Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-06
MURDER TRIAL AT MASON CITY
CONCLUDED WITH ADDRESS.
Es OF ATTORNEYS.
STATE ASKS FOR DEATH
PENALTY BY JURYMEN
Closing Plea by State by Attorney
senneff Occupies Five Hours-Be-
Titles Efforts Of Defense to Cast
Suspicion on Others-court In
structs Jury.
specisl to Times Republican.

Mason City. Oct 6.-Who killed
Mike Baldizar the morning of Satur-
day, August 81? This was the para
mount question before hundreds of
spectators, before twelve jurors,
Judge C. II. Kelley and counsel for,
and against Nick Grba, on trial for
the past fourteen days in the dis
trict court for his life.
The concluding speech Of j. A.
Senneff for the state was woven
around that question. The defense
had thrown the issue open. 1t had
answered that Charles SmanlSo put
the dynamite under, the taxi driver
and blew him to his death. The state
had claimed from few hours after
the murder that Nick Grba, Serbian
engine tender was the guilty perpe-
traitor of the deed that has shocked
all north Iowa and the entire state.
In concluding his speech 4 nearly
five hours to the jury. Mr.. Senneff
asked for the death penalty for Nick
Grba, the suspect who sat so calmly
thruout the entire trial Efforts on
the part of the defense to show that
Anna BaldiZar the widow, Charles
Toldesi and Charles Smanko were
|conspirators endeavoring to railroad
the Serb, were scoffed at by Sennefk
who went on to say that il such had
been the case. when Smanko was be-
hind the desk the time Anna and the
LOT MI
two could easily have framed on
Grba. But they came out and re-
ported that Nick had still stoutly
maintained his Innocence.
Mr.. Senneff qualified his request for
capital punishment by asking jurors
who did not believe in the applica-
ton Of the death punishment to rest
content with life Imprisonment.
The plea of the attorney for the
state was a preachment. equal to
that of a divine. against the evil Of
the eternal triangle and its effect up
on society The story Of Nick Grba
on the witness stand was described
as a fabrication from beginning
to end, the testimony of Nick
Negomier at the eleventh hour was
labeled as an attempt on the part Of
the witness to besmirch a young
boys name.
It was charged that the defense
knew the type Of a man they We're
dealing with and knew that he would
produce the, goods. II men such as
Nick Grba were not convicted by a
Jury, 1t was stated that 1t was inn
sa< 80 o,3,, IN
|cerro Gordo county. If Sheriff
Marsh had called Grba a skunk;
senneff said, Judging from the de-
PENDANTS actions in court, he felt
Marsh owed the Serb no apology.
Judge KeIly's Instructions.
the court house struck the hour of 4
o'clock. Thei judges instructions to
The court had taken some twenty
minutes. He instructed them
that capital punishment, imprison-
ment for fife at hard labor or an ac-
quittal for Grba were in order. NO
mere weight of evidence was suffi-
cient to convict, he said, and circum-
stantial evidence was entirely adj
missable.
The defendant, under the law, he
said, was "a competent witness in his
own behalf. Dog evidence, he de-
clared, should be carefully weighed
and sifted as to it's value. If the
hounds from Waterloo had picked a
trail Of discrimination, that evidence
should be disregarded. That Nick
had a good character some months
prior to the trial was considered evil
dence.
Following the retirement OF the
jury from the court room, small
portion of the crowd remained for
several minutes in forlorn hope
that a speedy verdict would be ar
rived at.