Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-02
NERVOUSNESS OF MEN WORK
ING ON JUNkIN SHOWS MUCH
cLEvERNEss-NEGRo DETEc-
TIVE WAS EFFECTIVE.
SUSPECT WEAKENED
UNDER SMITHS WORK
FIRST IMPLIcATEs FRANK WEAV-
Err, BUT FINALLY LEANING ON
HIS AGED MOTHER, MAKES
CLEAN BREAST OF CRIME.

y + 4 y
= Justice through the channels
& Of The courts of Iowa will not be
E meted out to John Junkin, negro
y murderer Of Miss Clara Rosen,
y until the next term Of court,
= which opens April 5. Despite
4 the sworn confession the negro
u made Saturday, In the eyes OF y
y the law he Is an innocent man
= until he Is declared guilty by
y court Jury. Judge M. A. Roberts '
x this afternoon said that the con- =
+ venine Of the grand jury would y
= depend entirely upon the condi-
" ton of the evidence was In in y
s the hands of the county attorney
/" Seneca Cornell. Cornell is out
* Of the city today, being in New
ton.
r That JunI<in's trial will not be =
until the first week in the new "
term, is practically certainty.
Is 81 * = Il q X
Persistent work ON the part of the
special detectives and the police be
ginning Immediately after the hor
rible murder of Miss Clara Rosen or
the night of February 5, had its eli
max in the sworn confession secured
Saturday night in the Abba jail from
John Junkin, colored. Arrested short
ly following the murder, the colore'
man was released, the police failing
to connect him with the crime. Hi
second arrest came when he sold ;
diamond stone to Pawnbroker X. Re,i
man Tuesday, February 16, and sine
that date, he has been the subject 0
exhaustive sweating. One week ag'
yesterday after the reported assarl
of Mrs G. M. Johnston, the American
Commercial Travellers began solicit
ing subscriptions TO- reward. TIL
following Monday mass meeting Wa
held and funds were raised to en-
poye Pinkerton detectives to rul
down the crime Tuesday Detectiv
B. D. Way arrived and immediatel
was given all the information the ],
cal police had.
| Wednesday J. o. Smith. a colore
Pinkerton detective, was secure
and was locked up in a. cell wit
Junkin at Abba. BY filing Junkin u
with cocaine and whisky Smith worl
ed on Junkin until he made partis
confession. Friday he made this COZ
fession, in which he implicated Fran
Weaver, a colored man, also tellin
the officers that the goods were hif
den in the attic of Junkin's home. Sa
urday night he weakened completed
and confessed that he alone wa
guilty Of the crime. At his reque;
his mother, Amy Junkin, was brougf
to Abba and was present when h
made his confession.
Junkin first intended to rob D
tro's grocery store at the. corner {
Jefferson and Jay streets. While hi
ing back Of the Dutro store, Cla1
Rosen came by. The negro followe
her and stopped her on Dare stree
at the scene of the murder. Wit
hardly word he picked up the roc
that was found beside the body al
struck her down. Then he beat HI
head on the brick sidewalk until 81
was unconscious. He dragged h
body up, the embankment and hid
!, in the echar, then stole the valuable
There was no attempt at assault, 70
berry being the sole motive. Junk
then went to the restauran.. kept
his mother on Mill street, where
made his home and hid the valuable
failing to sell the ring to Mrs. R;
Cluttc,, $40 East Samantha stree
that night, he threw away the rii
and a few days later attempted