Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 209, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1910 — Lyda-Cox Murder Trial Recalled By Death of Starling Cox. [ARTICLE]

Lyda-Cox Murder Trial Recalled By Death of Starling Cox.

The death of Starling Cox, aged 48, which occurred at -a Lafayette hospital last Thursday, recalls the exciting Cox-Lyda murder trial in 1901. A correspondent of the Indianapolis. News, thus recalls the facts: William Lyda, a prosperous farmer living near Fowler, died suddenly of poisoning, and suspicion pointed to Cox as the murderer. Star Cox was an employe on the Lyda farm at the time, and he and Mrs. Lyda were indicted by the Benton county grand jury for murder in the first degree. It was alleged that Cox had won the affections of Mrs. Lyda, and feeling was so high in Benton county after the indictments were returned and the arrests were made that they were spirited away one night and brought to the jail in Lafayette to escape lynching. They remained in jail there for several weeks and the case against Mrs. Lyda was called first. She obtained a change of venue and the case was sent to White county. It was an exciting trial at Monticello and attracted much interest in this part of the state. Mrs. Lyda was defended by the best lawyers of Lafayette, Fowler and Monticello and succeeded in being acquitted. She then returned to Lafayette and worked for the quashing of the indictment against Cox. She succeeded in convincing the state authorities that he was innocent and the case was nolled. Mrs. Lyda is now conducting a boarding house at Momence, 111. Cox had for some time been in the real estate business at Francesville and was taken sick two weeks ago with typhoid fever. He was taken to a hospital in Lafayette in a dying condition. It is said that Cox and Mrs. Lyda never saw each other after his case was thrown out of court.

A report just issued by the relief department of the Pennsylvania railroad shows that during the first seven months of this year nearly one and one-half million dollars in benefits was paid to members unable to work and to families of members who died. During the month of July $162,337.04 was paid out in benefits, and since the I relief departments for the lines east and west of Pittsburg and Erie were established the sum of $28,820,337.24 has been paid out.