Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-10-26
Actor in Poison Tragedy in Wit
ness Chair Friday
STORY OF DRAMATIC
TRIAL FOR MURDER
Defense Began Its Evidence Wednes
day-W.ll Go To Jury Mon
day

There is nothing grim or forbidding
about the Rusk county court room i'll
terror 1t is not dingy or repellant
There is nothing to suggest a pictur-
esaue or harmonious background for a
tragedy 1t is more for lifes brighter
side. the silver lined clouds. for musi-
cal comedy full of sprightly scenes
and moving dancers. 1t would not be
selected as a stOried setting for a trial
mans whole future-that span of years
that vet remains-sh within few
hours be planned for him without his
will, his consent or acquiescence eX-
cept by force Man here for a brief
moment takes the place of the Omnl-
potent. His dictum in this place made
for sunshine and not shadow, for honor
and not disgrace, is as final as that
of the Creator.
For nine and half days, as this is
written. A. H. Mccormick has sat
in this court room and listened to the
story of the death of his wife on q
glOriously beautiful day in August; to
the testimony of witness after witness,
who has told of quarrels and upbrald-
ings, Of speculations and gambling, of
wives and women, of threats and prom
Uses, of plot and conspiracy, of love and
devotion, of woman who hunted hlm
to the far coast, sick With grief and
love. of poison and autOpsies, Of writ
N.t
theories of suicide and charges of mur-
der-of wives plenty and husbands
not a few, divorce and separation
the whole gamut of human emotion,
human fOibles, heart-misery, cupidity.
mendacity, venality-all black and
much that is loathsome-and no one
but Him with the All Seeing Eye,
knows the frightful truth, in it's per-
feet exactness as to when. in what
way, and by what manner or by whose
hand, the woman whose dead body lies
in the little cemetery at White Cloud
came to wear that cOffined shroud.
Mccormick on the Stand
AS this issue Of the News-Budget
goes to its subscribers the chief actor
in this sordid drama, is sitting in the
witness chair and telling the story of
his life and answering the questions
Of his counsel in denial of that volume
of testimony which has become a part
of the record before the jury. 1t is a
long record 1t will take many hours
on that witness stand to sift it and
cover step by step, what has gone be-
fore for a week And it will take
many more hours for the state to dis
sect, with scalpel and legal scissors,
the evidence which Mccormick will
give
Through all this fire that has been
smoking around him the defendant has
maintained outwardly and to the cas-
ual observer much the same demeanOr.
To those who have seen him daily there
has been an increased nervousness,
especially UP to the time when the
state finished it's case on at :3l Tues
day afternoon.
Friday afternoon when j. L. Gar
land. of St Paul had completed his
expert testimony the chief actor III the
case of the state against John FL. Nc
Cormick was called to the stand and
under the questions Of L. r. McGill
his attorney, the prisoner at the bar
proceeded to tell the story of his life
and of the death Of his wife whom he
is accused of Staying by administering
strychnine poison in August 1915.
All the forenoon had been occupied by
the testimony of the expert and Cen
Sturdevant began his cross examina'
tion shortly after 2 o'clock. He had
taken a part of the morning too with
another expert who was on the stand
Thursday night, w. X. Mulliken, Of St
Paul. TO say that the latter got mixed
in his testimony is being mild
1t is predicted that the case will not
go to the jury before Monday night and
a verdict may be looked for after that
either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
nEEINISE uAS TEyE TT AGR