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Show WILL THEY DEIIY IT HOW Unimpeachable Evidence That Joseph McMurrin Beat His Wife Brutally. Neighbors Testify .That the "Democrat's." "Demo-crat's." Report Is Correct In , Every Particular. The"" Herald and "News" Convicted Con-victed Liars in Defense of " the Fine, Stalwart Young; Man." One might suppose that the Herald had accepted a handsome retaining fee from Joseph W. McMurrin or his friends, judging from the ridiculous extremity they have reached in their crazy efforts to shield his reputation from the - odium I1 which attaches to it as a result of Saturday Satur-day night's outrageous proceedings. We half expected the idiotic reporter of that sheet would, by another manipulation of the thumbscrews which have been threateningly held over Mrs. M. I. Smith by her relatives ever since the event, obtain ob-tain from her a certified denial of the facts; and this in one respect is just what the Democrat wanted, for that lady . had secured from our reporter a promise which he would have faithfully kept under any but extreme ex-treme circumstances, and which. Her signal denial justifies him in now ignoring. ignor-ing. Mrs. Smith explained that she was in such a positiondepending in part with several small children on Tier relatives rela-tives for ' support that any "statement coming from her as to the facts in the case would seriously embarrass her and render her condition even more miserable. miser-able. . The Democrat reporter,appreciat-ing reporter,appreciat-ing her situation, avoided pointed reference refer-ence to her story, and was not willing, even after what appeared in the Herald of Tuesday morning, to expose the facts in regard to the lady; and we still feel sorry that we are compelled com-pelled to explain the lady's position, because be-cause we know that she is not at heart in sympathy with the fraudulent movement to cover up the facts in the disreputable case. But we trust she will come to see that in the end it is more profitable and satisfactory to reveal the truth, which we fervently believe she would do if removed from the powerful influences that surround sur-round her. We prefer to let others tell the story and put to shame the baseless fabric which the Herald man has woven out of palpable falsehoods, and to this end have visited several of the neighbors who were cognizant of the disreputable occurrence. As might be expected many of those who saw and heard were unwilling to allow their names to go before the public, as such an action would for ever cut them off from friends, relatives and social happiness, happi-ness, but they.stated the facts in most instances without reserve. Here are some of the statements, and they should be taken as far more reliable than those of a terrified wife and terrorized terror-ized sister-in-law, particularly when the patent truths are considered" which render ren-der the testimony of both the latter wholly inadmissible : MRS. SHEAR'S STATEMENT. We were attracted to our front door last Saturday night by screams apparently appar-ently coming frem Joseph McMurrin's house, which is opposite our own. We opened the front door and heard a terrible ter-rible screaming of the children in McMurrin's McMur-rin's house, and shortly afterwards Mrs. Smith came running over to the gate to where we stood. She shouted as she came out, "Joe McMurrin has knocked his wife down and is beating her ; the s of a b , etc." etc., and she excitedly asked us if there were any men present.- I asked her if she wanted help, and she said "Yes, McMurrin is beating his wife, the ,and has knocked her senseless. Send up town and give it away, and I will stop and watch that he doesn't skip." Mrs. Smith did a great deal of shouting out and was evidentlv much frightened. The next day she came over to see us and appeared to have been advised ad-vised to keep quiet on the matter, as she was anxious to Know whether we had mentioned her name in connection with the matter. She said on this occasion toat she was present Saturday night when McMurrin came home and he at once began to- abuse me, and as I was leaving he started on his wife and knocked her down. While I was over here (across the street) McMurrin skipped and left his wife lying unconscious, uncon-scious, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. She remained unconscious uncon-scious for half an hour. Mrs. P. S. Shear. WHAT MR. SHEAR SAYS. I was home Saturday night at the house nearly opposite Joseph McMurrin's and was attracted by a woman's screams to the front door where I also heard children yelling over in McMurrin's house. A few minutes later I saw Mrs. Smith come over, and in response to her cry for help I went to call some of the neighbors, as I was unwilling to interfere in the matter. P. S. Shear. MISS EMMA PERRY'S REPORT. I was standing in front of No. 27, Sixth South street nearly opposite McMurrin's house Saturday night last, and somewhere some-where between 9 and 10 o'clock I heard some screams coming from Joseph McMurrin's Mc-Murrin's house and . immediately after I saw Mrs. Smith rush out of the house and cross the street to where I was standing. stand-ing. She was very much -excited and asked, "are there anv men here to go up for Marshal Ireland", for Joe McMurrin has come home in disguise and has knocked his wife down senseless.'' I also heard her cry out to a man passing Father, thats ofab has knocked his wife senseless." Emma Perry. MESSRS. HEPWORTH8' EVIDENCE. On Monday, February 1st, Mrs. Smith came into our meat market to purchase some meat and having heard of Joseph McMurrin beating his wife, we asked Mrs Smith, if it was true that Joseph McMurrin thrashed his wife Saturday night, and she answered : "Yes ; and I was there and witnessed it, and 'it was me that ran out of the house crving for help, for I ain't a-going to stand'and see him abuse mv sister." j John Hepworth, J. H. Hepworth. MARSHAL IRELAND, Whom the reporter met in his perambulations, perambu-lations, volunteered, the statement that he had obtained the same information as that published in Monday's Democrat and that he had gotten it from reliable' I sources and knew it was true. j Another gentleman, who has lived half ! a lifetime near the McMurrins, but who declined to give his name to the press on account of existing relations, said "What you published in the Democrat! Monday evening is all true and . I know it. I would not for the world have it get out that I had Baid anything, but I have known of several instances before, when I Joe has beaten his wife shamefully and I all the neighbors know the same thing. I Mrs. Smith told me last night that the , Democrat article was correct throughout, ; but that she was obliged to deny it or leave the town, as her life would be one of misery if it were known that she had given away any of the facts. She said she knew a good deal more about McMurrin's Mc-Murrin's conduct) but would hold it - for the present." ''.' ' A relative of the McMurrins said to the reporter: "I heard Mrs. Smith tell the whole business about Joe McMurrin knocking his wife senseless, and I heard her say to Joe's wife, I'll give this whole thing away and have him (McMurrin) arrested for it," and Mrs. McMurrin dared her to do it at her peril." Our reporter had interviews with quite a number of other persons who were familiar fa-miliar with the disgraceful facts, but who objected to making any statement for publication. In every "instance he obtained ob-tained the statement, however, that the report published in the Democrat of Monday was true in every particular. The Democrat would not have gone to this trouble nor have obtruded further comment on its readers had it not been for the presumption that there are doubtless doubt-less people hereabouts as ignorant of the flagrantly disreputable stand which the Herald has taken all along in the McMurrin McMur-rin affair as they are unaware of the un-principled un-principled and reckless character of the boy who is intrusted with news gathering for the sheet, |