The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-22

| Tucker was the man whom Lottie-May
Doggett should rightfully have charg-
ed with her ruin; that the girl had
told him, the accused. Of fuckers
| meeting her secretly. and that he
| meant to make Tucker acknowledge
the truth publicly or else kill him.
This witness testimony established
the hour of $50 on that night as the
| exact time at which Tom Strickland
had left the barroom to go out to the
Tucker home for the purpose Of COM
pelling Stamford Tucker to agree to
make such an acknowledgment or OF
forcing a hostile meeting in the event
of his refusal.
White haired Mrs. Tucker. the dead
| mans mother; Katherine Tucker. his
sister, and Ellen Barry. domestic in
the Tucker home, testified that Stam-
ford Tucker had left the house at or
about $50 o'clock on the night OF the
Goth of July past, saying that e might
be late in returning He had not told
them where he was going. They had
believed he was going into the town
Of Nineveh.
DR.. Longford, the county coroner,
| testified to the established facts Of the
| inquest that had resulted in verdict
holding Thomas w. Strickland for the
killing Of Stamford Tucker.
| Luther Bradfield, proprietor of a
hardware store in Nineveh, testified
that Thomas W. Strickland had pur-
chased revolver from him on the
morning after the opening of the
Strickland campaign in the Nineveh
| town hall. He identified the weapon
taken from the accused at the time of
his arrest as the one thus purchased.
and stated that the bullet found In
Stamford fuckers brain was fired
from a pistol Of the same caliber.
Colonel Thurston T. Todhunter and
Miss Lottie-May Doggett had not an,
swered to their names when called as
witnesses for the prosecution. The
deputy sheriff sent to bring Them into
court had returned later and announced
that he had been unable to find them
This had occasioned much surprise
but. as both the state and the defense
felt assured Of their appearance at al
most any moment. the examination OF
other witnesses proceeded.
The case against Tom Strickland be-
gan to assume its most ominous aspect
Immediately following the testimony
of Bradield, the hardware dealer
The prosecuting attorney turned
smiling, from a whispered consulta
ton with old Ephraim Tucker.
"Call Abraham L. Tolliver" he said
I A negro man about forty years OF
age took the stand in answer to the
sheriff's cry. He seemed frightened
and reluctant to testify.
"What is your Named"
"My name is Abram Lincoln Tolliver
suh-dass my name"
"What is your occupation, Abram-
what do you do to make lfving?'
"Mostly I ketches fish, SUBJ hunt!
some, too. and I sets traps for coor
and mink down yander in de Blacl
Bottom swamps, subj"
"Where were you. Abe. on the nigh
Of July 26 just past?"
"Part de time was right hyar In di!
heah town o. Nineveh, and after dat
went on my way to whar l done go
my camp in de bottom lands, subj"
"What time did you leave the towr
of Nineveh to go to your camp in tn
Black Bottoms?"
II lef' dess III while after half at
ter 8. sub"
"How do you know this?"
"'Case done ak Ben Dalton. de cul
lud man whar been vtsitin'. what wa!
de time dess as I was a-tellin' hin
goodby. subj"
"What road did you take to 60 t.
your camp in the Black Bottoms?
"Why. sub. 'cose TOXIN de Blacl
Bottoms road, suh-leas' ways 'twell
comes to a III hog path what lead:
down into de big swamps off'n data
road, SUBJ"
"How far is it from town before 20,
come to that hog path, Abe?"
"Dess 'bout'n mile, sub, ter de bes
O. my knowledge and speakin' sorte
onfhand lax, subj"
do you know where the Tucke
place Is on the Black Bottoms road?"
"Yass, subj"
lis that path Of which you speal
more or less than halfway to the Tuck
er place as you go out from town"
"Hit dess a III mon Railways. SUBJ"
"Now. Abram," and the prosecutin.
attorney Strengthened to his full heigh
and spoke with especial earnestness
II want you to tell the jury exactl!
what happened to you on your way t.
your camp in the Black Bottoms tina
night Tell it In your own way just a
1t happened" -.. -.
The witness looked Mt his question
e. wtH apprehension in his ,chiidlik|
eyes.
.Mistah Cromwell, you-you dom
gimme 70 wu'd dey amt no harm
a-comin' to me eft tells dat?' he criet
appeanngly. "And you done tole mi
I halter tell 1t, whur' wants to el
no. Amt dat so?" ,
nThat ia tho TRUTH Abe The Law