Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 238, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1916 — MORLAN PERJURY TRIAL CONTINUES [ARTICLE]

MORLAN PERJURY TRIAL CONTINUES

State Started Rebuttal Tuesday Afternoon—Case Will Probably Reach Jury Thursday. The Morlan perjury trial is still occupying the attention of tlie court and indications are that it will at least not reach the jury until some time Thursday, if then. Today will complete a week of the proceedings, the trial having been started last Thursday morning. The state did not finish with their witnesses until Monday

forenoon, having introduced many hauled during the year 1915 from the county farm to the D.- S. Makeever farm and to show the whe oabouts of the men who are alleged to have hauled the corn, on one day in particular, Sept. 4, 1915.

At the conclusion of the hearing of -the state witnesses, it seemed that the state had made out a pretty strong case against the defendant, Ernest L. Morlan, but when the defense took the stand Monday afternoon, and began to give evidence in direct opposition to that of the state, those who iad heard the entire proceedings from the start were in a quandary and had no more Hght on the situation than

they did at the start. Strong evidence was introduced by both sides, and the entirely different testimony of the sides served to confuse the listener. One thing is certain, however, and that is that one >r the other side is mistaken in this matter. -The Republican will not venture an opinion in this matter, and wishes to be entirely fair to both sides and will do so to the best of its ability. It is too bad that this trouble had to be, but it is apparent that one or the other side is wrong and the public wants to know which one it is. The

prominence of all the parties concerned, who have been held" lit high esteem by the public in general, ’are. among Jasper county’s best citizens and biggest land owners, and the after effects of the trial will tend to create a feeling that will not soon be forgotten and will not help the community any. The case is attracting the greatest attention throughout the county that any case in recent years has attracted and the result will he awaited with keen interest by everyone. Owing to the great number of witnesses that had to be examined in this case, it has required an unusually long time and the prospects now are that the case will not reach the jury before some time Thursday.

The state started its rebuttal Monday and the state witnesses again took the stand in an attempt to destroy the evidence produced by the defense. The state witnesses were on the stand again this Wednesday morning and did not vary in their stories they told in their previous examination. Jesse Nichols, superintendent of the county farm, was called back to the stand this Wednesday morning and again stated that no com had been hauled to the Makccver farm i.i 1915. A repo rt was read by Atty. Leopold of the sales of produce from the county farm in '’9ls, but nothing was found in Mr. Nichols’ report to show that any, com had been hauled to Makeever. LATER—The examination- of the last witness was finished at 2:25 this afternoon, and Atty. Williams, for the state, started the argument.