Glaspell's Articles

INDIANOLA, Dec. 6.--The wife of John Hossack, arrested on the charge of having beaten out his brains with an ax, has employed Henderson and Berry as her attorneys and is preparing to fight the case to the end.

She was locked up in the county jail here last night at 8:30. She manifested no emotion, took her arrest calmly and absolutely declined to make any statement concerning her guilt or innocence.

Members of the Hossack family are standing by her solidly, but public sentiment is overwhelmingly against her.

Though past 50 years of age, she is tall and powerful and looks like she would be dangerous if aroused to a point of hatred. It is claimed by the prosecution that she and her husband quarreled violently over their second son, John Hossack, Jr., because the father was unwilling to overlook his son's shortcomings.

An effort was made at the coroner's inquest to bring out that Mrs. Hossack had threatened her husband's life and had intimated to William Haines that she would like to get her husband out of the way. Haines only partially corroborated this story.

Hossack owned 300 acres of fine land and was considered well-off. It is claimed now, however, that the farm was in his wife's name and that possession of it could have furnished no incentive to the crime. Deceased, however, carried $2,000 in life insurance, made payable to his wife.