Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-11-09
SENSATIONAL MURDER CASE TO
De CALLED NEXT WEEK At
MASON CITY.
EXPERTS WILL DECLARE
PARSONS COMPETENT WITNESS
Simple. Minded Youth Who Accuses
shsarer Of Killing Young Lueak to
Be corroboratsd-Stats to Mako
Hard Fight to Secure the conve.
ton.
Special to Times-Republican.

Mason City, Nov. Cone of the most
important murder trials that has ever
been fought out in the courts of north
ern Iowa, will be on trial at the OPEN
ing of court here on Monday the 14th.
J. S. Shearer, a man aged 81 years, is
accused and under indictment for the
murder of Henry Lucas. On Oct 20
Shearer, according to the grand jurors
report, "feloniously did strike, beat and
bruise the said Henry Lucas on and
weapon, the particular description of
which is to the grand jury unknown,
which he, then and there held in his
hand, inflicted then and there in the
wounds with the intent and in the
manner aforesaid, the said Henry
Lucas then and there died"
Tho Boys Story.
Possibly never has Il case been tried
where the conditions were like this one.
The only one who claims to know all
the circumstances connected with the
murder is Harry Parsons. He is a cousin
of ]. S. Shearer. He is far from being
a foolish young man but he does not
possess a strong mind. He testifies
that he was with Shearer when Lucas
was killed. that he was in the buggy
when they drove near where Lucas was
walking along, that Shearer got out
and walked up behind Lucas and
struck him down. After Lucas fell
Shearer told Parsons to drive up to
where the body lay and he did. The
body was then lifted into the buggy
and placed on the seat. Shearer then
got into the buggy and they drove
about half a mile east and half
mile north thru pasture where the
body was dumped out of the buggy and
Shearer then dragged it into the woods.
This is Parsons story in brief.
The Legal Contest.
The legal fight will be as to the
amount of credibility that can be given
the story of boy of unsound mind
whom the defendants will endeavor to
make out as an accomplice if crime
was committed This phase of the
question will be the legal tangle that
will be determined by a nont of law
that is sure to be raised and Judge
Kelley will be asked to rule upon. The
defendants attorneys believe that on
those grounds they will be able to take
the case from the jury for they will
insist that there is no corrobat-
ing evidence and without cor
ROTATING evidence the law says that no
conviction can be secured. And it may
be said that there is little evidence of
this description. W. F. Hamelton will
swear that he saw a horse in front OF
his home about 10 O'Clock on the night
of the murder and heard some one say:
wait q minute Joe Maggie will swear
that since the murder Shearer said
to him: "Once 1 saw man or boy
killed.
corroborative Evidence.
Edna E. Winter will swear that
Sheare- was away from home the
night of the 18th and she didn't see
him again until the morning Of the
18th. Martha Schekengost will swear
that Shearer owned white horse of
the description of the one seen the
night of the murder in that vicinity.
That is about the extent of the COR
roborating evidence as was laid before
the grand jury. The facts of the find
ing of the body. the manner in which
Lucas was killed. the identity is all
admitted. An effort was made to secure
a confession from Shearer but he has
always claimed that he was innocent.
1t will be remembered that it was in
connection with the Shearer affair that
the diamond robber" fake was start
ed The sheriff put a diamond robber.
or he reported that he did. in the cell
adjoining the Shearer cell. The dia-
mond robber. who was none other than
Pinkerton detective. worked with
'shearer for two weeks trying to get
him in some kind Of criminal COM
promise. but it was of no avail.
State Will Fight Hard.
1t was thru Harry Parsons that
Shearer was arrested. Witnesses will
go on the stand who are experts in
their line and will swear that the story
of Parsons is worth as much credence
as If told by one whose stability OF
mind was unquestioned. He knew
right from wrong, he knew what pun
ishment meant. no matter what
he told. in esentions could be relied
upon the same as any mans story.
Most Of the lawyers who have looked
into the case are of the opinion that If
the case can ever get to the jury that
there is a probability of conviction.
but they think that the attorneys for
the state will have a pretty hard time
Of it getting it past all the legal tech
nicalities with which it seems to be
Surrounded