Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-06
TRIAL END MOI N sight
MCNAMARA DEFENSE HAS MANY
WITNESSES TO EXAMINE, IN.
cLuplNG EXPERTS,
MORE EVIDENCE OF MENTAL
DEFICIENCY OF DEFENDANT
Court Makes Ruling Favorable to State
When Fathers Death Bed Declare.
tions Are Sought to Be introduced
Defense May Occupy Balance Of the
Week.
'pecial to Times-Republican.


Northwood, April 6.-The first wit
ness called in the Mcnamara trial
when court convened yesterday after
noon, and examined on the part of the
defense, was Harry Burns, of Min
neapolis, but formerly an undertaken
at Mason City. Mr. Burns lived across
the street from the Mcnamara family
when they resided in Mason City, and
consequently was thrown into intimate
association with Ed, and has known
him for about eighteen years. He de-
scribed the same peculiarities about
his refusal to play, like other boys, and
always keeping almost entirely by
himself, and displaying reticence in
conversation.
Mr.. Burns was at the Mcnamara
home professionally, at the time of
Mrs. McNamara's death five years ago.
At that time Eds actions made a deep
was to seeing the grief of people in
eral times to enter the room while he
was embalming the body, and he could
not keep him away until he called his
father and told him to take Ed away.
The appearance of Eds face and eyes
startled him, and almost frightened
him, altho Ed offered no violence. The
court allowed Mr.. Burns to testify that
he at that time considered Ed to be
Of unsound mind.
Kate Corcoran's Story.
Miss Catherine Corcoran, who with
her mother, were the only persons be-
sides the principals in the house at
the time of the tragedy, was called
after Mr.. Burns cross examination
was finished. The defense tried to
prove by her that Martin Mcnamara
made statements to her, Immediately
after the shooting, concerning Eds
sanity, and pronounced him crazy, in
almost his first words. The court, after
some written argument, for this mat
ter, if not proper to he given in tes-
timony, would not be proper for the
jury to hear in oral argument, ex-
given by the grand jury, but she was
allowed to testify concerning other
things Immediately following the
shooting. She said that MIR. McNa-
mara's words about Ed--were not
spoken in anger, but in sorrow, and
that he asked her to pray for him and
for Ed.
Then followed a narration of the in
cidents of that sad and lonely Christ
mas eve preceding and her impress
sions concerning his queer actions and
appearance during the two preceding
days.
Frank Murray Testifies.
Frank Murray, a farmer and stock
buyer living near Mason City, who
was one of the first party of men
to arrive at the Mcnamara home af-
ter the tragedy, was the last witness
before adjournment. Mr.. Murray, also,
had been a lifelong friend of the de-
PENDANT, and had been quite intimate
ly acquainted with him at several
periods during his life. He described
what he knew of Eds actions and APP
pearance, as he had noticed them dur
ing the years which have gone by
told of his aversion to amusements
of all kinds, his reticence, and diff
verse with people whom he met. That
he was slow worker-"a very slow"
worker. and usually stayed pretty
close at home. In Mr. Murray's esti-
nation, his strangeness has become
more marked since his mothers death.
He told of times when he met Ed,
within the past few years, and tried
ito converse with him, and how Ed
went away and left him, once when
he was about to make him an offer
for some cattle which he wished to
buy. Another time he tried to dis
cuss the merits of a team that Ed
had just bought and the defendant re.
fused to talk of that.
Stayed Out in Rain.
In the opinion of Mr.. Murray, he
literally "did not know enough to
come in out of the rain" for one time
he went past the hospitable Murray
home, going away from his own home,
in pelting rain storm, without over
coat or rain coat, when he could have
just as we'll come in and waited until
the rain was over.
More Subpoenas Issued.
Today the defense gave to the
SnerlI announcer DuHcu OIL SuDpoeHdS
for lay witnesses. 1t had been ex-
pected in some quarters that medical
testimony might be reached by
Wednesday, but this hope had appar-
emily vanished One of the counsel
for the defense said this morning that
they still had about eighteen witnesses
to examine, and that he had little
idea when the defense would rest its
case. The state will have numerous
1nadinal uritnesseS 1lrnn reh11ttal 90