Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-19
IOWAN KILLED
HIS MOTHER IS
JURY VERDICT
Roy Emerson Found Guilty of Muir
der of Parent-JurOrs Out IL
Hours ON Case.


Mount Ayr, Iowa, July 19.-The
jury in the case of Roy E. Emerson,
of Creston, Iowa, charged with
beating his mother to death, with an
iron brace and throwing her body
down an elevator shaft, today re-
turned a verdict of murder in the
second degree. The case went to tae
jury at p. m. yesterday afternoon.
Mrs. Kate Emerson, mother Of the
defendant, was found dead in the
bottom of an elevator shaft in the
Emerson undertaking establishment
in Creston May 6. Her body was
badly mangled and mutilated. Both
legs were broken, her lips were
cut, one eye discolored and her arm
bore four marks on the front and
one on the back as if she had
been tightly gripped by someone.
At first it was generally consid-
cred that Mrs. Emerson had COM
mitted suicide. Discovery of blood
spots near the shaft, an iron brace
with red stains on it and other evil
dence, led however, to the arrest of
her son, Roy Emerson, on the
charge of murder. The coroner's
jury returned an open verdict of
murder at the hands of someone
unknown" but a special session of
the grand jury was called and Roy
Emerson indicted. He was then held
in Jail at Creston without bail. the
trial being set for June 80. A
change of venue was granted, how
ever, and Emerson went on trial at
Mr.. Ayr, Ringgold county, July 8.
Great Legal Battle.
The trial marked one of the
greatest legal battles the state has
ever witnessed. Armed only with
circumstantial evidence, the state
left nothing undone TO convict En-
erson. Emerson, maintaining his In
nocence at all times, obtained sew
eral Of the leading lawyers of the
state to defend him and made ar
rangements to sell his estate. val
ued at $4,000, to pay for his de-
tense.
The state took eight days in pre-
senting its case, one day. however,
being devoted to a trip to Creston
SO that the jury could inspect at
first hand the place where Mrs.
Emerson's body was found. In its
argument the state contended that
Emerson carefully prepared to muir
der his mother, giving as the mo-
tive his desire to control the family
estate and producing testimony to
show that he had threatened her
with violence and frequently quar-
relied with her over money matters.
Iron Brace Used.
The states evidence showed that
an iron brace was found near the
shaft with red stains on it, that
Mrs. Emerson apparently had been
beaten and then thrown into the
elevator shaft. Blood spots were
found on the walls of the shaft and
en- the floor of the room it is in. A
bloody rag was found in the room,
also, witnesses said. Other wit
nesses said Roy Emerson sent a
suit to the cleaners the day after
the finding of his mothers body and |
that it was damp in spots as if !
someone had tried to clean out the |
spots.
The state also commended that !
Emerson had repeatedly said pre-
Vious to his mothers death that she |
planned suicide, maintaining that |
his was done to remove suspicion
rom himself The top of Mrs En-
srson's skull was introduced as evil
1ence and an attempt made to fit |
he iron brace into the dent in it. /
This demonstration was barred /
rom the testimony.
Suicide is Defense.
The defense maintained that Mrs.
Emerson committed suicide, pro-
lucing some twenty-five witnesses.
most of whom testified she had said
he planned suicide and was fire.
luently melancholy. The defense
.lso scored a point when a chemist
'efused to say the stains on the
ron brace with which the state con-
ends Emerson killed his mother,
we're blood Adequate test could
lot be made, it was said.
The defense accounted for blood
pots on the walls Of the shaft and
loor and on Emerson's clothes and
he bloody rag by saying they were
My natural in an undertaking es-
ablishment It introduced testi-
nony that Emerson was deeply
hooked at his mothers death and
ccounted for his actions up to
clock the afternoon of her death.
The verdict was rendered by a
1ry which was composed of nine
one timer. one live stock
ealer and one salesman.