The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1912-08-22
DEATH PENALTY FOR
SCHRUM SAYS JURY
Man Given Life Sentence For Murder
of Gent Gibson Receives Death
Penalty for Murder OF Mont
Hall.

James Schrum, who was tried last
week for the murder Of Gent Gibson
at Iron Mountain on the 18TH Of last
June, the jury returning Il verdict
of murder in the first degree and as
sessing his punishment at life i'm
| prisOnment, was again tried for
the murder of Mont Hall at the same
place and time. The trial on the
latter charge begun last Saturday
and closed Monday night of this
week, the jury returning the follow.
ing verdict:
1--WE the jury find the defendant,
James Schrum, guilty Of murder Ia
the first degree AS he stands charged
in the Information and assess hi,
punish at death
The names of the Jurors, all Of
whom signed the verdict, follow:
Lawrence Smith, J. j. Govero, Os.
car Murphy, j p. Hipes, Lee
Gravee, Carl y. Brim, Robert Clay,
4. ". Mason, W. NJ. Eaton, j. W.
Cook, r. X Silsby and stephen
! Pullman.
The killing occurred Oh June 10th
at about eight O'Clock in the morn,
! ing at Iron Mountain Lake. Their"
had been bad feeling between the
Halls and Gibsons and the Schrums
for some time, and on Thursday
evening, June 18th, James Schrum
and daughter passedby the Hall and
Gibson home and engaged in Il quar-
rel with Gibson, following which
some shots were fired by each Glib
son and Schrum. Later in the even
! ing Schrum walked to Graniteville,
where he remained until the next
morning, when he borrowed 32-40
! Winchester rifle from Mr.. Evans.
| Being unable to procure ammunition
for the gun at Graniteville, he and
his son, Harvey, then walked to
! IrOntJn and purchased shells from
| Lopez, and then walked back home.
On the following morning Schrum
and son, the former armed with the
| Winchester and the latter with "A
shot gun, walked from home tn the
lake whore they found j W. For.
shee aud Abram Halle fishing, and
Gibson ami Hall sitting on the EN-
bankment watching them. As
Srhrum approached he met Halle
first. Halle asked him If he had
come out to kill some fish and he
said "les, and have got two here
that am going to put on my
string right away
With this he leveled the rifle at
Gibson and fired, and Hall who was
then standing behind Gibson ran
toward the residence of Halle, and
as he was about 80 feet distant both
SChrums fired, each hitting him.
The boy put Il shot in Halls right
shoulder and neck and the old man
struck him in the left side, the ball
passing almost through his body.
Both men died before the noon hour.
IT was brought out in the testimony
for the defense that Gibson and Hall
had day or two previous to the
killing been to Schrum's home and
khad grossly insulted Schrum's :
wife aud daughter and made in
decent proposals to them.
Prosecuting Attorney b. II. Boyer
conducted the prosecution alone
with his usual zeal, and the defend
ant was represented by Felix o.
Poston of Flat River.
Harry Schrum, the son, on Tues
day pleaded guilty to murder in the
second degree in each Of the infor-
nations against him, and was sen
tenced to ten years in the peniten.
tary for his part in the killing of
Gibson and fifteen years for his
part in the killing of Hall.
The elder Schrum on Tuesday
was sentenced by the Court to the
penitentiary for life on the first con
victiou. Sentence on the second
conviction, in which the jury fixed
his punishment at death, has not
yet been pronounced, as the four
days allowed for motion for new
trial has not yet expired There is
some question as to which of these
convictions takes precedence-the
first or the sec0nd-but we under
stand that some of the lawyers, and
among them the Prosecuting Attor-
ney, hold that 1t is the one involv-
ing the severer or greater punish.
ment-death.
This is the first conviction OF mur-
der In the first degree In this county
where the jury fixed the punishment
at death since the law was enacted
leaving 1t optional with the Jury to
fix the punishment at life imprison
meut in such cases. The case will
doubtless be appealed to the Supreme
Court.