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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1959)
Dickerson Trial i ironUiuitsl from page It At 2 U5 p m . Special Pronecv- | tor Cronin began his summation , and appeal. He admonished the j jury to disregard the emotional I; pleas made by the defense counsel. ( "Search your own conscience and { judge only on the evidence that has been placed In the record, j You speak for the people of Boyd , county. 'Hie great jury system of justice can crumble, breakdown, ; if you do not speak out honestly in your verdict. There has been nothing sinister or trumped up, as defense counsel imagines This has been a skwv process. Boyd County j Attorney Wills filed first degree murder charges before I was brought Into the case as a special assistant. No one can question Wills’s honesty and integrity. "Up have not stressed motive In this murder; neither has there been motive in Juvenile gangland murders being rommlted In Chi ••age and New York. “The defense has tried during the trial and in their closing argu fents to create side issues, to cover the trial. There is no place before justice tor side issues. | There wasn't a defense witness; who could refute Nyal's story that Mrs. Dickerson killed Franklin Vanderlinde. Early in this case, both the mother and Nyal lied. Nyal told the truth to authorities July 1 and has told the truth since. He told the truth on this stand,” pointing to the witness chair. "On unimportant details there have been sofe minor dischcpan cies, but on material things the story is the same: The mother killed Vanderlinde. “Defense makes great issue of the lip and facial wounds. If the bit had hit Vanderlinde in the mouth, as they infer, the same blow could not have penetrated his skull four or five inches. “Defense says Mrs. Dickerson was trying to protect her soil wltti manufactured stories, such a a haying accident. Mrs. Dickerson was not protecting 17-year-old Nyal then or Isn't now. She’s pro WM'MIIK n<HUr |«i nrimrn. “What did Doctor Holyoke say? He said the hole in the skull was bigger than the bit and the hole was irregular. He also admitted, ; on the stand he did not know there j had been mortuary probings con- j ducted with a rod and with! . the same brace-and-bit and that j these probings were done between } the time of Vanderlinde’s death ami the time of his (Holyoke’s) laboratory experiments. He admit ted these probings could have al tered the hole. Doctor Holyoke is an antomologist, a scientist, and a good one. He is also a theoreti cian. “It’s uncontradicted by evidence or by witness that the mother killed the boy," Cronin concluded. Judge Lyle E. Jackson read the | instructions to the jury, detailing j the ingredients of first degree! murder, second degree murder, manslaughter and acquittal. At 3:17 p m , the jury filed into the I deliberation room off the north west comer of the courtroom. The jurors took time out to eat an eve ning meal. Shortly after 8 o'clock, Judge D. R. Mounts, who had been sitting all four days with Judge Jackson, was summoned from O'Neill for special instructions. Present for the 10 o’clock written exchange were the constituted court officials. Wills, Brennan, Johnson, Sadie and others. The foreman, E. J. Richter, Spencer I farmer, asked the question: “Does only the form an sign the verdict or do all members of the jury sign?" The question was answered in writing; the jury room door closed again. There was tense ness and something in the air in dicated the verdict was imminent. It was. Word spread. Others hur ried into the rix>m on the second floor of the frame 56-year-old Boyd courthouse that bore a touch of yule here and there. The jury filed into the box. Jury Foreman Richter arose. His signature had been the only one necessary. "Not guilty,” he in Hnwwnsicsigcwigirogictcgxtstgtgigic oned. The trial was over, Mm. Didcerwi, who had hustled ter skirt over her head earlier o avoid a camera, rejoiced. Im-, nediately she received congratu-; at ions of some licit not all in the * uom Johnson escorted her to the i iury box where she shook hands | vith each mcmler of the jury me woman and ll men. Her j rlends Mr. and Mrs Ivan Han- j an of Iiutte, who had testified in j ler behalf, were notified and she, lpent the night with them in their tome, Sheriff Collins reported the ver lict to NyaJ. who was in lus cell. Syal tamed his head and wept. Sadie was free. Trial Sidelights (continued from page 1) For a time Wednesday Holt county (Boyd s neighbor on the south I had only one member of (he bar within the boundaries, and he is O'Neill Postmaster Ira H Moss, a non-practicing lawyer. (The Holt county judge is not a memlier of the bar. ( All the Piac" tiring law-yers were in the Boyd courtroom as trial participants or spectators. John < "bavin of Monowi. a col orful Boyd resident, was a juror prospect. When he faced the judges’ bench he offered a mili tary salute with a flourish. He was not accepted. Defense Counsel William L. Brennan, who suffers from low blood pressure wus conspicu ously absent several times. He complained of “nose bleeds.” Shepherding me juioi bailiff and the court matron: Mr. and Mrs. M. V. Jordan of Butte. High school students from Butte, S|icneer and Lynch sampled the trial proceedings. They formed a "Coke brigade" at recesses, raid ing the soft drink vending ma chine. Empty bottles filling two cases were picked up by the cus todian ut one of the recesses. After acquittal. Sadie spent the night with Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Han sen of Butte, who had testified in her behalf. Then she returned to O'Neill, did some shopping and voluntarily spent her last night in Nebraska in her former cell at the Holt courthouse. "She wanted to rest, bathe and freshen up," according to Holt Sheriff Tomjack, who had befriended Sadie all along and insisted she was innocent. Early Sunday Tom jack and his wife wangled two worn suitcases, gave them to Sadie and placed her on a west bound bus at Columbus. She was leaving going to Denver. Colo., to visit a brother; to Salt Lake City, Utah, to see her mother; to near Ix>s Angeles, Calif., to locate a daughter. She told Tomjack she could file a claim against Boyd county for having lieen detained— but wouldn’t. She* had bus fare and a little cash. Proceeds of a per sonal property sale plus Vander linde’s estate are either dwindled or tied up in estate proceedings. The sum, a few thousand dollars, is still subject to attorney fees for her defense. Mrs. Dickerson did not say goodbye to Nyal, Tomjack said. She was advised at Butte not to. Sadie was Vanderlinde’s sole heir. The Dickerson trial coverage for The Frontier was provided by Cal Stewart, former owner of The Frontier. Stewart also covered the trial for The Omaha World-Herald and United Press-International, and provided direct telephonic re ports to Radio WNAX, Yankton, S D., and Radio KMMJ. Grand Island. He was hampered in his radio reporting by an attack of laryngitis. O'Neill Loan Association To Change Name Soon Lyle P. Dierks, manager of the Elkhom Valley National Farm Loan Association, announced to day that his organization will be come known as the Federal Land Bank Association of O'Neill on January 1. Mr. Dierks, who has been man “S Hi Si 41 ager of the O'Neill office for the past 17 years, says that at the present the farmer-rancher owned association has 576 borrower-mem bers and a total of $5 628.100 in outstanding loans. Mr Ed Ver/al has been assis tant manager for the past four years. Directors of the board are Frank C. Kruntorad, president, of Ewing. Alnard Heorman, vice- . president, of Naper and E. J. Re veil, O’Neill, Ralph Hoffman, Ewing and Wilbur L Moon, Stuart, j OOl BTHOl'SE CSiOSED The courthouse will be closet! i Saturday, Dec. 26 following Christ mas. Veterans' Forms Mailed The Holt County Department of Veteran s Affairs said this week that annual income question naires will lie mailed this month to Nebraska veterans, widows, de pendant children and parents receiving Veterans Administra tion non-serv ice-connected disabili ty or death pensions. The questionnaires will be in the mail no later than December 31 and regulations require that pension payments are stopped if the form is not returned to the Lincoln Regional office within 30 days. Any veteran or dependant need ing assistance with the question aire should contact Alvin Heese, Holt County Veteran Service Of ficer. Club Notes Better Ways Extension Members of the Better Ways Extension club had their Christ mas party Thursday night. Fal lowing a short business meeting games and cards were played and gifts were exchanged. Mrs. Bill Kramer won the guess ing game. Mrs. Don Wecker and Mrs. Ed McManus were hostesses with Mrs. Norbert Clark in charge of the games. Next month's meet ing will be with Mrs. Virgil Tom linson. Rebekah Rebekah Lodge members met Friday night in regular session and for a pot luck dinner and Christmas party. Games, singing and cards were the evening's en tertainment. Card winners were Mrs. D. A. Baker, Mrs. Marlin Luber, and Mrs. Ben Wayman. There was an exchange of gifts. Officers will t>e installed Janu ary 5. Elected officers are Mrs. Melvin Klingler, noble grand, Mrs. Norbert Clark, vice grand, Mrs. Richard Hovey, secretary, and Winnie Barger, treasurer. Try The Frontier Want Ads — It Pays i (Advertisement) READ THIS FREE TRIAL OFFER! We will send to you for No Risk, | 10.000 Miles, Free Trial ONE Reg [ istered Set of Eight of the truly revolutionary, simply amazing, NICKEL SILVER $16 SPARK PLUGS, at the low introductory, get acquainted, advertising, full and complete price of ONLY $5.52, plus few cents postage, for the set of eight spark plugs. SEND “NO” MONEY NOW! Send only the make, the year of your car or truck. Prompt shii> ment of your Registered. Uncondi tionally Guaranteed NICKEL SIL VER $16.00 per set of eight Spark Plugs, will be made to you for NO RISK, 10,000 MILES. FREE TRIAL. Deposit ONLY $5.52, plus few cents postage with the post man upon delivery. YOU RISK NOTHING. 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