Hide Article Text (OCR)
He is Apparently the Most Indiffer ent Person in Court —«Loose Wheels” His Pen. The trial of George KE. Beasley, the Linton saloon keeper, who it is charg ed, without warning, went from his place of business to his home one night last June and shot and instantly killed his wife while she was on the veranda with her children, began in the Circuit Court there Monday. ‘The case was called at 1:30 Monday after noon when the work of impaneling a jury from the fifty men drawn at a special venire was begun. ‘The State's attorneys are Prosecuting Attorney James B. Filbert, and Deputy Prose cutor John Jeffries, of Linton; Deputy Prosecutor Carey L. Harrel, William J.. Caving and Cyrus KE. Davis. For the defense there are John E. Lamb, of Terre Haute; Alfred M. Beasley, brother of the accused; State Senator Oscar E. Bland, John A. Riddle, of Linton; Henry W. Moore and Guy H. Humphreys, of Bloomfield. Beasley was brought here Saturday by Sheriff Wm. W. Eddington from Sullivan, where he had been confined in the county jail since a few weeks after the “murder. The Bloomfeld jail was regarded as fiigate and unsan itary. ‘The jury was finally accepted Wed nesday noon, composed of the follow ing men; S. Daniels, ‘Taylor township. Seth Laughlin, Jackson. John Flater, Richland. Geo. M. Burch, Center. John W. Layman, Fairplay, Bud Cook, Richland. Bayless Benham, Washington. Henry Branntetter, Richland. John Bledsoe, Wright. Co. C. Pugh, Smith. Joe Haaler, Taylor. John Stephen, Center. ‘The men are representative citizens of their respective localities and are all married. About half of the jury men are near fifty years of age while the other half are under forty years of age. Nine are farmers, one miner, one laborer and one nurseryman. The trial opened promptly after noon Wednesday and W. L. Cavins, for the State, made the first statement before the jury. The spread eagle speech of John KE. Lamb, for the de fense, was postponed on a decision or der of Mrs. Kiturah Beasley, by a husband whose sole desire was to com pel her to obey his orders and live within his allotment. The first witness was Noah Sims, the aged father of the dead woman, followed by several women who had at various times been employed in do mestics in the Beasley household. They all told of the quarrels between Beasley and his wife, and the con tinued unpleasant relations that brought about the tragedy. Mr. and Mrs. Pearson, near neigh bors of the Beasley family, were im portant witnesses. Geo. Beasley sits at the table with his lawyers and to all appearances is dead to the world. Whether he is in sane, or was insane, he is now mak ing good the plea that has been launched in his behalf and will be used by the defense to save him from the gallows, or from a life term to prison. The defense expects to in troduce some expert evidence on “brainstorm” and similar ideas that are customary in murder cases of simi lar character. This case is attracting considerable attention and the attendance is almost too large for the court room. But nothing as sensational as some of our former trials have developed can pos sibly be brought out in this plain case of wife murder. The trial will continue for several days and the closing oratorical efforts of the attorneys will attract a num ber of spectators. The three children of Beasley’s, Clint, aged 12; Lena, aged ¥, and Ha zel, aged 6, are in attendance at the trial. Meeting of Past Masters. The seventh annual meeting of the Actual Past Master Masons, of Greene county, will be held here on the 26th inst. at p.m. The first of these an nual gatherings was held here in 1901, since then they have been held as follows: Linton, 1902; Lyons, 1908; Worthington, 1004; Newberry, 1005; Tasonville, 1906. The purpose is to confer the degree of Past Master on those who have been elected to serve as Worshipful Master of Masonic lodges, for the ensuing year. Royal Arch Past Mas tera are barred from attending these meetings by the grand bodies. Taking Orders is Peddling. What constitutes a peddler? And is one who ‘goes from house to house for the purpose of taking orders for teas, coffees and spices for future de livery’ a peddler, such as a city may require to take out a license? he Appellate Court Tuesday ans wered these questions in affirming a judgment convicting Frank T. Fallis of violating an ordinance of Gas City by failing to take out a peddlers license. ‘The definition of a “peddler’’ in the ordinance covered his case, but Fallis insisted that the city council had no power to define the word ‘‘peddler”* as it attempted to do. But Judge Roby says that the Leg islature in an act requiring peddlers to take out county license, defined the word “peddler” as meaning “to sell or offer to sell * * * merchandise direct ly to a customer, either by going from house to house for the purpose of sell ing and delivering such goods, or for the purpose of taking orders for the future delivery of such goods,” and that this amounts to a legislative in terpretation of the word in other statutes on the same subject. Also that previous to that time the Supreme Court had given a similar judicial con struction to the word. GEORGE BEASLEY,
Newspaper Details
Bloomfield News
Bloomfield, Indiana, US
Fri, Dec 20, 1907
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 07 Feb 2026
Other Publications Near Bloomfield, Indiana
Bloomfield News
Bloomfield Democrat
