The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-01-04
BROOKS ACQUITTED
SUDDEN TERMINATION or THE
GEDDES MURDER TRIAL
At WHEELER.

Wheeler. Jan. 4-Judge Il. b.
Trip brought the Brooks murder
trial to an abrupt end at a session
Saturday night by directing the jury
to acquit the defendant of the charge
of numbering w. III. Menzie and
Blanche Signal, at Geddes last April.
At the close of the ease for the de-
Tense the court refused to allow re
buttal evidence by the state. The at
torneys, in a hurry to get the case to
the jury, waived argument. The
judge then arose, presumably to in
struct the jurors. Instead he au-
thorized them to find a verdict for the
prisoner. ending the trial in a sensa-
tional manner
On the night of April 16 w. II.
Menzie, who was manager Of the
Farmers Cooperative Elevator and
Lumber company in Geddes, left his
home as usual, and. going downtown,
met Miss Blanche Signal at the post
office, apparently by prearrangement.
Miss Signal was and had been for
three years prior a trusted bookkeep-
er for the company and they had ar
ranged TO get out some notification
cards that night notifying stockhold-
ers OF the special reorganization
meeting to be held the following Sat
urday.
Menzie waited outside the postof-
fee conversing with friends while
Miss Signal got the mail. They then
left together for the office about
three blocks distant and across the
railroad track, i'm an isolated part OF
town. Mrs. f. l.. Larson passed the
office about $50 p. m, when she
saw them at work at a desk. About
$50 p. m, a 15-year-old farmer boy
passed the office on a pony and saw
flames i'm the office. He also heard q
crash as of glass. and his pony rar
away and carried him home. about
two miles distant.
Harry Mcpherson, a telegraph op.
orator. passed the office about 1920
p. m. and found the office entirely
dark.
The first alarm of the fire was
given when a flame was seen TO flare
up back of the office about 1880 .
m, and the fire bell was rung. This
occurred during an intermission at 6
hremen's ball, which was held at the
town hall that night. Many persons
rushed to the scene of the fire. bui
as il had gained strong Roadway anC
as there were dwellings in the path o.
the fire the attention of the early ar
rivals was turned toward saving tht
contents of these. No thought wa!
given to the possibility of anyone be.
ing in the office until the piercinf
screams of Mrs. Alice Signal, moth.
er of the girl. She screamed 81
know Blanche and Menzie are muir
dered. | know they are in there
Blanche promised to meet me at 9:3t
at the dance, and she did not come
She and Will have had threatening
letters and / know they are in there
She was taken to her home by
friends.
At this time the office was envel
oped in flames and no n could APP.
proach closer than a hundred feet
1t was burned to the ground before q
search in the ruins could be made
Meanwhile a searching party was or
ganized and the surrounding prem
Uses searched and inquiry made about
tO6u lOl the lulsSlHS ptiSOHS, ait
when nothing was found the search
narrowed to the ruins.
Frank Humphrey, yard manager
for the company. made several inef-
fectual efforts to enter the burning
office, but was restrained. However,
he finally succeeded in gaining EN-.
trance to the confines of the burned
area after the mass had cooled some
what and discovered the bodies.
The little town OF Geddes was
aroused as lever before. and hardly
anyone returned home that night,
The prone and sheriff were called
from Platte. They arrived about 8
a. m. and removed the bodies to the
morgue, where an autopsy was held,
States Attorney A. b. Beck and
Sheriff Rifle waged a relentless
search for evidence of murder, and
in the face of strong opposition main
tanned their faith and determination
in the murder theory. that the crime
was premeditated and carried out
through a carefully laid plan. Many
persons, however. chung to the the
DRY that Menzie killed the girl and
then took his own life. While others
believed it was a dual suicide pact.
d. H. Sullivan of Sioux City. attor-
ney for the defense, In hts opening