Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-25
A Year in Jail for Everett
Clark, Jay FitzWater and
Watson Scranton, Who
Had Confessed Guilt.
JURY IN THE THREE
OTHER CASES is OUT
Parts of Evidence Sent for
at Different Times, but
Men Seem to be Far From
a Verdict.

Lincoln Center, Kas., Nov. 24.-The
three confessed members of the tar
party, Everett G. Clark, Jay Fitzwater
and Watson Scranton, were sentenced
to year each in jail by Judge Grover
today #
Ed Ricord, who decoyed Miss Mary
Chamberlain to the place where she
was tarred, was sentenced this after
noon to one year in Jail. He had al
ready been in jails77 days.
The jury in the case of the three men
who went on trial, Sheriff. Clark, A..
N. Simms, and John Schmidt, was
still out at noon. 5
The three men sentenced this morn
ing were told that they would be given
ample time to arrange their business
affairs before being committed to jail.
Attorney Milliken excepted to the
sentence, saying he thought 1t ex-
cessive. Thirty days, he suggested,
would have been severe enough pun
ishment. .s,
None of the men seemed surprised
at the action of the court. They think
paroles will be exercised after they
have served short time, it is said.
Fewer than thirty persons were
present when sentence was pro-
Inounced So 81
The defendants were, seated In q
straight row before the judge. As
sentence was inflicted, each man
arose. Clark was sentenced first,
Scranton next and Fitzwater last.
"Have you any reason why sentence
should not be passed?' tn court asked
each man. @~s
"No," came firmly from the lips Of
each.
Neither man displayed any emotion
when sentenced. Constructively, ex-
planned the court the prisoners would
be henceforth in the sheriff's charge.
All Of them, however, are free on
bonds. -
Just after these three cases had
been disposed Of the jury in the case
of the other two notified the court that
it desired to hear some more testi-
mony read.
"What part do you wish to hear?"
injured Judge Grover.
"That relating to the alleged
assertion of A. N. Simms that he
would have been at the tarring II he
could have got there"
AS it was near the noon recess, the
testimony was not read then, but the
Jury went to luncheon. The men
sentenced today pleaded guilty before
Judge Grover on November 16. He
withheld sentence at that time, until
the trial of the others and until he
could learn the exact nature Of their
offense The men under sentence are:
Everett G.. Clark, president of Shady
Bend milling company, accused Of be-
ing the leader Of the "tar party"
J. Fitzwater, miller, also of Shady
Bend.
Watson Scranton, one of Everett
Clark's employees.
An All Night Struggle.
Hollow eyed and weary the jury In
the tar party case was still locked in
it's room trying valiantly to reach q
verdict when the dawn broke today.
All night long, under the orders of
Judge Dallas Grover, the Jurors had
struggled in futile attempt to reach
verdict. The testimony of witnesses
Chester Anderson and e. G. Clark,
which the jury required near midnight
last night, be read to them again,
was gone over many times. Occasion
ally the voices of the jurors were
raised to . high pitch but this was not
frequent. 1t seemed that the men
were giving the case much thought
and keeping their equanimity.
On every hand today predictions
that the jury would be hung" were
heard. It was generally understood
that IL a verdict was not reached by
noon the court would discharge them.
Defendants Sleep in Court Room.
Two of the defendants spent prac-
tically all of last night in the court
room, sleeping on benches. They were
Sheriff. Clark and John Schmidt. Az
ter Judge Grover left about o'clock,
Schmidt departed to meet Clark, who
had preceded him to their hotel. But
the suspense was too great for them
to sleep away from the court room
and few hours later they returned to
the scene of their trial. No spectators
remained all night.
1t was said at the beginning OF
court that the cases of the defendants
who have pleaded guilty might be dis
posed of today. 1t is known that
their attorneys desire sentence de-
CONTINUED on Page 50