Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-01

Rosen was accosted by one of the
white boys, and that she answered,
mo, am Christian girl
Many Women In Court.
The court room yesterday after
noon contained more women than
members of the sterner sex and the
fact was the subject of many remarks,
especially from the members of the
bar of Appanoose county. No previous
action before the bar of justice in Cen
terville has been such magnet to the
morbidly curious, they state, as the
Junkin trial, and the women are not
satisfied with merely coming in and
seeing the accused man. but they sit
throughout the entire session. Even
when the long argument made by OPP
posing counsel on the admission of the
negro's confession was in progress, the
women remained in court, eyincing q
great interest in the proceedings.
Court All Day Monday.
Not desiring to hold the twelve
jurors sitting in the case any longer
than possible, Judge Roberts has made
the announcement that court will be in
session all day Monday. While he
would like to recognize by suspend
ing court the day upon which honor
and respect will be paid those loyal
| soldiers who fought in the Civil war,
he feels that it is a duty he owes the
| jury to hasten the case as much as
possible.
4 TweIve-Year-cId Reporter.
The scribes seated around the press
bench yesterday afternoon took on
new dignity, for among their number
was the youngest murder case re.
porter in the entire state of Iowa, and
perhaps the world. She was Miss
Ruby Rhinehart, a lass of twelve
years Of age, who was covering the
case for her fathers paper, the Cen
terville Journal The youngster despite
her age was thorough representative
of the honored profession, and she had
no more difficulty in taking down her
notes of the proceedings than her more
experienced photographers.
"Sure, I cover all kinds of assign
ments when Pops busy" was the re-
Spouse she made to the query of the
Courier representative, and from all
appearances she was equal to the task.
| Attorneys CompIimenteo.
A compliment to the Ottumwa at
!
was that contained in todays issue of
the Centerville Iowegian. J. M Beck,
the editor of this newspaper, who has
! been covering the trial, has found in
| the visiting lawyers good lesson in
4 the manner of conducting criminal
cases, and he expresses himself in the
| following language:
THE Junkin trial as conducted by
| OF 20,
worth something to Appanoose county
for the object lesson it Is in the expe-
ditiousness with which such a trial
can be conducted. In the first place
jury in this important trial was Sc
cured in days time, which was ea
ceedingly we'll Then all day yester-
day witnesses with very damaging.
testimony for the defense were exam
ined. But the general demeanor of the
attorneys was that of men seeking to
have the jury become acquainted with
the actual facts, there being probably
not half dozen objections raised all
day long to questions asked, or an.
swers made. Witnesses were exam
ined and their actual knowledge was
got before the jury without being
befogged by peculiarly worded interrc-
question was direct and could be an.
swered readily by the witness. Wa.
pello county is to be congratulated
that its case is being handled by such
attorneys, as it means a great saving
assurance that justice is the thing
sought"
CenterviIIe's Worst Case.
The records of the Appanoose co,n.
ty district court contains no first de-
gree murders like that for which john
, Junkin will answer with his life or be
confined for the balance of his. exist
ence behind prison walls. The near
est approach to the present trial in
the matter of brutality was that EN-
titled State of Iowa VS.. Woodson Rea.
gon, colored man, who was charged
with numbering Ella Clark, a hand
some colored girl. This was sec.
ond degree offense. Attorney J. NJ.
; Wilson, who has been assisting tho
!, state in the Junkin trial, appeared for
.. the defendant Reagon and opposed to
! him was County Attorney E. M. Pro
! basco. Woodson was accused of TAX
ing the Clark girl to a blind tiger be
ing operated IN NE" CHiCdSO, Sts
burb of Centerville, and in an alterca
ton there, of shooting the woman
l Following the murder, he asked g
J white man companion to help him car
ry the dead form of his victim to 1
!, nearby railroad track and place i
J thereon, the idea being to let the i'm
4 preston get out that she had beer
$ killed by train. This was not done
! however, but instead, the woman wa.
e left in the spot where the murder oc
L Cured, and Reagon with his compan
0 ion came to Centerville and notified
y the officers that woman had suicid
4 ed. Reagon proceeded to his hom'
e and went to bed. Later a brother O
Q the dead girl went to the Reago,
r home and placing a revolver at tn
| head of his sisters murderer pulle
e the trigger. The firearm refused t
respond to his touch and the secon,
J. murder was prevented BY the timei
IS arrival of friends.