Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 197, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1913 — PITIFUL STORY OF ASSAULTED GIRL [ARTICLE]

PITIFUL STORY OF ASSAULTED GIRL

Justice Find Bond of Willis at |6,000 and Accepted Willis and Father as Security. The pitiful story of 15-year-old Clara Bell Thompson, related ,to Squire Joel Spriggs, of Walker township, in the 1 presence of about one hundred people Monday afternoon brought expressions of sympathy for her and bitter denunciation of him, and the attitude of the farmers who had gathered at the Spriggs home showed plainly that the horror of the deed had aroused, 'them to a high pitch. The girl related every occurrence during the evening that the assault is alleged to ‘have been committed and the effort of Attorney Parkinson to shake her evidence only tended to •strengthen her story, which pointed to a crime more serious than has been. enacted in Jasper county in many, many years. The Spriggs home is about 18 miles from Rensselaer. Probably eight car loads of people were there from this city, while other automobiles and many .buggies had broughf people from the surrounding country to attend the preliminary hearing of James L. Willis on the charge of criminal assault. Mr. Spriggs held the court in the kitchen, of his home. The large room was crowded with spectators, while many others stood at the doors and windows and about the yard. The little Thompson girl was placed on the stand and related that Willis had taken his wife and children and herself out in an automobile on the evening of Aug. Bth, and had left his wife and their children at the residence of James Ennis, where Mrs. Willis was having some dressmaking done. That he had then taken her a ride into the country west of. Rensselaer, and that he had tried to hug her and to take other liberties and had finally stopped the car, the lights having gone out, and said that he could not light them until the gas ran down. He pulled her from the car, she said, and choked her and asked her if she had had relations with any other person. Her story, from tjiis point, in practically her own words, follows: , “And he said, ‘Did you ever do this before,’ and I said, ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Didn’t you,’ and I said ‘No,’ and he said ‘Didn’t you ever with ” and I said ‘No.’ Each time he choked me harder and he said he would choke me until I said ‘Yes,’ and he asked me again and I was afraid he would kill me and I said ‘Yes.’ He held me tight and I tried to get away and to call out and he held my mouth and he bound me so tight I could not get away.” The little girl completed her story and told of their trip home and how he kept asking her if she was mad and if she would tell any one and threatening her if she did. She told about him letting her out at the Mrs. Jared Benjamin corner, where he again asked her if she was mad and if she was going to tell. She told of her going home and telling her stepfather, who was in the front room of the house and of then telling her mother. While she related her story and was being cross-examined Willis sat by his attorneys, his face flushed. The other witnesses Introduced were John J. O’Brien, step-father of the little girl, who told of her return home and what she had told him and her mother and that Mrs. O’Brien had gone across the street and told Mrs. A. L. Willis, “Jamie’s” mother, and that later

Jamie and his father came to the O’Brien home and Jamie said, “What can. we do to settle this?” He said that Jamie said he was rated at $32,000 and that his parents and his fife’s parents had money and.that they would spend it in his behalf and that he said, “Even if I am gulty I could beat you.” Dr. C. E. Johnson and Dr. E. N. Loy were each placed on the stand and told of making an examination of the girl at her home the Wednesday following the alleged assault. Their testimony coincided and was to the effect that some act had been committed- at a very recent time, from 24 hours to 7 days. They told of , finding purpleishbrown marks on her throat. The marks resembled finger prints and were about such marks as might result from being severely choked. Each was on the witness stand for some time and the defendant’s attorneys tried to make something out of their testimony that might prove of use to the defendant, but nothing was accomplished. After they had finished their testimony a recess was taken. The state closed its case and the defense decided not to introduce any evidence. The attorneys then argued about the size of a bond that would hold the defendant for the circuit court. Attorney Dunlap spoke for the defendant and argued that the bond should not exceed $2,500. Prosecuting Attorney Longwell asked that the bond be placed at $5,000 and took advantage of the opportunity to score the defendant as a “scoundrel,” “worse than a murderer,” and a “menace to society.” He was followed by Mr. Parkinson, who asked that the bond be made less, he considered $2,500 too much. He said that the condition of Mrs. Willis was such that a shock might kill her and that if he could not give a bond and had to go to jail his wife would not live for an hour. He offered to introduce a physician as evidence supporting this statement. Justice Spriggs said that no doctor could examine him and tell how long he would live. He then said: “When it comes to sympathy, there isn’t a man on earth has ally more than I have and especially toward a woman, but when I try a case I try it according to the law and the evidence and I don’t allow sympathy to enter into the ease at all and I fix this man’s bond at $5,000.” The defendant’s attorneys did not expect that bond could be given in that amount but they offered Willis’ father, A. L. Willis, who has his residence property on College avenue. The security was .offered, notwithstanding the fact that the property is not worth to exceed $3,000. The defendant also signed the betad. This enabled him to keep out of jail. When the bond was fixed at $5,000 there was a loud clapping of hands and a burst of cheers went up from the farmers assembled, while in the outskirts of the crowd there were calls, “Make it ten thousand.”

The Republican believes that Willis should be in jail. There was not a witness to discredit a single word of the testimony of the little, girl, whose pitiful story brought ‘tears to the eyes of many strong men who heard it, and whose abuse in most places would have been avenged long ago. It is a fine thing that in Rensselaer and Jasper county our people are so generally law abiding. It speaks a confidence that there is justice in our courts and that money and falsehood and bluffs are not sufficient ti prevent the guilty being brought to the bar of justice. But with such clear evidence of guilt for such a dastardly crime should place the accused behind the bars and keep him there where he does not continue a menace to society. The Republican says this without a particle of malice and would not advocate it if there was

even an indication of innocence, but here is the story of a little girl, supported by the testimony of a step-lather and of her mother, if she had been called to relate it, and of two reputable physicians, alleging a crime so revolting that it makes the parents of girls shudder to think of the dangers that lurk in the community and with sympathy for the distracted parents and the poor invalid wife, we believe that the jail is the safest place for him to be for the sake of society and his own protection. . The case will be called for trial when the circuit court convenes in September: The defendant will doubtless ask for a change of venue and it will quite jfrobably be tried in Newton county. The penalty for the crime is 2 to 14 years in the penitentiary, while a provision of the law’ provides a further punishment of sterilization for criminals of this type.