Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-12-15
Young Mccormick Changes
Pleading and Admits
the Lesser Crime
COURT TO SENTENCE
HIM NEXT TUESDAY
Slayer Will Be Sent to Ana
mosa Reformatory Under
the Indeterminate Law

Clarence Mccormick, whose trial
for the murder OF l. w. Mellott on Oc-
tober 6, has been in progress in the
district court here for the past week,
entered a plea Of guilty to the charge
of manslaughter this morning at ten
o'clock. 1t was accepted by the county
attorney and the court will sentence
the lad to the state reformatory at
Anamosa on next Tuesday morning at
9 o'clock.
With the acceptance, by the county
attorney, of the defendants plea of
guilty to manslaughter, all charges of
murder were swept away and the re-
quest made that he be sent to the re-
on the stand and stated to the court
that he had heard the advice that he
be sent to the reformatory, was willing
to have plea of guilty Of manslaughter
entered against him and all charges of
murder eliminated and would try to get
a start in life right after he had left
the state institution.
Lewis Expresses Opinion.
John w. Lewis, who has defended
the boy in the trial. in an interview
this morning, Immediately after the
plea had been entered, said: "The re-
suit Is just what is desirable. / have
no doubt that the jury would have ac-
quilted, but to turn this boy loose now,
would be calamity to him as he has
fallen into bad company, has on his
1V,i ix,t,, wit
riec woman and doing other things
that 60 with bad company. To turn
him loose now would throw him back
into the arms of evil associates.
clarence Mccormick has proven
himself to be most remarkable young
man. In all my experience at the bar,
do not recall ever seeing one of his
age and lack of experience in the
court room, make so clear and so con-
vincing a witness He has been tell
ing the truth that is one explanation.
The only way to get him into the re-
form school is through this plea which
we requested County Attorney Steck
to accept and, after consulting with
the court, he did SO.
"For myself, have never doubted
his innocence of the crime charged and
target practice as nominal excuse
for social organization?
The country files motion for more
specific statement.
Des Moines Tribune: The protest
which has been made regarding the
lack of recognition to the women who
have made history seems partially JUS.
titled when one recalls the compare
lively few names of women recorded in
such records Of achievement
But an eastern city is trying to do
its part to make up for any slight of
which the historians have been guil.J
by giving to their school houses the
names of famous women. This seems
a sensible practice. The part which
women have taken in history has
probably been oftenest related to edu-
to their worth would be the association
of their names with the schools Of the
land.
Cedar Rapids Republican: In New
York City they had $40 evictions in
one week, according to press reports.
That is that many families were told
to get out of their homes for non
payment of rents. Where will they
find other ones? The men are out of
employment Because of this situat ton
at home some of the New York pap
ers are opposing relief for sufferers in
Europe. But is there not wealth and
charity enough in New York which
boasts, through the same papers, that
it has more population in it's city than
the combined populations of the states
of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont,
Rhode Island, Delaware, Idaho, Mon
tana, Nevada, Oregon, North Dakota,
Utah and Wyoming. That gives you
an idea OF how many human beings
are crowded into that one city, mostly
on one little island. This population
has crowded into that city from all
parts Of the country and from Europe
and the islands of the seven seas.
Everyone wants to be part of New
York, until they are SO crowded that
it is problem how to keep them en-
ployed and how to get food to them.
Instead of bringing a million Bel
gians to America to be settled on the
farms, how would it do to shake some
of those New York Americans loose
and make them till the soil, instead Of
hanging on to precarious existence
in city that is like human mael-
strom?
Knoxville Journal: The voters of
Des Moines are to be given an oppor-
tunity of expressing their wishes on
whether or not the saloon license shall
be revoked on an order from the city
council A special election is to Re
held in conjunction with the street
car franchise proposition and the ques-
ton will be put up to the voters in the
following form:
Shall the city council of the city of
Des Moines pass resolution revoking
the saloon licenses which expire Jan.
49,"
The date of the election is Jan. 16
and for the two weeks intervening
from the date of the expiration of the
licenses the saloons are to be allowed