The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-04-13
THE CROFFORD TRIAL

lHt CROFfORD TRIAL
Case is Being Bitterly Fought at
0sceola--Will Probably 90 to
fe the Jury Thursday.
The trial of DR.. j. W. Crofford, accused
OF the murder of Maude Stone, which
was commenced before Judge Evans at
Osceola last Tuesday, is still in progress
and will not be submitted to the jury
before Thursday. The readers of this
| paper are familiar with the evidence in
the case, as it is practically the same
leyidence submitted at the first trial of
DR.. Crofford which was held before
Judge Townerin this city in November,
1901, which resulted in the conviction
of DR.. Crofford and he was sentenced to
a term OF thirteen years in the peniten-
IItiary at Ft. Madison. After being in
4 prison several months Crofford was re-
leased on $4,000 bond pending the ap-
lpealito the supreme court which finally
granted him q new trial on account of
ting certain evidence which was object
ant. After the case was sent back here
j for new trial, DR.. Crotford was granted
a change of venue and it was sent to
Clarke county for trial and after being
continued at several terms of court,
was finally commenced on Tuesday
morning OF last week.
For the prosecution appeared attor-
neys Geo. W. Baker and A. P. Olsen, OF
Leon, and j. II. Jamison, Of Osceola,
while for the defendant appeared V. r.
McGinnis, Of Leon, and M. L.. Temple, of
Osceola. G. w. Hoffman, who was one
iof Croford's attorneys at the former
4 trial having withdrawn from the case.
The work of selecting jury to try
the case was commenced on Tuesday
morning, a special venire Of twenty
four jurors having been summoned in
addition to the regular panel OF twenty
j four and a jury was secured with little
trouble being sworn before court ad-
! journed at the noon hour. The jury is
composed entirely Of farmers and none
Of them had heard anything about the
case except the slight accounts which
they had read in the newspapers, and
none of them had formed any opinion of
the case. When court convened Tues
day afternoon the state commenced TAX
! ing their testimony, being along the
I same lines as at the former trial, the
state resting it's case Friday evening.
Saturday morning the testimony on be-
half of the defendant was commenced
! and continued qetil y %p'cipck when
Judge Evans adjohknea court until Mon
4 day morning, having received tele-
4 gram announcing the death Of his aged
!, mother at her home near Seymour and
he went to his home1in Gorydon Satnr-
day evening to attend her funeral.
Much OF the testimony on behalf Of DR..
4 ICr6ford was along the line of expert
, medical testimony, several doctors tes-
tifying that il conditions we're as claim
ed by the state, that the criminal oper-
alton which caused the death of Maude
Stone, could not have been performed
by DR.. Crofford after she went to his
: Isanitarium, but was probably done be-
fore she went there. Two important
witnesses for him were Drs. Huffman
and Still, of Des Moines, who we're in
Leon and testified during the trial OF
Charles Woodland in January, they tes-
,, tifying considerable length. The
doctors, who held the post mortem ex-
amined by Crofford's attorneys. The
time than was expected when the case
was commenced, as the attorneys on
both sides were confident when the case
: was commenced that the testimony
7 would all be in by Saturday night, but
it was not until Tuesday afternoon that
!: the testimony closed. There was a
? hard contest over the question of ad
mitting certain letters alleged to have
been written by Maude Stone before
her death, the defense insisting tina,
they could not be introduced as evi
dence, and Judge Evans took then
ur1der advisement, finally deciding tc
l allow them to go to the jury, and it i.
], claimed they were very damaging t
/ the defendant.
!. The arguments were commenced
), Tuesday afternoon, the opening speeci
for the state being made by Senator ]
H. Jamison. v. r. McGinnis made tht
4 lopening argument for the defense, talk
ing about an hour Tuesday evening, ant
I resuming yesterday morning, closing
0 his address about noon. He was follow
4 ed by M. L. Temple for the defense wht
K was talking to the jury when THE RE
e PORTER went to press Wednesday after
Q noon, and it was thought he would no
q finish before time for adjourning cour
in the evening. George W. Baker viii
make the closing argument for thu
/. state, and it is thought the case will bt
I given to jury about noon on Thursday.
Z The case did not attract the attention
q at Osceola which it did in this county
as all the parties were strangers to tina
community, and aside from the large
number of witnesses in the case there
g were but few other people in the cour
y room. Sentiment as to the case is divid
ed, some insisting that the state ha,
made stronger case against DIR. Crof
ford than at the first trial while other
are Of the opinion that it will result il
I ! a hung jury or acquittal. The case in
tcluding the trial Of Ira Hammond WHIT
: WAS indicted with DIR. Crofford but ac
: lquitted when he was tried at Mt. Ayr
> where the case was taken on a chang,
Z of venue, has been the most expensive
l. Il op; p,ino L caco which +his countu ha