The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-25
CHARGED WITH
WIFE MURDER
County Prosecutor McDaniels
Arrested for Death of His
Wife Several Months
Ago.
THREATENED DIVORCE
Murder Which Created Intense Ex-
element on Night Of July "a,
Is Laid at Husband's
Door.
THREATENED DIVORCE

ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, Sept. 23.-When
the fall term of the criminal court
opened today, Special. Prosecutor Bart
lockwood asked the court to call
the grand jury to hear the charge of
wife murder against County Prose
cutor Oscar McDaniels. arrested at
his home here last night. Lockwood
will ask an Indictment alleging Mrs.
McDaniels had threatened divorce
and was slain after q quarrel.
Lockwood will charge that McDan-
iels was not at lodge the night of July
IA, as Mrs. McDaniels supposed; that
McDaniels returned home about ten
o'clock, was reproached for his de-
ceptions and threatened with public
exposure, the quarrel reaching the
climax in the beating Of Mrs. McDan-
iels to death. The special prosecutor
will also charge that the fake tele-
phone call" was McDanieps invention
and part Of plan to divert suspi-
cion to those who had Threatened him
for his official acts.
Lockwood will charge further that
McDanicls left the house after the
murder and fred all the fve shots
heard by the neighbors. lockwood
declared the case II conclusive and
based largely r0n testimony Of vii.
nesses who were not heard 1t the In
quest.
McDaniels took his arrest lightly.
laughed and said, "all right" and
walked two miles to prison.
Mrs. McDaniels was found dying by
her husband when he returned from
answering telephone call to come to
III hvO< u,h
was in trouble. He said the murderer
fred at him as he returned home and
that he returned the fire. In an ad-
slept undisturbed by the killing Of
their mother.
The entire series OF charges and
the story told by McDaniels reads
like a page torn from a melodrama.
McDaniels declared that upon return
ing home after answering the tele-
phone call, he was fired upon as he
stepped from his automobile. He
crouched behind the car and returned
the fire. He was carrying revolver.
he said because Of threats that had
been made against his life. Escaping
unwounded, he ran into the house
where he found his wife dying.
Not Under Suspicion.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, Sept. 25.-After
conducting the preliminary examina-
ton into his wife's murder, producing
threats against his life as motive,
and announcing shortly before the
coroner's verdict was returned that
he had unearthed a clew which he be-
lieved would lead to the apprehension
of the murderer, County Prosecutor
Oscar McDaniels today is held here,
charged with the murder of his help
mate
McDaniels was arrested after Spe-
cial Prosecutor Lockwood had discov-
cred new evidence at time when the
case was apparently about to be
dropped. The coroner's jury had re-
turned verdict that Mrs. McDaniels
had met her death at the hands of un-
known persons and recommended
thorough investigation. For some un-
known reason the grand jury was not
called. Then followed an announce
ment bv the Muchanan county court
that It could not legally pay the ex-
penses OF a special prosecutor ana
force Of detectives tc investigate the
murder, and appeal was made by
Special Prosecutor Lockwood, who
had been appointed by the criminal
court, for public donations to carry on
the probe. Offers by McDaniels to IL
nancially aid In the search for the as
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