Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-11-23
AYERS he WOULD
HAVE BEEN FREED HAD KATE
LEARY SPOKEN.
BUT TO SHIELD HERSELF
SHE REMAINED SILENT
George Weems, Recently Released AZ.
ter Serving Sixteen Years in Fort
Madison Penitsntiary, swears He 10
Innocent and Tells Graphic Story Of
Ridrath's Murder in pes Moines.

Abel. Nov. 23-"As God is my
witness, I am not guilty of numbering
Lucius RiGpath. 1 do not know who
committed the crime. was with Ham
mill and Krout on that evening and
had left them to so to Kate Leary's
place a few moments before the shot
was fired. l have noting but praise and
heartfelt gratitude for the men who
took such a vital interest in my case.
That l erred in my earlier life l do
net deny. For that 1 am sorry. Had
every young man been compelled TO
suffer the punishment l have suffered
for Tie sins OF his earlier life, the world
would soon be better"
II was George Weems Who spoke.
George Weems. who after serving six
teen wears II the state pen.tentiary for
murder. is today at his old home in
Abel, His time is out BY good be-
AaVior he cut thirty-year sentence
down . sixteen years
Sitting in the old home. place the
ex-convict told the story Of his former
'.ee. his arrest. trial and conviction On
TIE charge Of numbering Lucius Rid
April. 1929. near the Carried school
house
C.Totir1st a:li;al evidence vas against
ne said Weens bitterly. Somewhere
there lives a woman who had she so
chosen, Could have testified that I had
10 connection with the crime. That ev
idence would probably have saved me.
TIE woman adopted the name of Kate
Lea-y o.: the night OF The crime I
was AT Kate Leary's house near the
scene o the murder. When / heard the
sEor fred Which I found later killed
R!apa'h. I ra-2 downstairs ard met the
nan staggering toward ne with blood
gushing from wound in Ms neck. 1
asize; hin, Wt?er= ne lived ard he told
.g7e. st2rte.! - take hin, { MS home,
bur Re t>.i2atel in my arms aid him
o., the grass IN the yard il tront Of
The house where Kate Iea-y lived. For
yea sons ! have never kro,yr. she left
re city that night. All Efforts 70 bring
aer back 10 Des Moines 20 testify in
nv bct2<tI: ":c-e unavai!ing II she had
SPOKEN l would have been given my
liberty.
Woman Keeps Mum.
'WitheU- her testimony ny case was
hopeless I had been in ,he corn peny
o. k-our and Ha-1-niil on the evening
- he crime. Blood was later found
NJ NY cioth:ng. k-out a-5l Han-nil,
we're afte-was<l identified as the men
w.o ran from ti,e scene - the shoot
ing was arrested tri1e ara sentenced
u hang for the crime Krout turned
states evidence. ard yTas freed. AS I
was bout 70 be taken 70 The peniten
,ia-E NY attorneys mad a last effort
II lacat= Kate I.ee.v she could ~,
h. eaund. seya-aI va.-s inter-. while /
,sex !ls prison. fa,,1e- ar.i the LAWYERS
.our.4 ~ yyon,a. -. .,c-cca no =
tt asked 10 tell what shz knew. Her
st7~y IS ri.ifui one feel tlee.e,y-
sorry eor ne- Ha-e was a young. in
recent country gil. wh3 went to Des
1rgi~as srd Eel in l7va with a man
MO tet-syea her. That man tolay
ranks high i? ~ p0't.icai world. Soon
alter sLe left Des NoineS she entered
upon Z new life Sha was married t.
8 -esr ectable influential man in az
Iowa city.
Husband Does-'. Know.
- child was t0r0 70 them. Eer
husband does not krow Of her past
Not only would she have ruined he!
bono fE falling he story. but she SAYS
Ihat 10 tel wopl3 Is ne running o.
taa home OF the man who PLAYED her
false. but is row married and has a
femi'y. She during NY in prisonrent
tried hard 20 solve the question wheth
- she should sIe2k and break up her
family and the family Of the man she
claims wrecked her early life, OF
whether she shorid remain silent and
!et ne who was nothing TO her suneE
Cor crime I never committed.
Kate Leary coul9 have saved me
That she Old rot the world knows.
know her ard her husband. Her hus-
hand does not know that she ever lived
the life she did. The past is gone.
suffered unjus-lv. have suffered much
NY mother died Of broken heart. foul