Las Vegas optic., 1912-10-14
+ famous MURDER
CASE TO BE
TRIED
MAcFARLANp TO BE GIVEN a
SECOND CHANCE 70 PROVE
HIS INNOCENCE.


Newark, N. J.. Oct. a. Both sides
were in readiness for the opening
today Of the second trial Of AL
Iison N. Mcfarland. who is charged
with the murder Of his wife. Mac.
Farland was indicted on October 25,
1911, and his first trial took place in
the early part Of the present year.
The prosecution had little direct evi-
dence in that sensational case and the
case hinged practically upon the adj
& mission of the Bunny Letters"
number Of affectionate missives which
MacFarland had received from Miss
Florence Bromley, his former stenog-
rapher, and which tended to show that
MacFarland was in love with the writ
er and had expressed the intention Of
Kidding himself of his wife. Notwith-
4 standing the strenuous objections of
the defense the letters were admitted
as evidence and, after a trial extend
ing over several weeks, MacFarland
was found guilty of murder in the first
degree and sentenced to death
His lawyers appealed to the court
of errors and appeals and the latter,
after careful review of the case de-
cided that the lower court had erred
in admitting the Bunny Letters" as
evidence and that the Justice presiding
at the trial had erred in his instruc-
tions to the jury permitting the jur-
ors to base their judgment upon these
i letters. The decision of the trial court
was reversed and the case remanded
for new trial. The latter was final
~ set for today
Allison NJ. MacFarland was born
in Thomaston, Me-, about 35 years
ago and received a fair education, in
Guiding two years Of high school and
a course at commercial school at
Rockland, Me- It was at Rockland, in
the fall Of 1897 that MacFarland met
Evelyn Crockett. They became en-
gagged and on october g. 1900, they
were married at the Methodist church
in Rockland For one year or more
they continued to live in Rockland,
then they removed to Quincy, Mass,
where MacFarland obtained a position
as foreman in the Fore River Iron
Works One year later they moved
to New York, then to Chicago, then
to Michigan and finally to Philadel-
phia. While in Philadelphia MacFar-
land invented an automobile tire and
a company Of wealthy men was form
ed to nut the invention in the market.
Offices were opened and Miss Flor
ence Bromley was engaged as stenog-
rapher.
MacFarland soon became infatuated
with his stenographer and his atten-
tions to her caused serious domestic
trouble with his wife. Finally she left
him and returned to her parents,
where she remained two years, devot-
ing herself to the bringing up of hvr
two little children, In the meantime
the tire concern failed and MacFar-
land obtained employment with the
Crocker-Wheeler company in Newark.
In 1911 the marital troubles between
MacFarland and his wife were patched |
up and Mrs. MacFarland with her two
children returned to him in the early
part Of August Of that year.
AS it appeared later, the relations
between MacFarland and his former
stenographer had not ceased. They
kept up lively correspondence and
frequently met by appointment On
the evening Of October II, 1911, Mac
FarIand went to New York with his
son, to take the little boy to one Of
the theaters. They remained in New
York over night and when they reach
ed their home in Newark on the fol-
lowing morning, they found Mrs. Mac
Farland dead uponNher bed, with her
little daughter playing near her.
At the investigation by the coroner
lit was shown that Mrs MacFarland
had been poisoned by cyanide Of Pc
tassium, solution of which drug had
been contained in a blue bottle that
had formerly contained bromide, which
Mrs. MacFarland had been in the hab-
1t Of taking for her frequent head |
aches. 1t was suspected that Mac
Farland had placed the poison in the
bottle with the expectation that his
wife would take the poison by mistake
when in need OF a headache remedy
and when other circumstantial evi.
dence had been found, showing the
relations between MacFarland and
Miss Bromley and thus establishing a
motive MacFarland was held to the
/ grand jury His Indictment and trial
followed. Among the effects Of Mac
Farland a number Of letters were
found which Miss Bromley had writ