Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-05
cL,Ft.MuRDER TRIAL ON.
Woman Met psath One Day After Re-
csivino $50 600 From Father.

Minneapolis, Jan. 6.-Frederick 7.
Price, husband OF Mrs. Mary Fridley
Price. member Of a prominent family
In this state, who was killed by fail
from cliff the day after she received
100000 from her father, will be called
for trial Tuesday on the charge OF
numbering his wife. The case Is the
most sensational murder case ever
known in this section OF the north
west. For long time after the death
of Mrs. Price at the foot Of a fifty-foo
embankment, Price had his freedom.
He secured much Of her property. and
sued for damages. The affair at the
cliff, now charged as murder, oc-
CURED on Nov. 20, 1914. 1t was not
until last month that Price was In
dicted and held for the alleged murder.
The principal witness against Price
is Charles 2. E.chiscc. the confessed
accomplice Of Price. who was arrested
in Washington, D. c., and brought here
on an indictment Of first degree murder
returned Jointly against himself and
Price. Etchison has declared that the
staying of Mrs. Price had been planned
for months; that he was the hired as
sistant; that the place for the murder
was carefully selected, and that every
detail of the tragedy was gone over
so that there would be no slip.
According to Etchison'ss story. he
was with Price and Mrs. Price on the
night of Nov. %. 1914. in an automo-
bile, when they arrived at the scene Of
the murder. Price stopped the car
near the cliff, pretending to have en-
CINE trouble, and suggested that his
wife alight. AS she was getting out
of the car, according to Etchison,
Price gave her IAN almighty heave"
that sent her crashing down over the
bluff. They heard the body strike far
below them. said Etchison. Then
Price picked up the pet dog and threw
it over also, he said. Etchison is said
to have received $500 for ahisi part
in the cliff tragedy. Er
Price married Mary Fridley on Oct.
2, 1908. Her father is prominent
man in, this section. It developed safter
the tragedy that Price. was already
married man when he married the VIC
tim of the cliff affair. He married
Rose Smith Price in 1896 at Wheaton,
Ill After that he married, in 1901.
Miss Marie Schwartz, of Rockford, Ill,
who divorced him. Eight months after
the violent death of his Minnesota wife,
now standing by him and asserts she
believes In his innocence.
Another important witness in the
trial which begins Tuesday IS doctor
who examined Mrs Price after she
was brought to the city. A wound on
the head puzzled him, but the stories
told by Price and Etchison after the
tragedy allayed suspicion. This wound
on the head may corroborate the story
of Etchison in his confession. that
Price beat his wife with a stone over
the head when he descended the cliff
and found she was not dead.
Prices defense is expected to de-
velop an attempt to exclude the tes-
Of Etchison. The confessed ac-
complete has already sworn in court
that the cliff tragedy was an accident.
There are also rumors about that a
third witness of the tragedy has been
found, who will be produced in court
by Prices lawyers.
Price has denied the truth Of the
story told by Etchison. He has stated
that the man Is suffering from hallu-
cinations.