Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-23
The Closing Arguments.

Dobbins, growing out of the all
legged swindles, of the Mabray gang OF
operators, appears to have experienced
the full gamut of human emotions dur
ing the long trial which came to q
close today when Attorney General IA.
W. Byers made the closing plea for the
State and Judge w. r. Green had da
lvered his instructions to the jury.
The woman has been one of the central
figures of the trial and has been PIC.
turedS by many writers as a modern
heroine, numerous fanciful tales, some
OF them bearing an element of truth,
having been. woven about her. From
subdued sobs audible to everyone in
the court room, brought forth during
the scathing rdenunc.ation of her nus
band by County Attorney John j. Hess,
Mrs. Dobbins revived when C. NJ. Harl.
one of the attorneys for the defense.
began scoring of Banker Bal,ew, The
complaining witness, while thru il all
the face of Dobbins expressed neither
emotion of gratitude for the halo shat
was woven about his head or sign of
fear when the opposing attorneys
flayed him and reviewed the testimony
given against him.
Mrs. Dobbins in a woman of striking
appearance and despite stories of their
present lack of funds, both she and ner
husband are we'll dressed. A romance
that came into their lives at an. early
period in life, is being related here. 1t
it told that while they were attending
school in Missouri and while yet quite
young, Dobbins defended the girl from
the school bully who had drawn a rule
picture of the girl upon his slate and
who had then twitted her about it. The
bully got a whipping and Dobbins was
rewarded with a smile from the girl,
who many years afterwards became his
wife
Resently it has been persistenily
told that Mrs. Dobbins has taken in
sewing at the hotel here where she
has made her home, to secure funds
with which to aid her husband in his
trial; that with money thus earned
she went to Missouri and secured the
aid which secured Dobbins' release on
bond of $4,000.
Woman Loyal to Husband.
The wonlan's fidelity to the cause OF
her husband has never been doubted
She accompanied him to this city from
placed under arrest and has been his
Dobbins had double purpose in as
sisting her husband to escape the
charge and penitentiary sentence, and
a story current here many months agr
has been revived, of how it was thru
Mrs. Dobbins' confiding in friend al
Princeton, Mo-. that publicity of the
Ballew swindle became public ana
spurred Ballew to seek out and punish
his alleged betrayer.
1t is said that for mon.hs after Bal
lew had been he carefully
guarded the c.,aM aaef had determined i
to pocket his loss without murmur:
that when an inkling of the affair
reached the public thru women ac-
quaif,tances of Mrs. Dobbins in Prince
ton and the entire Ballew family lead
ers in society and everything else in
the Missouri town. We're laughed at
the ridicule was too much to bear with
out striking back. The testimony of
several indicated a garrulous charac-
teristic in Dobbins and whether OF
not Mrs. Dobbins did feel called upon
to extrcate her husband from the
trouble into which he had been plunged
by momentary lapse of caution. ties
timony in the trial went to show that
Dobbins himself was given to boast
ing of his conouests. This was most
strikingly illustrated in the testimony
of l.. H. Young of Ottumwa. travel
ing man who swore that Dobbins
counted $4,000 in his presence and eS-
hibited a second roll Of money con-
tanning probably $4,000.
Many Dram attic Incidents.
Interest in the trial did not suffer
with the closing of the testimony the
court room having been crowded While
the four attorneys We're making theil
argument Attorney Harl brought {
smile of approval from Mrs. Dobbin:
when he argued that it would be al
injustice for the jury to convict hel
husband which smile turned to sob
as the attorney continued and sht
leaned towards her husband for SIM
port. the little scene being one of the
most dramatic in the many that have
been enacted during the seven day!
of the hearing.
In one of the attorneys frequent at
tacks on the credibility Of witness Bal.
lew, AUCOIuSy Soio. S1Ou iiCii
Mrs Dobbins when the reformation %
her husband has to be entrusted to {
man like T. w. Ballew, when the lior
guards the lamb, when the hawk as
sumes a protective watch over thu
fowls of the barnNard." The attorne,
claimed that Dobbins was really thu
victim in the fake horse race; reading
the letter of introduction from Dobbin!
to Ballew introducing Martin. '"Thi!
very letter convinces me-" said Harl
chat Dobbins was himself a victim. HI
says here that Martin had come t.
him with good proposition, and doe:
the state undertake to say that the,
have introduced any testimony to show
that Martin had done this very thing
and that he succeeded in working Dob.
bins into giving him this letter."
Attack Made on Byers.
Showing that the defense resented
the appearance Of the attorney genera
in the case, Attorney Harl said: "Ir
this trial It is not the ordinary ma.
chinery of the state that is beine
employed. Always heretofore the
interests Of the public have beer
conserved by the appearance O
the county attorney, and never
before in this county has the at.
torney general Of the state left his i'm.
portant duties in Des ,Moines and come
here to take part in trial. even 0.
men charged with murder and Other
henious crimes.
'Tn addition to all this there ha.
been in this case the personal attorne,
OF T. w. Ballew. I am not blaming
Mr. Organ for accepting his retainer