Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-08
In Spite of Judges Warming
That Court House Is Unsafe
Audience Remains
THE CASE is RESUMED TODAY
Taking of Testimony Continued Along
Same Lines = States Evidence is
convictins = Defense Said to Have
Several Surprises Ready = The Tes
timony.
Special to Times-Republican.
timol,y.

Special to Times Republican,
Rockwell City. Jan. Sin spite Of
! the cold weather today and the warn
! ing of Judge Church Saturday after
/ noon that there was grave danger Of
| loss of life in case of panic in the
| court room, there was little decrease
in the attendance at the trial of Mrs
! Sarah Pratt for the alleged murder OF
her husband. AT the opening of the af-
| ternoon session Saturday Judge Church
startled the crowd presiding in the
small court room by declaring that ev-
F, cry one present was in imminent per-
| IL. Il want to say to the people here
that you are in grave danger" he re-
marked. I'm the event of anything
happening, try to leave the room in as
orderly a way as possible. That door. "
indicating the main entrance, Swings
inward. / don't know If any of you
could get out if a panic occurs. l
don't want to issue an order compell-
ing people to remain away from hers.
but it would be much better if you
would stay away. You are not doing
yourselves any good and you are I'M.
periling those who are required to be
here. Now remember"
Despite the warming no one left. The
room was damned and hundreds clam
ored for admittance 1t is presumed he
referred to the frail condition of the old
court house. which people have tried to
have abandoned for years.
The taking of testimony was resum-
ed today along the same lines as here
tofore and at the morning session
nothing Of particularly startling ma
ture was brought out.
The defense so far has made no I'M
portant inroads upon the states case,
and the chain of evidence remains
practically unbroken. Just what the
defense will attempt to prove is some
what uncertain, but it is said they are
prepared to spring several surprises
that will be dsconcerting to the states
attorneys 1t is known that they will
rely considerably upon medical expert
testimony Also it is understood the
defendant will be put on the stand in
her own behalf: also that Persing will
be called upon to testify as will Miss
Fox the Fonda girl whom is engaged
to marry Persing and whose wedding
it is claimed was postponed only be-
cause of Persing's arrest.
Miss Fox is here, awaiting the trial
of her lover. She sends notes to him
in his cell every day and Persing an
swers them. She is but II years of age.
Mrs Pratt is very calm in court.
Saturday afternoon T. S. Fox, father of
the girl who is engaged to Persing,
spoke to Mrs. Pratt, addressing her as
Jennie
"You better be careful how you call
me Jennie said Mrs. Pratt. "You
may get into trouble if you are too ia
miliar with me-" and she smiled broad
ly at her own remark.
Miss Eva Eakin, an extremely pretty
young teacher who taught the district
school which the Pratt children attend
ed, was a witness Saturday. She stat
ed she accompanied the little girls
home on rainy evening to stay all
night. She said that while Mrs. Pratt
was getting supper that Persing leased
her, pinched her ard behaved very ia
n1iliarly towards the defendant in her
L
ed that Persing was always teasing the
old lady.
did he laugh when he said it,"
asked Mr.. Healy.
mo, he did not" was the answer.
On cross-examination of Miss Eakin,
Mr.. Parsons brought out the fact that
Persing brought a pony keg Of beer
home that evening. She said Rersing
and Pratt drank of it, but she did not.
Miss Eakin also said Mrs. Pratt ask
ed her husband to feed the chickens
and had to ask him several times to do
So He finally started to put on Per-
sings heavy shoes to go out into the
wet, but Mrs. PRATT told him that he
must not wear Persing's shoes out in
to the wet. Pratt said his own shoes
leaked.
Mrs. Willis Buttolpt was then called.
She told Of Offering to go to Lake City
for Mrs. Pratt and of her saving she
must go herself. She said she saw
Persing pinch Mrs. Pratt and place
both hands to her waist, then passing
them up to the shoulders. All this
time; said the witness Mrs, Pratt was
talking to me and paid no attention to
Persing's performance.
Persing Went to Bank Early.
g. T.. Richards, cashier of the State
Savings Bank, formerly known as the
Citizens bank of Yetter, was examined
by County Attorney Hutchinson. Pratt
mad life insurance policies at the hank.
When 1 opened the bank the morn
ing of June "a when Pratt died. I mat
Pers1ng on the steps. He was waiting
FOR me. l went to the bank early. He
1ollo'ved me In and asked about Pratt's
insurance. He wanted to know If tho
policies were there and how much thew
amounted to. He said he had talked
with Pratt and wanted to know wheth-
er they had run out. His idea was
that Pratt had $4,000. I told him only
$1,000 was in force'
L told Persing who the beneficiary
was The Pratt farm is about eighty
acres and is worth $40 an acre. There
was a mortgage Of $4,000
Opposed Persing's Marriage.
Mrs. j. w Houdeschell, the wife of a
nelghbor, was an important witness.
her most inporta Mt statement being
concerning a. conversation with Mrs
Pratt in which the latter stated that
she was opposed to Persing marrying
Nina Fox. She said that Mrs Pratt
told her the day after Pratt died that
she was desirious of keeping Persine
rs the latter knew how Mr.. Pratt would |
have worked the farm. Mrs. Pratt said |
hat the people would probably talk,
but that she did not care. She said !
hat the chiiffren 1i1xad parein0 Che |