Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-20

testimony to the jury. Chief Wilcke
was at the scene Of the Blue Island
ak murder half an hour after the dis
covery and before the bodies had been
removed. circumstances surrounding
the Blue Island and Villisca murders
are almost parallel with the exception
Of the number Of victims The defense
based its plea for the admission Of
Wilcke's testimony on rulings Of the
supreme court Of Massachusetts hold
ing that where two crimes are COM
mttted under like circumstances and
with similar tool; 1t Is permissible to
bring in the story of the one in an at
tempt to prove that the perpetrator. of
both crimes was one and the same
person.
In the Blue Island murder, William
Mansfield's wife and daughter were
two Of the, victims. and It IL claimed
Mansfield enacted the tragedy to rid
himself or his wife. whom he had de-
serted, ]. wife desertion in Illinois being
a felony. IN arguing for the admission
OF this story, counsel for Wilkerson de-
clared they would show at the time Of
the Blue Island murder that Mansfield
was working in q sausake manufacture
ing plant in Milwaukee, Wis, where he
had not been away from his work until
July 4 and 5, 1918. The Blue Island
murder was discovered the morning OF
the 9Th of July, that year. Judge Rock
afellow ruled that Chief Wilcke's tes-
timony would be admitted only on the
question of mitigation Of damages
Two Cases Parallel
n4$4 4Nk{ vn
Wilkerson had gone over the scene OF
the Blue Island murder with him and
tina he had pointed out to the detec-
tives the fact that the bodies Of the
victims were all covered when flrst
found, that they had all been hacked
in the head with an ak, that all the
curtains In the house were pulled
down, that tnere were hacks II the
ceiling over the beds Of the murdered
people, that the murder was done on q
Sunday night and that the murderer
had left lamp burning, a circum-
stance which DR.. Cooper, Of Villisca.
had told earlier in the day that he had
found when he went into the Moore
home and saw the work of the ax-man'
Chief wilcke declared the ak With
which the murderer had done his work
at blue Island was left STANDING
against the bed in which three OF the
victims were found. This ak, with the
dried blood plainly visible on Its blade
was shown to the Jury.
The Blue Island police chief further
.testified that Mansfield's wife had car
ried life insurance payable to WlillaHl
Mansfield, and that the beneficiary o.
the policy had never been back 20
claim the premium.
Got q Letter From "Mr. Jones"
Before concluding his testimony
Chief Wilcke said that he had recently
received letter from "a Mr.. Jones At
yinisca". Mr.. Wilcke was not permit
ted to tell Of the contents THAT letter
but Attorney Mitchell asked him to
send it to him and the witness replied
that he would do so. The chief said
Wilkerson's name was in the letter.
Harves Willett, of Villisca, was the
last witness on the stand Saturday. He
said that he had met Mr.. Jones on the
Tuesday after the murder and that to-
gether they had gone to point be-
tween the Presbyterian and Methodist
churches. Willett said that he and Mt
Jones were talking about the way the
bloodhounds would go and that he had
suggested that they ought to take the
doRs to man named Bartlett. thai
they suspected that man.
"They suspect me- too,' Willett said
Jones remarked to him,
Willett also said that he himself had
invited Mr. jones' to go to the Grant
meeting at which Wilkerson spoke. Mr
Jones did not accept.
Attorneys Wrangle.
Clashes between opposing counsel
grew warm at the afternoon session
and Judge Rockafellow was required to
sharply reprimand the spectators for
their demonstrations. This is not an
entertainment" remarked the court
When words between himself and At
torney Mitchell brought laughs from
the audience. ATTORNEY Beeson pointed
his finger accusingly to a corner OF the
room and declared that there were Or
ganized s"elackersr in the crowd. tand
[f know who organised them, ne con-
!tinued