Leon Reporter, Leon, Iowa
Thursday, April 27, l902

'Ira Hammond on Trial at Mt. Ayr for the Murder of Miss Maude Stone.'

Witnesses for the state (continued):

AUSTIN HOWARD and WIFE, who live at Lamoni, testified MRS. HAMMOND, IRA HAMMOND and MAUDE STONE called at their home in Lamoni in August, l900.

EDWIN HOWARD and LEWIS HORNER, testified to seeing IRA HAMMOND at Lamoni on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. l8 and l9. Howard swore HAMMOND told him he came down after his girl.

FERD RAUCH and WIFE, testified MAUDE STONE did not visit at their home in Lamoni in August, l900, or in January, l90l.

JOE MULLIN, testified IRA HAMMOND told him during the DR. CROFFORD trial at Leon that the initials C.Y.K., which were attached to nearly all the letters written by him to MAUDE STONE, meant "Consider Yourself Kissed."

DR. B.L. EIKER, was the first witness at the afternoon session, testifying that MAUDE STONE visited his office May 2l, and 22, l900, which was the last time he ever prescribed for her. After that time IRA HAMMOND came to see him and said he had a girl in a fix and wanted him to help them out. He refused and advised them to get married.

ORR FLETCHER, testified IRA HAMMOND got a team and cutter at the livery stable in Decatur City in January, l90l, between l2 and l o'clock and drove south from Decatur. He had the same cutter engaged to go to Van Wert that evening and waited until close to 5 o'clock for HAMMOND to return and then had to take another team.

H.B. LUNBECK, the Decatur liveryman, testified HAMMOND got a team from his barn on Jan. l2, l90l, and turned south from the square at Decatur. When he returned he drove in from the east.

ERNEST JONES, who lives near Lamoni, testified to seeing IRA HAMMOND in DR. CROFFORD's office at Lamoni on the afternoon of Jan. l2, l90l, and saw him there again on Jan. 29.

J.A. WELLINGTON, of near Lamoni, testified he was at CROFFORD's office in Lamoni in January, l90l, and there was a man there who said he came from above Decatur, but the witness seemed reluctant to testify and claimed he could not remember or identify the man, but admitted that in the trial of DR. CROFFORD, he identified a picture of the defendant as the man. He admitted that Emory Driscoll was in the office at the same time.

EMORY DRISCOLL, was called and testified he was staying at DR. CROFFORD's sanitarium in January, l90l, and saw J.A. Wellington in the office and IRA HAMMOND was there, the date being Jan. l2, l90l. Saw HAMMOND there again about two weeks later and HAMMOND said he lived near Decatur. The witness asked him if he had not been there a short time before and he said he had.

MRS. MARY ROBBINS, of Decatur, testified she celebrated her tin wedding on Jan. ll, l90l, and MAUDE STONE was there, the object being to establish dates.

RUE B. STONE, testified he was married Dec. 25, l900, and talked of leaving the home farm at that time.

C.B. TOWNSEND, was called and testified it was possible for a person coming into Decatur from the direction of Lamoni to turn east south of the square, come north and then drive back west to the livery barn as though coming from the east in the direction of Leon.

MRS. MARGARET STONE, told of MAUDE leaving home on Jan. 22, l90l, to go on a visit to relatives at Mt. Ayr. She was in good health at the time and was a robust girl. Said IRA HAMMOND had kept company with her for about a year. Did not hear from MAUDE after she left until she received a letter from DR. CROFFORD, brought to her by IRA HAMMOND, saying MAUDE was sick at his sanitarium. She started for Lamoni with HAMMOND and found her daughter a corpse when she arrived there. MRS. HAMMOND was there when she arrived. On cross examination she denied having told Mrs. Levi Brooks that MAUDE had been sick with bowel trouble.

RUE STONE, testified to his sister's health being good when she started for Mt. Ayr. Did not see her alive again.

VERNON KIER, who worked at the STONE farm, testified to the same thing.

The state traced MAUDE STONE from the station at Kingston to Lamoni by W.B. Redman, Conductor Mike Carey, C.M. Ketcham, O.E. Hull, E.J. Springer, James Grandstaff and wife and Arthur Townsend, who saw and talked to her on the train.

TED SHEEN, of Lamoni, testified to seeing her get off the train at the depot and watched her walk around the block and go into DR. CROFFORD's sanitarium.

L.J. BARR, identified a plat of the streets and buildings in the vicinity of DR. CROFFORD's sanitarium.

Court then adjourned until Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock.

When court convened Wednesday morning the first witness called was:

ORR FLETCHER, who swore the day he saw IRA HAMMOND get a team and drive south was on Saturday.

VERN KIER, testified as to the day in question being Saturday, Jan. l2, l90l.

RUE STONE, recalled, testified the time he was talking of buying the Keller farm was in December, l900.

The State's Attorney then carefully traced the defendant along the road from Decatur to Lamoni by witnesses Harrison Orfield, Dell Wiley, Jesse Lloyd and John Springer, who told of meeting a young man riding a rangy bay horse, going toward Lamoni, learning afterwards that the young man was IRA HAMMOND, and the dates being Jan. l2 and 23, l90l.

WM. CRICHTON, who lives just across the road from defendant, testified IRA HAMMOND was away from home over night on Jan. 23, l90l.

MRS. CRICHTON, also testified his mother told her IRA was away from home that night.

CHARLES BRENIZER, a liveryman at Lamoni, told of HAMMOND coming to his barn about a week before the death of MAUDE STONE, riding a bay horse. He remained over night and slept in the barn on a cot, saying it would be late when he came in and the hotel would probably be closed.

CLARENCE SPRINGER, a partner in the livery business, testified to seeing HAMMOND at the barn on Jan. 23, and he was sleeping there the next morning. The witness left the barn the night before after l2 o'clock and HAMMOND had not come in at the time he left. His son,

ELI SPRINGER, also testified to seeing HAMMOND at the barn on Jan. 23.

FRANK HOPKINS, a furniture dealer at Lamoni, also testified as to seeing MAUDE STONE enter CROFFORD's sanitarium on Jan. 22, and did not see her again until after she was dead.

EMORY DRISCOLL, who was a patient at CROFFORD's sanitarium, testified to seeing MAUDE STONE the day she arrived at the sanitarium, that she looked well, and after talking with DR. CROFFORD, was assigned to a room. Heard her vomiting a few days later quite hard. He also told of seeing IRA HAMMOND in DR. CROFFORD's office on two occasions, once about ten days or two weeks before MAUDE STONE came. He asked for DR. CROFFORD and went with him into his private room and remained there quite awhile. On cross examination by Mr. Hoffman the witness denied telling his brother or other parties he was being paid big money for testifying against CROFFORD and HAMMOND in this case, and said the County Attorney told him he would see he received the proper medical attention and board if he was unable to pay for it. He said the only money he ever received was a dollar MIKE SPRINGER gave him to pay his fare to Leon when he appeared before the grand jury. That none of the attorneys for the state had ever asked him to swear to anything in this case except the truth. That his father had refused to pay for his board or medical attention unless he remained with DR. CROFFORD.

J.A. WELLINGTON, was recalled and testified he saw EMORY DRISCOLL talking with a young man in CROFFORD's office about a week before MAUDE STONE died, and heard him say he was from above Decatur, and had been there before when there was snow on the ground.

The state then commenced the examination of the expert medical witnesses, which consumed the balance of the afternoon. The case cannot go to the jury before Saturday and may run over to Monday before the arguments are closed and the case submitted to the jury. Every point in the case is being bitterly contested by the attorneys on both sides.

To Be Continued . . . "Additional Witnesses and Defendant's Testimony. . ."

Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
"With permission from the Leon Journal Reporter"
December l8, 2002