Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-06-03

said to his guard, l"you -
I'm not afraid" A similar remark was
made to Junkin's guard yesterday
verdict TO return. Junkin, so the guard
states, wanted drink of whisky, and
said, II would kill man for drink
of whisky"
Nothing mproper-cornelI.
In the opinions of United States
| District Attorney M. L. Temple of
| Osceola' and former Congressman Dan
w. Hamilton of Sigourney, who were
quoted this morning in the Des Moines
Register and Leader, the Junl1in case
! is likely to be remanded for a new
trial by the supreme court. These
men state that the reference made by
Attorney Smith in his opening argu-
ment to the jury to the fleet that "He
could not understand how Fred Rosen
could sit throughout the trial, patient
| ly awaiting a verdict, without doing
violence to Junkin,' was bad thing
| for prosecutor to assert "The state
ment of Attorney Smith in this con-
lnection evidently has been furnished
Attorney Temple and Mr. Hamilton
| somewhat misconstrued," said County
Attorney Seneca Cornell this morn
ing, "as Mr.. Smith did not use any
thing in his arguments that was other
than proper. This statement of mine
is borne out by the expression of
Judge Mitchell, who says that he be-
lieved there was probably no error in
the court
County Attorney corneII's Argument.
| When County Attorney Seneca Cor.
nell stepped before the jury box to
make his plea in behalf of the state
against the murderer, Junkin, deter
mination that the death penalty should
be their verdict was seen in every
movement and every syllable he utter
ed. The argument, without doubt, the
strongest ever made by the county at.
torney, furnished an effective climax
to the great mass of testimony intro
duced by the state and that it so I'M
pressed the jury is evident
| His argument at the outset made it
plain to the twelve men that the pros
ecutor of Wapello county believed that
|
through arguments, but the attorney
outdid himself both in evidence and
argument. He expressed himself as
very much gratified with the progress
of the trial; the almost utter lack of
dispute on the evidence as introduced
and the friendly and gentlemanly man
ner in which the states attorneys and
the lawyers on the opposite side had
conducted the proceedings. After 50
expressing himself Mr.. Cornell took
up the merits of the case, and to say
that he never lost an opportunity Of
showing to the jurors the brutality of
the crime committed by John Junkin
would be fiat misstatement. He also
took occasion to refer to the able ar
guments of the defense, but the glory
| thus bestowed was somewhat erased
when he quickly followed with tha
statement that the arguments were
entirely too thin and transparent not
to be seen through by the intelligent
jury. He also expressed surprise that
the defense made their arguments as
sumo the dignity Of arguments, owing
to the great handicap under which
they labored when all the great mass
of evidence introduced by the state
50 much overshadowed anything III
the line of an excuse for the crime
that Junkin could either have or man.
ufacture.
, Death Penalty Urged.
If John Junkin ever has scintiIla
of an opportunity of ever becoming re.
formed or of being converted to do
good, it is through the infection of the
death penalty" began Prosecutor Cor
nell in taking up the real items In
his argument. "He may be able to
make his peace with his maker before
the time Of execution comes AROUND,
but not until he is doomed to die, will
that black fiend reform. Life impris-
onment in the penitentiary is not sui
ficiently secure to demand reforma.
ton on the part of Junkin. He will
have too many chances to escape and
there is also the pardon board. He is
of the character that would cheerfully
strike down his guard and escape only
to enter again his criminal ways. Men
if you expect to save the soul Of John
Junkin you must inflict the death pea
atty.
"The defense in this case offers a
commandment Of God to actuate you
men in finding favorably to them.
This is Thou Shalt Not Kill" Here
the prosecutor recited the awful de-
tails of the murder of Clara Rosen,
showing how the defendant struck her
down with large rock; how he pulled
from her hand the little purse and
from her finger her engagement ring
and robbed her neck of the gold
beads. "He carried her up that in
cline,' said Mr.. Cornell, land laid
her body in the abandoned hole. But
he was not satisfied with that. No, he
heard a slight groan, thought she was
becoming conscious and fearful lest
she would make only feeble cutlery
she could have made no other-he
beat her face and eyes with this jag
ged rock. If you men do not pro-
nounce the death penalty upon John
Junkin he will have every reason to
believe that he will never get it, and
perhaps he will, should the opportun-
ity offer itself, again commit an out
rage. That is one of the best argu-
ments l can make in favor of the
death penalty An argument against