74

HELD WITHOUT BAIL

Mrs.Sheedy and Monday McFarland Reamina in Jail.

A. H. Walstrom is Discharged and the Preliminary Trial is Brought to an End

The Confession Goes.

The preliminary hearing of the accused murderers has been brought to a close and Judge Houston has commanded Mrs.Mary Sheedy and Monday McFarland to be held for trial without bail. The alleged accomplice, A. H. Walstrom, was yesterday discharged, as had all along been conjectured that he would be, as there was no grounds to warrant connecting him in any way for complicity.

The hearing concluded yesterday afternoon in the council chambers in the city building and the room was densely packed. When the hearing was about to be resumed Judge Houston who has taken the matter under advisement, announced that he had considered authorities on confession and in the matter of that of Monday McFarland would permit it being admitted as evidence, whereupon Marshall Melick was recalled to the stand and allowed to repeat the confession of the negro, which was substantially as has been published in the columns of the city papers heretofore reciting that Mrs.Sheedy was to pay him the sum of $5,000 for doing the job how she had called him a coward for putting off the deed, etc, and claiming that he had sustained improper relations with [illegible].
The [illegible] Walsh was next placed upon the stand and sworn and in the course of testimony said that he had been in charge of Campbell parish, Franklin county, up to last Monday when he was removed by Bishop Bonacum. He said that last Saturday he was informed that Mrs.Sheedy wanted to see him at the county jail, but having been a witness before the coroner's jury he did not think it exactly the proper thing to see her, and he refused to go; but Bishop Bonacum told him to go and he went under protest on Monday. A private interview was refused and he saw her in the presence of Attorney Strode, Father Fitzgerald, and the jailor. Her demand was that he modify his statements before the coroner's jury or she would "make it hot" for him and he told her to proceed and make it as "hot" as she desired. An effort was then made to have him relate his conversation with the accused at her house prior to the murder, but after a short squabble Judge Houstan sustained the objection and ruled that the witness could not divulge anything Mrs. Sheedy had told him while acting as her spiritual adviser. Under this ruling he could then tell nothing Mrs. Sheedy had said to him at that interview, and after a little cross examination he left the stand, remarking incidentally that he only came to the hearing to show that he could not be bulldozed.

This concluded the testimony, and the attorneys made their arguments before the court in brief. Attorney Holmes being the first, and in support of his motion to dismiss Walstrom reviewed his connection with the affair and citing that all the young man had to do with it simply being an acquaintance of Mrs. Sheedy and from her receiving tokens or letters, but showing conclusively that there was no probable cause for holding him to appear at the next term of the district court.

Attorney Strode and Attorney Philpot also made motions to dismiss Mrs.Sheedy and Monday McFarland, each glowingly reviewing the case and painting rosy pictures of how they has been unduly suspicioned, etc, but the judge at the conclusion of their flights of oratory rendered a decision in language as follows:

"From the testimony that has been adduced before me, I believe that Mr. Walstromhas been an unfortunate young man. I think circumstances have gotten him into this unfortunate affair, and believe it my duty to discharge him under this showing. But as to Mrs.Sheedy and McFarland, I will have to hold them."

An effort was then made to have McFarland and Mrs.Sheedy admitted to bail and the judge took this matter under advisement until ten o'clock today, when he decided that they must be held without bail