Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-23
Walter McHenry, Who Is De
Tending Charles Thomas, Re
ceivcs Threatening Letter
TELLS HIM TO DROP CASE
Says He Will be Blown Up VITA a
Bomb Unless He Withdraws From
the case-Unique Evidence in Re-
gard to Poison to be introduced in
the Murder Case.
Special to Times-Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines, Feb. 23.-Walter Nc
| Henry, senior counsel for Charles
! Thomas, now on trial for the alleged
murder of Mabel Scofield in 1872 mas
been threatened with assassination UNI
| less he withdraw from the case.
He received AN anonymous letter
F! this morning, mailed thru the Des
Mones postoffice yesterday afternoon
at o'clock threatening to take his life
unless he at once withdrew from the
action. The letter is written on note
paper from a tablet with an indelible
| pencil. There is no apparent effort to
disguise the hand and Mr.. McHenry
will offer a liberal reward for amy
Identification as to who the writer is.
| If this is ascertained he will commence
an action against him for threatening
to kill.
The letter is not written by one we'll
educated, but the script is quite dis
tinct and clear. There is no water
mark on the paper that might give evil
dGllIG W w iItlG tilC letbASs Nt.s pei
chased. The envelope is a stamped en-
velope with a return space in the left
hand corner marked Des Moines thus
indicating it was purchased in the To-
cal office
The Threatening Letter.
The threatening letter received this
morning and opened in the presence of
several people and a newspaper repre-
reads as follows:
walt McHenry-The people of Poke
Co. are watching you and the Chas.
Thomas case closely. Everybody thinks
Thomas guilty, the evidence says he is,
but you are going to clear him, one or,
more of the jury will not agree.
Money HERS men, We are watching
case. Ii he is cleared you and the hir-
ed jury will do it; the people feel JUS
tce cannot be obtained while you are
living (underscoreO and they propose
to adopt the Russian practice used on
Grand Duke Sergers. You have to
stop your injustice"
What people there are in this coun-
try!" exclaimed Mr.. McHenry, with
laugh as he passed the letter around.
However, gentlemen, / will not an
nounce my retirement from the case to-
day. This is the letter of some fanatic,
whom do not fear, but one who is dam
gerous to have at large. ! will pay
liberal reward for anyone who can
throw light on the identification of the
handwriting in this letter.
The letter will be photogra Pied and
a plate made to reproduce in the public
press with the hope someone may rec.
ognize the writing or characteristics of
the sender of the threatening epistle.
Will Drink Poison.
Before the eyes of the jury which is
hearing the case Walter McHenry,
counsel for defense, will pour into
glass of water forty grains of choral
hydrate and allow it to dissolve. Then
in their presence he will lift it to his
lips and take a sip to prove no injury
can come from a taste. Then he will
pass it from juror to juror and ask
each to press the cup of poison to his
lips. After the experiment he will ask
them if any woman with the ordinary
sense of taste and smell could be de-
ceived into drinking Il glass of such
bitter and repulsive poison, for on his
ross-eXanination DR.. Schooler, who
performed the autopsy over Mabel
Scofield, said it would require forty
grains of the poison to kill and the
state contends she was given this poi
son in a. glass of drink.
To make complete this experiment
some reputable druggist will be called
and asked to produce the proper poison
and there before the jury weigh tn,
forty grains and give it to the lawyer.
which will be presented by the defense
the Y. M c. A. auditorium will be
Michael Maroney. He will testify that
at the time Mabel Scofield's body was
brought to McDermott's undertaking
parlors he was employed by Mr. Nc
Dermott. He will testify, it is claimed,
that he prepared the body for burial,
and that on the same night and before
the autopsy was held he drove a tracer
into the side and drew from the lungs
a half a cup of water. He will also
testify, it is stated. that he drove this
same tracar into the abdomen in the
vicinity of the stomach and injected a
large quantity of poisonous embalming
fluid. His testimony will be corrobor-
ated, it is expected, by Undertaken
McDermott. Both witnesses were call
ed yesterday, but were not in the room
so were passed until today.
DR.. Hoffman May Come.
DIR. Charles Hoffman, who came from
I<irksville, Mo-, on a subpoena for the
Defense will undoubtedly be placed on
the stand today. He assisted the
defense in conducting the cross-exam-
ination of Professor Macy of Highland
Park College, who made the poison
test of Mabel Scofeld's stomach. An
the defense would put Hoff-
man on the stand yesterday the state
kept Professor Macy in the court room
all day. They will use him as an adj
visory in cross-examining DR.. Hoff-
man when he is. called.
INVESTIGATE cHILD's DEATH.