Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-12-07

ShO tiofOiAhS PuOllO W pdtiOIiLO
it? Pennington has a round trip
rate to st. Louis of 1925; FEEDER
icktown has a rate of $50 tor the
round trip; there is competition at
Pennington; there is none at
Fredericktown. 1t won't be many
months until the Iron Mountain
people will wake up and find that
they have competition at FEEDER
icktown as well as Bismarck,
Pennington, Jackson, Oran, Nor
ley and other points in Southeast
Missouri. The people of this Sec
ton are in earnest, the talking
stage has pissed, they now mean
business, and Fredericktown is 60
ing to have better railroad rates.
-FredericktolUn Democrat eWs.
The following, taken from la st
Thursdays Centreville Reformer,
tells of the proceedings in the
Spaugh trial up to that time:
"Sheriff j. Jordan and Deputy D.
G. Howell went to st. Louis last
Friday after the Spaugh boys and
their mother, Mrs. Mary E. Spaugh
charged with the murder of Sheriff
John w. Polk of Iron county last
May. The officers received the
cheering information when they ar
rived at Rose Hill thata mob would
probably relieve them of their
charges at some point on the re-
turn trip and dispose of them in
short order. On their arrival at
st. Louis they found the Spaughs
greatly worried over the cock-and-
bull story that appeared in Fri
days Republic. After all the pre-
liminaries had been arranged the
officials having the prisoners in
charge left st. Louis at four o'clock
Sunday morning. The two boys
were handcuffed before being talk
en- from the st. Louis jail and
walked to the station. The trip to
| Centreville was without any D Q
cial incident. The Ironton people
had been misled as to the time
Sheriff Jordan would come down
and there were but four or five
persons on the train when it arriv-
ed there. On the arrival of the
party in Centreville the boys were
placed in jail and their mother left
in charge of the deputy sheriff.
Court convened Monday afternoon
and when the case was called the
State announced ready for trial.
The defense asked for a delay ow-
ing to the absence of two Witness
es. Tuesday when the case was
called the attorneys for the de-
Tense filed a motion to quash on
the ground that a law passed in a
state in the Louisiana Purchase
which permitted a felony charge
to be brought by information in
stead of by Indictment was I'M
constitutional. The Judge prompt
ly overruled the motion. Attorney
Williams, for the defense, then de-
handed that the witnesses for the
defense be called. They all an
swered except a travelling man
named Schierer who lives in St.
Louis. An attachment was issued
for him and the case passed until
Wednesday. Large crowds have
been here all week but there has
been no evidence of any feeling
for or against the Spaughs. All
boarding places are full and a
great many have camped on the
level ground above town. Eleven
lawyers have been retained in the
case. Prosecuting attorney Sloan
is assisted by prosecuting attorney
G. P. Damron of Iron county, w.
R. Edgar of Ironton, John H. Ra-
ney of Greenville, and L. F. Din
ming of De Soto. The defense is
conducted by Jos. G. Williams of
De Soto, R. A. Frazier of Festus,
D. L. Rivers of Elvins, j. A. Finch
of St. Louis, Adrian Steel of Iron
ton, and j.. B. Daniel of Centre
vile. When the case was called
Wednesday afternoon the state an
nounced ready for trial. After an
hours consultation the attorneys
for the defense announced ready
for trial as to William Spaugh,
Jr., and Mrs. Mary E. Spaugh and
asked a severance as to Arthur
Spaugh. They had decided not to
wait for the return of the attach
ment for the witness Schierer but
to go to trial without him in the
case of the two above named de-
PENDANTS. Sheriff Jordan al or
dered to summon as jurors in ad-
dition to the regular panel and
court adjourned until Friday"
Most of Friday and Saturday were
occupied in getting the jury and
Monday morning the hearing of
evidence began. A telephone mes
sage from Centreville this WED
nesday) morning apprises us that
the evidence was completed four
o'clock Tuesday afternoon. The
state made a strong case. The de-
Tense placed only two witnesses on
the stand, William Spaugh, Jr.,
and Mary Spaugh. Their evidence
was mainly a contradiction OF that
introduced by the State. William
Spaugh testified that Sheriff Polk
fred the first shot at him and that
he then ran out of the room and
knew nothing of the shooting OF
the sheriff. Mrs. Spaugh's testi-
mony was substantially the same.
The case is being argued to-day.
Mr.. Edgar will open for the State.
Mr.. Raney will close. The case
will go to the jury this afternoon,
and the friends of the murdered
sheriff are confident of an early
verdict. 1t is not yet known
whether the case against Arthur
Spaugh will be tried this term OF
aoi1rt or continued