Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-12-12
JUROR IN HYDE
'@ x2eloos lBoIIo1slH eIelS +
CASE |V|ISS|NGi,,
TRIAL STOPPED
Harry Waldron Leaves a
Dummy in Bed and Es-
capes From Sheriff by
Climbing Over Transom.

Kansas City, Mo-, Dec. 11.-Undoing
the work of a week in the court pro.
cedure and bring to standstill the
second trial of DR.. B. Clark Hyde,
charged with the murder of Col.
Thomas H. Swope. Harry Waldron, a
Juror in the case, broke out of his
room in hotel here early today,
eluded two marshals set to guard the
jurors, and escaped ~
The first hint Of the jurors escape
came when T. Holloway and Frank
Jasper, deputy marshals, found the
transom torn away from the door OF
the room Waldron occupied. The depu-
ties carried the keys to all the rooms
occupied by the jury. Waldron was no.
where to be seen. A force Ct deputies
was sent Immediately in pursuit.
When the news OF Waldron's disap-
pearance was carried to the court
room just before time for court to con-
vene attorneys for both sides imme-
diately went into conference to deter
mine the effect of the incident upon the
case Prosecutor Conkling said the
state would at once start an investiga-
tion to determine whether Waldron
had been induced to escape.
Dummy Found In Jurors Bed.
Attorney Walsh for the defense said
he would ask that elssors be appointed
to. take charge of the jury until Wal
dron could be found. Asked as to
whether the mttter would result In a
mis.trial Judge Porterfield said that
would depend upon Waldron's course
during his period Of liberty should he
bc captured. Domestic trouble is said
to have caused Waldron to grow rest
less under confinement.a as a Juror. He
owned and .condHetedea "a dairy farm on
the outsKifts OF, the city On November
20 Waldron's sudden Illness caused an
adjournment of court. December 1
Waldron's physician claimed he was
able to serve and the trial was re-
sumed. Waldron's indisposition at that
time was due to worry over home af-
fairs. r,~ .GE
To prevent his roommate and fellow
Juror G.. w. Palmer, from upsetting
dummy man Of bed quilts and slipped
it into his place in the bed. The room
was in the rear of the hotel next to a
bath room. Waldron removed staple
from the transom in the door over the
bathroom and climbed over. When
Palmer arose this r. orning he nudged
his dummy bed fellow to arouse him,
then spread the alarm.
Prosecutor Makes Statement
In a written statement Prosecutor
Conkling said:
"The action of Juror Waldron will
be rigidly investigated by the state, un-
der the orders of Judge Porterfield,
not only to ascertain the extent of the
misconduct, but also who, if anyone,
induced it. III ~,
"As for the state, we are indignant
at these distractions to the admins
trations of Justice For an innocent
man, DR.. Hyde seems to have phe-
nomenal luck. First, some mysteriously
found grand Jury evidence gets into
the hands Of his counsel. Second, at
the second trial Juror mysteriously
disappears just at the time his cross
examination at the first trial is being
read against him by the state. r
+ 81 wonder why the defendant is SO
'tickled' @.-.s r' gl&o
(signed) Virgil Conkling'
DR. Hydes statement concerning the
lost Juror was brief.
"The occurrance caused me the
deepest sorrow" he said. IT have
hoped the case might proceed without
further interruption"
Counsel for the accused physician
refused to make formal statement.
Jurors today recalled that all day
Yesterday Waldron, who was born in
Heidelberg. Germany, sat about the
hotel. leaning back, against the wall
playing old German folk songs and
patriotic airs on his violin, which he
claimed was hundreds of years old.
They said he gave every evidence OF
being extremely homesick. Mrs. Wal
dron told police and deputy marshals
today that she had neither seen nor
heard from him for days. She said she
had no intimation Of an attempt to
Cyanide Testimony to Have Been Read
The most interesting part Of the ac-
cused mans testimony was TO have
been reached today-his attempts to
explain his cyanide purchases He had
used it for years, he said. but to the
frequent request that he
name one more drug store than Hugo
at which he had bought the
drug. there came the same reply, he
could not remember. This line of ques-
tioning lasted in the former trial for
more than five hours.
It was at Brecklein's store that DR..
Hyde bought cyanide capsules while
the occurrences in the Swope home
we're taking place that was the first
time he had ever bought anywhere. He
always maintained that he purchased
the drug for two innocent purposes
the killing Of bugs and for cleaning
nitrate of silver from the fingers.