Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-11-09
MCCORMICK IS
MAKING SHOES
Convicted Wife Murderer Re-
ceived at Waupun Monday
And Begins Life
Work
KEPT UP HIS NERVE
AS PRISON DOORS CLOSED
Why Was Mccormick COnvicted?-
Will There be Further Effort
to Free Him

A. H. Mccormick was received into
the Waupun states prison at s O'Clock
Monday morning. He was escorted by
Sheriff William DOdSOn of RuSk cOun-
ty. and special deputy Effner Nelson
The trip was without incident, McCOr-
mick maintaining his usual steady
bearing shedding no tears and speak
ing hut little from the time the train
left LadySmith to the time he landed
in Waupun.
Sheriff DOdsOn got his receipt and
saw Mccormick led behind the doors
that separate the warden'S office from
the inner prison.
Later when the sheriff returned Nc
COrmick had had bath and was
CARRIED in the blue and pin striped suit
of the convict. He still wore his beard.
In Waupun they do not have the head
shaved At first he was put to work
i'm the scrubbing gang but a telegram
from the correspondent of the News
budget at Waupun on Thursday said
that he was at work now making
prison shoes and was apparently well.
The Reporters Note Book
There are many things in the report
er's book not printed. 1t would take
many more columns than were used to
tell the whole story of the trial of Nc
COrmick He is in the prison at Wau-
pun protesting his innocence. But a
jury has condemned him and a judge
has sentenced him to remain behind
the walls of that grim and uninviting
place for the rest of his life
He went into the trial with perfect
belief, expressed and apparent, that
he was going to be freed. Not even
when the case went to the jury did he
think he was to be convicted He said
to the reporter that he liked the charge
of the judge and had faith in the jury.
Mccormick Convicted Himself
What convicted him? From his own
lips was he condemned. His own
story on the witness stand sent him to
prison. When the damning parallel
was drawn and over and against the
story he told last week, were placed
the ones he had glibly recited at other
hearings it was impossible to weigh
his testimony and believe him. But
opinion is none of the reporters bus
mess The reporter is a mechanical
persona camera recording what he
sees and hears The drama is for him
to describe with faithfulness each day
of men who come and women who go
that those far away may read and
have a picture plainly before them. 1t
is the scenario of the living photo
drama.
No battle was ever harder fought by
both the attorneys for the state anC
the defense McCOrmick's lawyers
McGiIl & Williams. have seldom had 8
conflict in which the handicap was SC
great. There was the atmosphere OF
prejudice present. The state had the
evidence presented in other hearings
either at the inquest or the will CASE
as we'll as the preliminary hearing be
fore Court Commissioner MichaelSO1
and every document and scrap of paper
which would otherwise naturally
have come from the defense An(
then their case was plain. They die
not have to find the person who killed
Ida McCormick-on to show she hat
not committed suicide.
How the Jury Felt
McCormick's attorneys might hav,
won but for the evidence of thei
client The jury did not believe th
dream" note was written by the deat
woman. That jury talked after th
case was decided. Nearly all had beer
deeply impressed with the masterl
address of L. E. McGill Nearly al
criticised severely the speech of Alber
X Stebbins Not one had formed a.
opinion of the fraudulent nature 0
the note from the testimony of the eN
pcrts. They practically all agreed tha
Mccormick was his own cOndemnel
They had not been impressed wit
some of the states witnesses.
The defense has a year to make
further fight. It's statement in ope
court that jurors were serving VIII
had gone there in violation of thei
oath is a serious charge. If it can b
proved. it is more than likely tina
there will be another trial. Clear an
conclusive evidence to that effet
would be a scandal and reprOach t
the county. 1t would bring a Ion
trail of other events, and the McCo
mick case would still be with us.
Mccormick i'm Prison
The court room is deserted 1t wi
"emain so except for some publ