The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-03-04

1Or the prosecution, and that States
Attorney Crimson lied in the evidence
he gave during the trial. E. r. Sinkler
this morning began his plea for Rol-
um's life in the district court.
The attorneys for the prosecution
have refused to let me have the
transcript of what took place at the
Holum farm on the night following
Mrs. Holum'e DEATH" declared Mr..
Sinkler.
Calls Crimson liar.
They know that this transcript
would show Mr.. Crimson to have been
liar when he stated on the witness
that occasion that he fell while car
rying his wife to the house. They
didn't want the states attorney of
Cavalier county shown up as a man
who would lie. in order to send a man
to the penitentiary.
Victim of Injustice.
II ever man suffered an injustice,
Matt Holum has. He is the victim Of
circumstances and the misplaced ann
bition of the attorneys on the opposite
side OF the table from me. They want
to realize success over the mangled
and bleeding carcass Of an innocent
man."
In opening his address. Mr.. Sinkler
stated that he was deeply conscious
Of the responsibility resting upon him.
He said that he felt his client to be
innocent. and felt that 1t was his duty
to see that the Jury had all the evi-t
dence in the case plainly before them.
sOircumsta sEvidenee Faulty. ~,
He then pointed out the weakness
of circumetantial evidence, and men,
toned Instances when It had been the
cause of great injustice to men ac-
cused Of various crimes. He said that
the state must show beyond q reason-
able doubt, first, that a crime had
been committed and, second, that it
had been committed by Matt Holum.
No Definite Theory.
Taking up the evidence which has
been submitted in the trial, Mr.. Sink
ler declared that no definite theory az
ed the wounds which resulted in her
death had been advanced by the state.
At first, he said, the effort apparently
was to show that Holum killed his
wife on the afternoon Of Friday, June
20. Now the effort Is being made to
show that she was injured nearly
twenty-four hours earlier.
Story Shows Innocence.
''The story told by Holum, accord.
ing to the witnesses for the prosecu-
tion, is perfectly consistant, according
to Mr.. Sinkler. "A guilty man." he
declared, would have told conflicting
stories in his effort to clear himself.
The fact that the state has not intro
duced the transcript Of the statements
made by Holum during the investiga-
ton at the Holum farm shows that the
stories which he told at various times
were always consistent"
Unfair Tactics Charged. :,
The attorney for the. defense than
oh ~ h
distorted the evidence Of the case In
his argument Tuesday afternoon by
saying that .Holum hated his wife,
because he had been forced to marry
her. Such tactics Mr.. Sinkler de-
clared were unfair.
Certain facts have been proven in
the case beyond a reasonable doubt
according to Mr.. Sinkler. The first of
these was he said that Matt Holum
was absent from his farm from ap-
proximately 10 o'clock in the morning
to 2:3O O'clock in the afternoon FRI
day. June 20.
Evidence Analysed.
He took up the evidence on this
point in considerable detail. saying
that as far as the wounds being in
f1icted at that time was concerned It
must be admitted that Holum had an
absolute alibi
He called the attention of the jury
lO Lut leSlAAOuy III Lie v. S1uSla1.
son. the attending physician in the
case. whom he quoted as saying that
in his best judgment the wounds sus-
tanned by Mrs. Holum had been in
flicted about four hours before his
arrival at the Holum farm at O'clock
Although Dr.. fGustafson admitted
that the wounds might have been in
ficted earlier than II o'clock, Mr..
Sinkler declared that the doctors best
Judgment in the matter had been
that IL o'clock was approximately
the time at. which the wounds had
been inflicted. Il
Takign up the possibility of the
wounds having been inflicted after his
return to the farm Friday afternoon.
Mr.. Sinclair declared that this was
rendered impossible by the testimony
Of the doctor regarding time
II Holum had known that his wife
blood when he returned with his
straw that afternoon, could he have
calmly unlOaded part of the straw
from the wagon before going to the
barn?" demanded Mr.. Sinkler.
CallOusness impossible.
No. no, no. 1t would have been inn
possible for any man no matter how
calloused to have taken the matter
SO calmly. He would have rushed
into the barn at once to see what had
happened to her body. The testimony
shows. however, that Holum calmly
which to feed his horses.'
This concluded Mr.. 8inkler's ra-
marks during the morning session: He
announced that he would continue the
argument this afternoon. 80
lmmense Crowd. lsc
, !. The crowds which have tfronred
sthe court room during the earlier
s.ases Ct the trial lp!'l, .appeared M small in
Continued on psxs r..)