Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1909 — ACQUITTED OF SERIOUS CHARGE. [ARTICLE]

ACQUITTED OF SERIOUS CHARGE.

John Poole Goes Free on Attempt Charge, But is Fined SSO in Assault and Battery Count. The state cases against John Poole of near Swanington, Benton county, on indictments returned by the grand jury recently, were tried in the circuit court Tuesday and Wednesday. In the first, plain assault and battery was charged, and the evidence went to show that a little more than a year ago Poole had gone to the home of Geo. Fate of north of Rensselaer, and, finding that Mr. Fate was not about the house, had caught hold of Mrs. Fate by the arm and made some remarks not usually used by a stranger to a lady whom he had never met before- She broke away from him and he left. Before Mr. Fate met Poole, after his wife had told him of the latter’s actions, his anger had cooled off somewhat, as it was several weeks later, or there would undoubtedly have been something doing in that locality. The Jury in this case found defendant guilty as charged and he was fined SSO and costs, $69.55 in all, which he paid Wednesday afternoon and left for his home in Benton county. He had been in jail here all the time since his arrest'on Tuesday of last week until this time. On the second charge, assault and battery with intent to commit a rape, which was taken up Wednesday morning, the evidence of Mrs. Mary Haines, wife of the tenant on Poole s farm in Union tp., Jasper county, was that Poole had come to the house last December one time when the men folks were out in the field to wgrk and, when shaking hands with the witness, had pulled her to him and embraced and kissed her, much to her annoyance and fright. Mrs. Haines is some 50 years of age and a grand-mother- She

broke away from Poole and ran a mile to her son’s home where she told what had happened, later returning home with a boy who was there. she did not tell her husband until next morning, when it was shown Poole and Haines had a rather hot argument over some rent troubles and the matter was incidentally mentioned.'- In the culmination of this argument Poole gave tjaines an order for S4OO on some stock that had been shipped from the farm Poole had remained at the house the night of the alleged embracing of his tenant’s wife and had frequently staid there since. In fact it seems that the parties had patched up what trouble they had over the cattle deal, at least, and were on fairly good terms at the present time. While there was apparently no question about there having been an assault and battery committed, the intent charge w£s not very clear, and the jury promptly acquitted him. A peculiar feature of this latter case was the acceptance by the defense of the jury entire that had heard the former case in which a verdict of guilty was returned. This is something very unusual, and was perhaps the first time it ever occurred in this court. However, we guess Mr. Barce, who w-as defending Poole, knew his business and did a very wise thing in aJlowing the same jury to sit in the latter case also.

FROM NORTH DAKOTA. Emerado, N. D., Sept. 27. Dear Editor: Enclosed find $1.50 for The Democrat for another year, as we can’t get along very well without the Jasper county news. This leaves us all well and enjoying Dakota farming very much. Threshing isf all over now and everybody is busy plowing. Crops were pretty good around here, wheat made from 17 to 25 bushels; oats, 30 to 40; barley the same. Potato crop is fine; I will have over 600 bushels off of a patch of 3 acres, so you see we’ll not starve through the long winter. We all like it fine up here and it s not at the end of the world either—there’s plenty of land beyond us yet. We are having fine weather for fall Haven’t had any frosts yet to doany - iamI age. We wouldn’t trade our Dakota farm for one of your Jasper •'county farms to live on it, and hope j some more Hoosiers will make a move for Dakota in the spring. Well, I will close for this time, sending our best regards to all the home folks. Yours truly, HENRY SIMONIN.