Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-10
10 ATTACK LETTERS
DESPERATE EFFORT TO HAVE
lNcRIM MATING LARSON
EPISTlES RULED OUT.
MRS. RHoDENsAUGH vERlFlES
DAUGHTER MAREAN's STORY
Tells Of Becoming III Five Different
Times After Drinking Tea and Cot
fee-letters Introduced Showing Poi
son Plot and Threats to Kill Marean
If She Told.
Special to Times Republican

| Vt Sho otos
Special to Times Republican.
Northwood. Nov 10.-A esperate eff
fort will be made to keep all the let
tiers now in the possession Of the state
purporting to have been written by the
defendant, Mrs Eta Larson. from the
jury. That much was dropped from
Attorney Stiser, the chief counsel for
the defendant, in brief address to the
court, relative TO the admissa bility OF
certain evidence. The state realizes
the Importance of these letters and
it will do ali in it's power to get
them properly before the jury. To TX
the authenticity of these letters two
, experts on pennanship are here tor the
! state, Col. W. A. Burnap, Of Mason
| City, and Walter K Mulliken, OF st
! Paul Other witnesses will be intro
| duced who are acquainted with botn
! the hand writing of Mrs. Larson and
! Marean. These two experts, it is said
! will testify that these letters We're
not written by Marean Rhodenba ugn
/ Mrs. Rhodenbaugh, the state attorneys
hope. may testify to the same thing II
she is competent To give this evidence.
! AS has been outlined already in these
i columns, there are seemingly several
families involved in this 1t seems that
! the relatives in general are against the
| RhodenbaughS and the attorneys TOR
! the defense say that they will have
! witness after witness to deny that they
| handed Marean letters and that her di-
rect evidence from beginning TO the end
will be completely riddled. The state
attorneys admit this much, but they
! hope to place Marean's evidence in
such a strong corroborative surround
ing that it will have its effect upon the
/, jury.
Mrs. Rhodenbaush Interesting Witness.
Mrs Rhodenbaugh made very in
/ teresting witness. She is a bright, ed
ucated woman. She said:
Am As years of age. Eta Larson,
! the defendant, lived with US after my
marriage. Think she was IL years Of
age when she came to live with US.
! Marean came to live with us when she
was l. have four children Of my own.
taught school in the Rhodenbaugh
neighborhood before l was married.
! Eta came to school to me. I helped
her with her writing. Eta lived with
! Us until she was married. She was 10
years old when she was married. Mr..
! Rhodenbaugh did not object to the
marriage of his daughter Eta. nor did
he object to the frequent visits OF
Christian Larson when he was paying
Eta more than ordinary attention. Be
tween Eta and myself there was no
trouble and do not bear any ill-will
i, toward her There was no trouble only
that which would be natural in a
mother correcting her child. When
Eta was married we lived neighbors.
did not prohibit Marean visiting Eta.
did keep her in nights and did not
think it was good for her to visit with
any neighbors too much. Eta came
to our house after she was married.
and was there quite frequently. At
times we would visit over the phone.
Tells Of Poison Attempts.
When / went to drink the tea in the
fall of 1909 and after I had drunk
some, saw that it looked green in the
bottom of the cup. I told my husband
not to drink any more. I was sick al
this time.
I'm March, 1909, we had coffee 70,
breakfast. My husband and I drank
Mr. .Rhodenbaugh was very sick, vom'
iting, aches and pains. with bad bloat'
ing following. His face and ears were
badly swollen and we called DR.. Glase1
to ascertain the trouble if we could. We
threw the coffee out in the garden.
first thought that this green stuff VIZ
saw in the coffee might be caused b!
the can in some way corroding. I die
not then think that an effort had beer
made to poison us.
"In August I got two pounds o
ground coffee from the store and pu
1t into a glass jar. We we're all dread
fully sick after using this. then looked
at the coffee and found that 1t wa
discolored again and threw it out nc
suspicionng poison.
Suspected Something Wrong.
In November we were sick again
Three of US were sick. At this time
was sick three weeks. I had a sever
headacre, muscles were sore and in
voluntary; was real sick My HUSBAND
and son Guy were much in the sam
condition. My. husband then began t.
t suspicion that there was somethini
wrong somewhere. We did not buy thi
coffee all at the same place. He too
the coffee to the office Of DR.. Youn
for examination. Mr.. Rhodenbaugh ha
never recovered from this severe Hines
and neither have I and I don't expec
TO- My husband was sick all that win
ter and in bed part Of the time.
"In February 1911, we were all sicl
I seemed to be the worst for the reaso
that I drank the most coffee tina
| morning. Mr.. Rhodenbaugh and Gu
L were very sick too. think all Of u
got sick at the. table and commence
| by vomiting. For some time we wer
all so sick that none OF US could call
physician. When we sufficiently re
| covered Mr.. Rhodenbaugh called up tn
doctor. My pains this time were in
tense My muscles ached dreadful
and I was sick all over. We looked
the coffee again and found somethin
= yellow in it. That was our last sick
i, ness. think Eta came to our hous
the day prior to my husband going
Minneapolis. -Marean came home fro,
school, My husband laid on the couc
He was very sick. Eta was there an
offered to give him glass of waite