The Republican journal., 1910-05-05
ON TRIAL
Ira S. Grady for the Murder of Mrs. Har.
riet French Thomas.

The trial of Ira S. Grady of Unity upon an
Indictment for the murder of Mrs. Harriet
French Thomas of Belfast opened in the su-
preme court at 1870 a. m. Monday, Justice
Peabody presiding. The accused was in GUS
tody of the deputy sheriff and among those
present in the crowded court room were his
daughter, Mrs. Frank Lane of Brooks; his
brother, Frank A. Grady, and his sister-n-law
Mrs. Abiah Grady, of Belfast; his son, Ralph
Grady of Brooks; his sons-in-law, Nelson Rev
nolds and Frank Lane of Brooks, and num-
ber of friends
There were 60 names from which to draw a
jury, and the entire forenoon session was taken
up with the drawing and the full panel was not
obtained until p, m. Four from Morrill, were
excused on account of the venires not being
returned; several were sick; others had formed
an opinion and expressed it, and all the Belfast
men were excused.
The following talesmen were challenged by
the defence F. W. Penny, Freedom; Frank
Grant, Winterport; F. 0. Seekins, Swanville;
| Woodbury. Tibbetts, Palermo; Charles " Crock
EFT, Northport; Louis F. Murray, Stockton
| Springs.
| The State challenged Fred A Moulton,
| Brooks; Frank H. Mayo, Belfast; Capt. A. F.
Elwell, Northport; Augustine Colburn, Belfast;
| M. E. Boardman, Islesboro; Frank G. Mixer
| Belfast.
| The court excused for cause Byron Rogers,
Belfast; Roscoe Black, Belfast; Fred Brewster,
| Belmont;- Walter Fenwick, Morrill,; F. O. Allen
wood, Belmont; David Smith, Waldo; Irwin
| Berry, Stockton Springs; Frank Strout, Belfast;
Charles L. Walter, swanville.
| The jury empaneed was as follows
| Albert Parks, (foreman) Lncolnville; brick
| layer and tile setter A. R. Murch, farmer
Thorndike; W. c. Deering farmer Brooks;
| Clifton Whittum, office holder, Searsport Her.
| man Paul, farmer, Waldo; c. R. Howard, farm
er, Swanville; Almond Park, carpenter, Sears
port; James E. Marden, farmer, Searsport;
| Frank M. Stevens, farmer, Swanviile; B. E.
| Cunningham, farmer, Liberty, George jackson,
farmer, Northport; W. H. Sprague, farmer,
| Thorndike.
! James S. Hartman and Forrest ]. Martin of
Bangor appeared for the defence, Mr.. Harri-
man examining the jurors, and Assistant At
| torney General Charles Barnes of Norway, who
is to assist County Attorney Buzzell in prose-
cutting, examined the jurors for the State
| After completing the jury the court was ad-
| journed to the afternoon.
| County Attorney Buzzell was called to Mon
roe Monday by the serious illness of his father,
| Charles H. Buzzell, ESQ.,
The court reconvened at 3 p. m. and at 3.45
Judge Peabody instructed the jury to go to the
house where Mrs. Thomas was killed to view
| the premises and also to go over the ground
| Grady is supposed to have covered on the night
| that Mrs. Thomas was killed and to report at
$50 a. m. Tuesday. The jury were in charge
| of Sheriff Carleton and Deputies Emmons of
| Brooks and Mortland of Searsport.
At the opening of the Court Tuesday morn
ing at $50 a. M Assistant Attorney General
Charles P. Barnes of Norway opened the case
for the State by reading the indictment charg-
ing Ira S. Grady of Unity with murder of
Hattie French Thomas, Cross street, Bel
fast February 21st. He said the States case
was handicapped by the absence of County
Attorney H. c. Buzzell, who had been called to
Monroe by the critical illness of his father,
C. H. Buzzell. He then gave an excellent pre-
sentation of the case. The evidence was cir
cumstantial and the life taken was not that of an
innocent person, but existence was as dear to
her as to any one, and the laws of the State
should SO protect her. In his opinion the pre-
ponderance of the evidence pointed to the ac-
cused as the guilty party.
A large number of witnesses for the State.
including members Of the police force, several
of the local physicians, and others, were sworn.
Edgar L. Harding, clerk in J. W. Jones' hard
ware store was the first witness called. He
testified to the business calls Of the accused at
the store for supplies used in his work as a
blacksmith, of his missing the afternoon train
to Unity, and of a later call when he left his
pocket book with about 500 in Harding's keep
ing.
A. D. Hayes, principal of the Upper Gram
mar school, was called to explain blue print
| Of the Knowlton house, the scene of the mur-
der.
| Joseph Decrow, an employe of the Coe-
Mortimer Company, testified to meeting Sid
ney E. Bennett, who was with Mrs. Thomas