Daily Republican., 1883-11-26
MURDER IN FIRST DEGREE
porn rN1 AAses ceHvIOTED-
TINE Oou n TUE E1DoT, TEE
RATuAB N TWR 4ND D10DEE.


lpOTn TINE lAoe0 CoNvIOTED-
TINE 0ou N TUE YIo0T, TEE
RATUAD N T1E 4ND D90BEE.
Tho doors leading TO the Court room
were opened shortly before o'clocl
saturday aisarnoon, when large crowt
Of men and boys poured In psll-mell
and in . minute or 70 svsIy ssst va
occupied. About 2 O'Clock 8 represen
tanve Of TIE KEPUBLlCAF visitsd th'
LETS In thsis osll In tho basement
Both men sssmed cast down and dis
pirited with the charge Of the Chic
Justice, but hopeful for tho best.
Their wives Weeo seaked outside o
the cell door, and expressed their intsn
ton Ofn0t going into the Court room
again until Aftsf the fury came In and
rendered theiY verdict. The Lists seem
ei anxious 70 know tho worSt, and said
the suspsnse Was terrible. At that time
they both LOOKED Tor . verdict Of nothing
beyond mAnslsughter, and possibly mol
that. They expressed the greatest con.
6dence in their attorneys, and said they
had done everything In their power fol
that should have been presented tO the
fury, ON which they were unable TO OBJ
tain any evidence, and thought some
Of the States testimony wAs highly
cOl0red.
The Chief Justtcs and his associates
came in the Court room and took their
seats shortly before o'clock, and after
waiting . few minutes announced
their readiness to hear any buisess that
might be brought before them. On Ap
plication Of John Biggs, Esq. William
Nc drau and James 7. Smith were dis
charged from custody.
William g. Whiteley, Esq, counsel
for Richard 8pittal, who has been In
jail since last September on the charge
Of killing . Norwegian named Christie.
pherson on . dredger near New Castle
about three months ago, said that he
was ready to proceed. with hts tr sl.
Attorney. General Gray explained that
he had exhausted oil means In his
power ~ obhain the attendance Of the
witnesses, oil Of whom are In Pennsyl-
vanis and beyond the reach Of process.
No, having the Witnesses, 1t was i'm.
possible for him to try the case this
erm Mr.. Whiteley then read the law,
which provides that where prisoner
on capital charge IL not, by
any fault OF the State, tried before two
terms Of Court hsve passed after the
commission OF the act, be shall be dis
charged, and moved that Richard
spit'all BE- discharged from custody,
which WAS Immediately granted by the
Court.
A colored man named Charles Jones
was placed on trial, charged with COM
mitting An assault and battery on
another cOlorod man named Thomas
Evans. The affair occurred last May,
at Middletown, and WAS caused by .
difficulty about the prosecutors boy.
The State was represented by Thomas
Davis, Esq, and the prisoner conduct
I'd his own defence. Several Witnesses
were examined, who o0nvulsSd the
spectators with laughter, ~ they graph
ically depicted tho fracss, which, after
all, was only IN exceedingly small tenn
pest in . tes-pot. Before sll the wit
nesses had given In their testimony,
Mr.. Davis sAnounoed that the State
abandoned tho case, and the jury, under
the Instructions Of the Court, rendered
verdict of mot guilty. Jones came out
of the dock, and hurried from the room,
with his iaoe wreathed In smiles,
probably the best pleased man In the
loom.
While his trial was In progress
Slim Jim" WAS brought In and took .
+at In front Of the prisoners' dock. He
Las all the airs and mSnnorAI
Of gentleman, and no ono,
who did not know him, would have
thought for one moment that he has
such an lneuviable reputation, that
he was now before tho Court TO ans wer
the charge Of beng thief He was
neatly dressed In dark clothes, with sI
choker collar and black neck.tis. His
companion, John A. Logan, was with
hi'n to answer the same charge, and like
Jim presented very gentlemsnly ap-
pearance. When the names Of the w.t.
nesses In tho casa were called 1t was
found that Chief Hawkins, who IL one Of
the principal witnesses, had gone to |
Philadelphia In the morning, and
had not returned, and the trial was
postponed.
The Chief csme In . few minutes
aler and the Chief Justice told Jim
the nature of the charge against him,
and asked him II he was ready for trial,
when he answered In the negative, and
said that be wanted to have somo wit
nesses. Logan was represented by Ig.
natius Grubb, Esq, who also claimed /
that he was not ready for the same rea.
ION, and both prisoners we're removed
In custody OF the Sheriff.
In the meantime tho hour Of four had
been struck by the clock in the tower,
and the large audience seemed to grow
inpatient at the continued absence Of
the jury In the List case, and many
ong, anxious glances were cast at the
door through which they would enter.
rive, then ten, and 10 minutes drag.
geo their slow lengths along, each Of
which seemed to be heightened into
'wice and thrice sixty seconds, and
YET not word or sign had been re-
ceived from that jury room to indicate
what was taking place within its mys-
t'lous recessss, where the twelve men
70 whom was intrusted the fate of the
Prisoners, had been closely closeted
since O'Clock.
"loi AoWyOIo 0uu OUu0IU W0r0 |
seated in the chairs in the jury box,
When at precisely twenty minutes past
.Sur o'clock Crier Smith stepped into
We room and beckoned with his finger
70, them to vacate the seats, and the
Whisper went around "the Jury Is
coming in." The reporters gathered
snelr papers and resumed their seats,
while the spectators orAned their necks,
Shlle the twelve men fled In and took
.aeir seats. A glance into their grave,
~ faces indicated that the result of
saelr deliberations was anything else
Vat favorable to the prisoners, who were
S,ought In . few minutes later and
placed In the dock.
Clerk Cochran then called the names
the jurors, and 20 each answered 1t
S 10 q tone that told all who heard
aem that they had, performed . sad
70 solemn dhty, 10 acooordAnee with
s,hs ~ law' she eyidsaes and thair binding
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