Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-05-25
MAKING STRONG CASE
AGAINST BERT SAPP

Attorneys Wilson. Allen and Bur
CESS, representing the state IL the
Larkin murder trial concluded the ex-
animation Of their witnesses yester-
day after weaving 3 strong chain Of
discriminating evidence which it IS not
expected the defendants attorneys can
batter down. Nothing has been left
undone on that side 81 the case and q
clear and concise story Of the fate Fl
Emma Larkiu has been told by the
several witnesses on the stand from
the time she left tne Winfield. Iowa
fair. until she was last seen in she
stall of Bert Sapp On the Mercer
county fair grounds During the past
fv-o days Attorneys Hartselie ana
Hanna. counsel for the defense have
seemingly been graEpluE az straws "a
ia some manner disCredtt the state
rneut= of the prosecuting witness, hpf
even their most carefully laid plans
have been 0verthrowD by the state g
attorneys Unless some startling evil
denca. which to date has been IN
heard ~. IS introduced hv the defense
there is but little doubt expressed as
70 what the voice 0f the jury viii say
Efosf of Thursday morning was con
zHmed br the Identification Of the gar
raeuts owned by the woman found
dead On the Burlington right Of way
near the town Of BiEgsvil}e last Sep
TENDER Trs Blanche Washburn.
friend Of the slain woman. was placed
on the stand and identified many OF the
garments shown her. along WITH suit
case. as belonging to Eum8 LarEin-
Incidentally several pieces belonged
to her tMrs Uashburnf- she having
So. zartr a-s-t
While attending the Iowa fairs Emma
Larkn was employed bv various shows
and for "a time worked for Mrs. Wash
burn in her eating house. Mrs Wash
burn saw her for the last time at the
depot at West Liberty. Iowa. where
she told her that she was going 70
drive to AIedo overland. and that she
would meet her GA Sunday In Aledo
This she did as testified To hT @ ID
Mcpherson with whom she made the
trip Mrs W8shburu did not arrive In
AIedo until late Monday afternoon.
and did not see Emma LaTk1n on the
local fair grounds In the grip which
she said belonged to the dead woman
were found. besides wearing apparel
numerous pictures. a pockatbo0kr
pair Of mems gloves and smoking to-
bacco. although Mrs Nashburn swora
she never saw her smoking Cigarets.
adding that she was a girl with z kind
and cheerful disposition
Charles Broeg OF Burlington. Iowa.
in September last q special agent for
the @ road testified that at the time of
Sapp's arrest he used extremely abus-
i've language against the police Of
fcia1s. At this time he asked them to
call Mike Ferguson saying, I've got
10 see him"
DR. Leslie SherrfcI of Monmouth
testified that blood serum could o0ze
from a wound for from two to twenty
hours after death. saying he firmly
believed that the wound on the fore
head of the dead woman whom he saw
in Biggsville. and who had many
times been identified as Emma Lar
kin was of a sufficient character as TO
have caused her death.
During the afternoon the defense
introduced several interesting wit
nesses. Late in the day a matter Of
law was brought mp, which. should the
state show its cause. viii no doubt be
a hard blow to the defense. The first
witness called was Mrs. Mary Porter.
keeper of the hotel in Keithsburg.
where G. n. Mcpherson and Emma
Larbin spent the night, registering q