afternoon ane
/ during the evening follows:
coroner's Juror TestifIes.
John Watts testified that he did moi
know Lewis, and that he was one Of
the jurors at the coroner's inquest, and
at that inquest Mrs. Lewis was very
] composed and unconcerned. She was