Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-23
JURY SECURED AND TAKING OF
EVIDENCE is BEGUN AT
viNToN.
GUTHRIE TO BE TRIED LATER
ON WIFE MURDER CHARGE
State Has Large Number Of Witnesses
to Weave Chain Of circumstantiaI
Evidence Connecting Two Men With
Killing Of Mrs. Guthrie at Belle
PIaine-Great Interest in Trial.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican
Vinton, Feb. 23.-A jury was secured
yesterday in the case Of George L.
Eddy, who is being tried on the charge
Of having murdered Rose Guthrie at
Belle Plaine ten years ago. Francisco
Guthrie, husband Of the woman, who
is being held as a party to the crime,
Will be given a separate hearing later.
In the examination of the jurors the
county attorney made it known that
the conviction. if made, would be
largely upon circumstantiaI evidence.
After the attorneys had made their
statements to the jury Drs. McMorris
and Cox, who made a postmortem ex-
animation at the time of the death,
were called to the witness stand and
the state had just finished their exam
lnatlon and that of j. A. Rule, city
marshal of Belle PLANE when court
adjourned for the day.
DIR. McMorris in his testimony said
In part that on the morning of the 9th,
day of December, 1900, the day on
Which Mrs. Guthrie was found dead,
he was in his back yard which adjoined
the back yard of the Guthrie home and
that while there he saw Guthrie and
Eddy on dog trot." They went
toward the alley. He testified that at
o'clock on the same day he was called
to assist in postmortem examination
OF the body of Mrs. Rose Guthrie; that
when they entered the room the corpse
was lying on the bed, the covers and
clothing unruffled or disturbed; that
her face was turned little to the left
and revolver in her right hand and
that the barrel of the revolver was
lying between her cheek and the pill
low; he later stated that the wound
that they found in the examination had
severed the spinal cord and had caused
instant PARALYSIS and such being the
case he did not think that it was pos
sible that the woman had shot herself
and that the revolver and hands fallen
into the position in which they were
found if the body was paralyzed at
once. He stated that the revolver when
hired must have been clear back in the
throat as the only injury or marks that
he found was the bullet hole in the
neighborhood of the second vertabrae;
that the pallet of the mouth and tongue
were uninjured and that he found a.
small powder mark just inside Of her
mouth on the right SIDE He stated
further that when he saw the body
first that there was some warmth but
in his judgment Mrs. Guthrie had been
dead for ten or twelve hours at that
time. He. stated that it had always been
his opinion that the woman did not
commit suicide and came to death by
other means.
The examination of DR.. Cox follow
ing covered the postmortem examina-
ton only and his statements of what
the exact conditions were did not vary
much with the testimony of DR.. Nc
Morris. He stated that it was his best
judgment that the wound was not self
inflicted.
Both Of the witnesses have lived in
Belle PLANE and have practiced there
great many years and they appeared
firm in their beliefs and refused to be-
come confused in their cross examina-
lions.
Great interest is being exhibited in
this case and the court room was
crowded to standing room all day. A
of Belle Plaine people were
present other than the witnesses.
The state has a large number Of wit
nesses and it is not thought that they
will finish for at least two days.