The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-02-06

| JOHtS, AIuHlOIC, l, II. GIlllllI,
Ardmore; Jim Brown, Ardmore.
In the district court this morning
the cases of the State VS.. Mrs. Ida
Landers, murder, were called for
trial. The state elected to try the
first OF the two cases, the one in
which she IS charged with the killing
OF {. I. Landers. her iather-in-law,
she being charged in the other case
with the killing OF her husband.
Seventeen jurors had been excused
before the panel was secured, most
OF them having formed and eX-
pressed an opinion in the case, one
which evidence would be required TO
remove, but it was very apparent
that most OF them were anxious to
avoid the responsibility OF trying
woman on 4 capital charge.
1t was II O'Clock this forenoon
before the Jury was secured and a
few minutes recess was then tak0n
Il to allow the attorneys for the state
Nto talk with their witnesses and ar
range the order OF presentation.
When the defendant was arrested,
she employed as her attorneys the
firm of Brown, Williams & Brown.
The junior partner in the firm at
that time was Russell Brown, who
has since been elected county at
torney and he disqualified himself
in the case. The court appointed T..
b. Orr to prosecute the case and he
and ]. L. Hodge, assistant county
attorney, are representing the state.
II. II. Brown, who only left his
room, following an attack of pneu-
monia, last Saturday morning and
put in that entire day in the pre-
liminary hearings of c. c. Baker and
Tom Ellis, appeared for Mrs. Ian
ders, with his partner Ernest Viii
liams.
Mr.. Brown did not examine the
jurors closely, asking a few ques-
tions addressed to the entire panel
and a question or two TO some in
diyidual Juror He exhausted only
three OF his ten challenges.
Story of the Crime
Mrs. Landers was arrested last
summer charged with killing her
husband and his father, where they
were camped at the Clinton school
house a few miles cast OF the city.
Landers and the defendant had
trouble over the custody OF their
minor child, a little girl . years old,
who was in the courtroom today
with her mother. Mrs. Landcrs had
learned that her husband and his
father were taking the little girl to
Arkansas. where she would be out
OF the reach OF the courts OF Okla
homa which had awarded her the
custody OF her child. She engaged
the driver OF service car to take
her to where she learned the men
had campcd for the night. 1t was
early in the morning and in short
time after she left here. word came
that both the men had been killed.
When the officers returned with
Mrs. Landers they brought TO the
iail a shotgun and a Winchester
rifle, the stocks OF both having been
broken. 1t was also claimed that
Mrs. Lauders had a pistol with
which the two men we're shot. 1t
was also stated at that time that
both had been beaten over the head
with the Winchester and shotgun.
Mrs. Landcrs is a frail little wom-
an. weighing, perhaps, not over leo
pounds and how she possessed the
strength to break, both OF the
guns. is problem that has more
or less puzzled the officers.
Mrs. l.anderS when arraigned in
the county court, ON complaint
filed there by the county attorney,
Immediately following the killing,
waived preliminary hearing and
went to Jail. She never asked tor
bail but at the last term OF the dis
trict court, Judge Freeman said il
she asked for bail he would fix it.
She has remained quietly there, a
lkmodcl prisoner and has said but lit
'tle, ii anything, about the case.
Line of Defense
A line OF defense has never been
publicly suggested but in the exam
ination of jurors this forenoon, Mr..
Brown asked one or two of them ii
they believed in the law OF self-dc-
fense. lie also asked one juror ii a
man was attacking a woman with a
Winchester, if he believed she had
the right to defend herself as a man
would have.
1t was shown at the time OF the
arrest of the defendant that the
shotgun and the Winchester be-
longed to her husband and his
father. The men had a team and
wagon and camping outfit and
uere nal inU thei,. Nvav pa ctyvor rd and