The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-07-03

Clrcuit (ourt.


/. -..rr Clrcuis Cours. ,s,at7.. .st,'ets /
The case Of the people u. Clinton and Eugene
Dewey for burglariy, which was on hearing
when we closed our last notice, was concluded
on Saturday last by verdict Of acquital. At
the time the verdict wal iannounSed there Was
some claPpins Of hands and other unmistalabls
symptoms a ~ past Of ! larss sudis spsase u ap-
probation and spproval Of the verdict Of the jury
which were immediately suppressed BY tie
Court, the Jacksoavills precedent being thssaht
by the Court to be '.nore honored in the breach
than the Observance" ''--' - '''
: The defendants were indicted for having bur.
glsriously entered into the house Of Mr.. n. A..
Mckee, Of Mendoza, and stolen thsrefton a re-
volver OF the yalue Of fifteen dollars or upwards.
They were indicssd in company with one Hiram
Childs Who did not appear, and whom the sheriff
had been unable 10 find. There is little doubt,
from the testimony, that Childs and the two
Deweys were present in the neighborhood Of the
house Of Mr.. Mckee at the time the burglary
was committed. There is no doubt that Childs
was party to the burglary, If he did not com.
nit it individually while the Deweys were stand
ing somewhere in the immediate neighborhood
of the house.
Leroy Dewey; the father Of the two defendants,
it appearedS some time after this, hnilt .
mill at MENDOZA, and 50 doing exhausted all his
means, and ultimately sold all his right, title
and interest, to one Jonas Eckart. In the fall of
1868 this min was burnt down. The burning
was thought to be the work Of an inosndia.y,
and Rckart employed somc persons in Mendota
to ferret ont these, incendiaries. In 60 doing il
was thought they had clue to the Mckee bur
sAsy, and that the sous Of Leroy Dewey we're
guilty of both acts As consequence, indict-
ments we're fled against Clinton and Eugene
Dewey and Hiram Childs for the burglary, and
against Clinton, Eugene and Leroy Dewey for
arson. On the trial OF the two ,Deweys for bur.
glary and grand larceny they have been acquitted,
as previously stated The jury scanned 10 think
that, if they were at ali guilty Of the burglary
and larceny, they were merely the cat's-paw Of
Hiram Childs, and that, in all probability, Hiram
Childs alone committed the act. ,,. ,..sp.
The prosecution was conducted by Charles
Blanchard, States Attorney, in an excellent
manner, but the severe cross-examination Of the
witnesses for the prosecution by George W
S6pp. and the powerful argument afterward.
made by him on behalf of the defendant, wor
the day.
In addition to the manifest feeling of the audi
enoe, when the verdict was announced, it maJ
be mentioned that when the jury were discharg
ed they all came up and shook hands with and
congratulated Mr.. Stipp on the ability with
which he had conducted the defence.
Saturday, June 26th, Michael Mcdonald was
indicted for stealing quantity Of meat of the
value Of $l5 and upwards, from smoke house
A plea Of guilty was entered and evidence Of
good character produced which, with che eviden,
contrition Of the prisoner, induced the Court tc
pass upon him as light sentence as possible
consistent with due regard for the administers
ton Of justice-1 years imprisonment in the
penitentary. lnuFsE Hc0
Matthew Gardner, boy u years Of age, was
indicted for assault with intent to commit rape
A plea Of guilty was entered, but Mr.. Boyle, Of
counsel, in mitigation of punishment, adduced
evidence to show that the prisoner was of good
family, had always borne good character, wa.
at the time intoxicated, and that what he had
done, though legally called assault with intent K
commit a rape, yet was really without such in
tent, and did not result in the commission of The
crime. i-,e .t,ts tY...s.. ,sa asta as 3. d. fsssg
The Court, after administering to the prisone,
very severe lecture on the enormity of hi.
offence, in consideration Of the extenuating cir.
cumstance proven, and in view Of the beastl,
condition Of the county Jail, sentenced the pris
oner to @ months imprisonment.
Monday, June 29th, the day was taken up b,
the hearing Of motions aud other formal matter
Tuesday, June 22th and Both, and July LIST
the case Of the people vs. William J. Martin
indicted for uttering counterfeit money at Tis
kilwa, in November Last, was next taken up ani
occupied 8 days. The Indictment charges th,
prisoner with uttering and passing counterfeit
s5 greenback, knowing 1t to be counterfeit.
Quite number of bills of the same kind, and
some 80 greenbacks were traced and found te
have been originally from him. On the part o
the defence it was claimed that the prisoner had
no guilty knowledge, that he had received tht
money the day before that on which he had paid
II, from one Samuel Potts, Of Peoria, in paymen,
Of $5O, money loaned, Potts testifying that b.
had received $65 from mover in horse trade
that out of that he, without knowing 1t to b
bogus, repaid the $50 to Martin; that he paid