St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1913-12-06
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will most positively ask for a new
trial when the prisoners are called
for sentence when court cOnvenes on
December Is. ~,
The first scene in the tragedy term
mating in the conviction of Dora
Murff and James Duvall this morn
ing, was laid in the Crowley ice fac
tory where Dora had gone with 9TH
er girls to get some ice. There j.
Willard DELAYS met her and formed
an acquaintance which waxed from
that of friendship into love, and
eventually in a proposal by Delhaye
to make Dora his wife.
II am only sixteen, and too young,
Dora says she told him, but recipro-
Gated his love and promised to be-
come his wife at some later date.
Believing that Delhaye would make
her his wife, she trusted him and fell.
She told On the stand how this in
timacy lasted for more than a year,
and how she became desperate when
she realized that Delhaye was be-
coming tired of her.
But" she said, "he would return,
renew his love and promise to marry
me, and l always believed him. But
when he continually refused to come
to me any more, the faith of the IT.
tie girl faded away, and in it's place
arose the suspicious OF a woman. It
was then, after begging him over the
phone to come to see me on that ter
rible Saturday night, that | decided
rather than face the world with the
flush of shame on my cheeks, and
be forced to lay bare my relations
with Willard to my mother, l at
tempted to end it all, and bury my
secret in a suicides grave, thereby
permitting Willard to live, for low
ed him dearer than my own life"
Failing in this attempt at suic de,
she struck upon the ruse of writing
q fictitious letter to her mother, sign
ing the name of Cliff Brown to it,,
in which she wrote: II saw your
daughter, Dora, and Willard Delhaye,
enter the latter's room over the ice
factory on a certain night, and re-
main there several hours"
She said she took this means of
breaking the news of her wrongdo-
ing to her mother, not having the
heart to go straight to. her with her
story of shame.
This eliminated in Dora's condi-
ton reaching her stepfather, Jim
Duvall, and he went to the ice fac
tory, where Delhaye was-efnployed,
and demanded that Delhaye right the
wrong done hts daughter, or leave
town, under threat il he returned.
Delhaye left the following night,
and returned within two days.
On the day he returned Dora tried
again to get him to come to her, and
friends, it was stated, interviewed in
an effort to get Delhaye to do the
honorable thing, but still he refus-
ed.
Dora arose from the bed to which
she had been confined as result of
her attempt at suicide, and command
ed her father. she said, to get in the
surrey and bring the gun and come
with her: Drive where say
dfive, and stop when I STOP" was
4H cpnmand, she testified.
They came upon Delhaye on Par
kerson Avenue on, the night Of Oct.
H. 1913, and he was killed from a
SHOT fired from the surrey. Before
he fell Dora alighted, firing two more
shots from pistol, and as her lover
fell onashe dusty sidewalk, she drop
ped beside him, crying: Darling
you see what you have caused me to
do"
To which she says he answered be-
tween kisses: 'sWell, Dora, hoe the
row as best you can, and for Gods
sake, and my sake, go and tell the
truth"
Dora claimed she fired the fatal
shot. but added: "Oh. my Cod, 1
am sorry / killed him."
The defense's contention was that
Dora fired the shot, but evidently the
Jury did not believe her story. The
foreman OF the jury stated that the
1ecision was reached after the first
ballot.
Court remained in session all
hight, until the verdict was rendered,
It about 4:15 this morning. At -
o'clock Judge Campbell adjourned,
md convened court at ten minutes
lfter twelve.