Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, November 27, l902

Last Thursday the attorneys of J.W. CROFFORD who was convicted at the November term, l90l, of the district court of the murder of MAUDE STONE, and sentenced to l3 years in the penitentiary, filed a motion before Judge Towner asking that the verdict of the jury be set aside for the reason that R.S. Harmon, the foreman of the jury which convicted him, had formed and expressed an opinion before the trial in which he said that CROFFORD was guilty and should be hung or sent to the penitentiary. The motion is accompanied by affidavits of Alfred Burrell, S.E. Burnison, J.R. Hullinger and James Bass, who swear they heard Harmon so express himself about Nov. l, l90l, and DR. CROFFORD claims that on account of this expressed opinion and the further fact that Harmon was foreman of the jury, it acted in a measure in securing his conviction. He also alleges that another juryman, Dusky Gentry, had also formed and expressed an opinion and says he will secure the affidavits of W.E. and U.D. Noftsger to this effect. When the motion was filed the County Attorney asked for 20 days in which the state could secure affidavits and make reply, and Judge Towner so ordered. Should the motion to set aside the verdict be sustained by the judge, it would send the case here again for trial. CROFFORD is now out on bond pending the appeal to the Supreme Court.

Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, December 4, l902

The latest news in the CROFFORD case is that he has the affidavits of S.E. Burnison, Alfred Burrell, Riley Hullinger and James Bass, that they heard R.J. Harmon, who was foreman of the jury express himself to the effect that he believed CROFFORD guilty and that he ought to be hung. On this ground CROFFORD asks for a new trial and Judge Towner has granted Prosecuting Attorney Olsen 20 days to investigate and secure, we presume, counter affidavits. Mr. Harmon emphatically denies having made any such statement as is attributed to him by Bass, Burrell, Burnison and Hulling, and further states that he wan't in town on the day he is said to have made the remark. Evidently there is a screw loose somewhere.

--DAVIS CITY LARIAT.

Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, December ll, l902

While in town a few days ago, DR. J.W. CROFFORD, recently convicted and sentenced to l3 years in the penitentiary for the murder of MAUDE STONE, an inmate of this sanitarium, rounded up Alfred Burrell, James Bass, Riley Hullinger and Ed Burnison and secured from them affidavits to the effect that they had heard R.J. Harmon, who was foreman of the jury that, from the evidence, found CROFFORD guilty, prior to the trial express himself as follows;

"I believe DOC CROFFORD is guilty and he should be hung or sent to the penitentiary."

Armed with the foregoing affidavits, CROFFORD's attorneys appeared before Judge Towner and filed a motion that the verdict of the jury be set aside, making allegations against Mr. Harmon in accord with the affidavits.

Since last week we have again interviewed Mr. Harmon who says:

"It is possible that I did express my opinion of the case in words similar to those I am charged with in the affidavits CROFFORD secured, but if so it was AFTER the trial. Of one thing I am absolutely positive: Even though I may have used some such language after the case was ended, I never said "he ought to be hung, for I DON'T BELIEVE IN HANING ANYBODY."

Ed Burnison, one of the signers of the affidavits, says:

"CROFFORD came to me, sent by Alfred Burrell, who CROFFORD said, had told him I was present at the time Harmon made such a talk. He (CROFFORD) took me down to the hotel where he had the balance of the boys and read the affidavit to us but he didn't read it the same, or at least I didn't understand it, as they claim it is now."

Alfred Burrell, another of the signers, interviewed, said:

"Harmon made the remark when I was back here on a lay-off. I was working on the railroad at the time and was home on a lay-off. I don't know what date it was but I can tell by looking it up."

Prosecuting Attorney Olsen was here Monday looking into the matter and we are told, secured impeachment affidavits. What in the name of all that is holy he wanted with them, we are utterly unable to comprehend if Bass and Hullinger occupy the same position in the matter that Burrell and Burnison do.

At the present writing, from what we have learned, we do not believe any one of the quartette of affidavit makers did any false swearing and paradoxical as it may seem, neither do we believe Harmon expressed himself in any such manner before the trial.

It isn't reasonable to believe that any man -- man, we say -- would perjure himself to gain the opportunity of serving on a jury and sentencing a fellow-being to penal servitude for life. And Mr. Harmon, in our estimation, is a man. --

--DAVIS CITY LARIAT.

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
"With permission from the Leon Journal Reporter"
December 24, 2002