Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-13
Testimony of WilliamAlexander
Who Killed Brother. Creates
Favorable Impression
SEPARATED FOURTEEN YEARS
Alexander's Pleadinss With His Way
ward Relative to Go Back to Missouri
and Lead a Better Life. Were Met
With Curses and Threats - Claims
He Acted in Self Defense.

Des Moines, April 13.-.I tried to gel
him to turn away from the life he Was
living and go back TO Missouri. he
cursed me and threatened me for 1t,
and when l saw him coming TOWARD
me with his hand at his pocket, j shot
hifr,.
William Alexander. now on trial in
the criminal division of the distric,
court for the murder of his brother,
went on the stand in his own defense
Yesterday afternoon, and told the story
of the shooting. 1t was simply and
effectively told, and created a profouna
effect upon the crowd who had gath
cred to hear how the brother of the
uan on trial for his life had been
killed.
Alexander was the most important
witness introduced by the defense His
testimony was clear. connected and
was given without a suspicion of faf-
tering. With perfect simplicity the
man whom the attorneys for the stats
are. trying to bring to the moose faced
the twelve men who have his fate in
their harG,s, and told them the story OK
his relations with his brother from the
time they We're boys together in odd
Missouri, until the fatal day, when.
outraged over the life of shame tina;
his brother persisted in following. he
committed the deed which bids fair to
place the brand of cam upon him for
all time.
N
testified, for long time. 1t was in
1883 that ] saw him last. He was al
ways larger than l, and ever since he
WAS Is years old was afraid of him.
1 He was of vicious and quarrelsomc
disposition. and once when we We're
boys he attacked me with knife and
cut me. The day that shot him, he
had threatened to kill me, and knew
that he would carry out that threat.
! had come here to talk TO him and
try to persuade him to leave the wcm-
an he was living with, To cease the
life that he was leading, and so home
ito Missouri. / told him that he was
killing our old mother, and that he
ought to reform his ways. He cursed
Aie and called me the vilest names he
could lay his tongue to. Then in the
afternoon, when l saw him again, he
said, with an oath, so you are follow
Ing me up;' and made toward me with
his hand la his pocket. l thought no
was reaching for a knife or u gun, ana
Shot him. "a didn't want to hurt
him, but / didn't want him to hurt me,
either. | was scared and excited. and
don't know exactly what / did do.
I
and then threw the revolver away
from me and walked away. Then the
police came"
Testimony Favors Alexander.
Even the Witnesses for the prosecr-
tion who testified about the subject
over which the two men quarreled all
agreed that the accused man wasstry-
ing to get his brother to go home, and
live a respectable life. and that the
brother refused. AT this, the testimony
showed, the two men became angry,
and after some recrimination sepa-
rated. Later in the day, the witnesses
said, Alexander came back to East
Court avenue and renewed the quarrei
with his brother. The states witnesses
said that Robert, the dead brother, told
the defendant to go away and leave
him alone" but that the defendant, fo:-
lowing him at distance of from ten
70 twelve feet drew a revolver ana
Aired when Alexander turned to go into
an alley The impact of the bulle,
turned him half around, and he threw
up his hand. with the exclamation.
-sDon't shoot again I've had enough
The defendant, however. the witnesses
said, shot again and again, and his
brother, not fallen until the third shot
had been fired, staggered across the
alley and fell face downward, with his
lies blood gushing from eyes and