The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-03-03
George McMillen Found Guilty
of Murder,
And VIII Expiate His Crime on The
Gallows.
The Jury Out Five Hours and Three. .0HAr'
ters and Agree Upon Verdict,
Which the Prisoner Re.
CelVes unmoVed.

Inc hDSOTOluR BQOJoCb Oh lnGcEo5b III
this term of Common Pleas Court has
been the murder trial Of George Nc
Millen, former coal miner who resided
with his wife and family in a miserable
little frame house at the foot OF Cherry
street, where he eked out an existence
in a manner that was unknown TO most
people, thus verifying the adAge that
"One-half of the world does not know
how the other half lives" The details
of the trial have been reproduced in
these columns, 80 that the crime Is fresh
in the minds Of our people, and a brief
TecapitulatiOn Is all that Is necessary.
The couple did not live on very good
terms, many and frequent being the
quarTels between them, she being q wo-
man of loose character, and he addicted
TO drink and unfaithfulness also, and as
the testimony shows their house was the
rendezvous of outside parties who spent
their nights there in Illicit pleasures.
On more than one occasion the prisoner
threatened his wtfe's life, and finally on
the night of June 10Th, in the early
morning, pistol shot rang out sharply
in the still night air, soon followed by
a second, and the prisoner ran out Of the
house exclaiming that he was shot.
Officers arrived promptly and found the
woman lying on the bed quite dead
with
CHASTITY BULLET HOLE
in the head from which blood and brains
were issuing, and the prisoner with q
flesh wound in the breast. over which
the powder had burned hole In his
shirt He was promptly arrested and
conveyed, in company with his father,
who was in the house that night, to the
county jail.
In preliminary hearing before act
ing Mayor WOrley he plead not guilty
and was remanded. At the next session
of the grand jury he was indicted for
murder in the first degree, put the trial
was put off one term In order 70 give
the defense sufficient time to make up
their case. At this term the trial began,
and hundred and fitty-nine witnesses
in all, for both State and defense were
summoned. After great difficulty jury
of twelve was secured and the trial
went on. No effort was spared by his
attorneys. Messrs. Baldwin and Shields,
to free their client, and the mastery way
in which they conducted the defense
merits special praise, but the over
whelming mass Of crushing testimony,
as brought forward by the State repre-
sented by Prosecutor Henry A. Harter
and j. j. Parker, ESQ.,, was too much for
any successful refutation, and on the
last few days Of the trial IL was patent
10 all observers that the verdict could
only be that Of murder in the first de-
}rroe, and even the prisoner felt 80, for
ll5 face was pinched aud pale, and as
the Judge remarked to the reporter to-
day, "he has looked like dead man for
the past week and knew he was lost"
The Spacious court room was filled daily
by hundreds Of people OF both sexes, and
the interest was painfully apparent on
their faces. Finally the testimony was
all In, and the arguments BY counsel
followed in natural sequence, and very
credi.ably did the legal gentlemen on
both sides aeQuit themselves. Then fol-
lowed the Judges charge, which We had
hoped to present to our readers in full
to-day, but the official court reporter
did not have IL ready until noon, after
which it was submitted to Judge PeaSe
for revision. thus making 1t too late for
tO-day's press. The jury retired to their
room at 1890 p. m. on Friday, and q
human life was entrusted to their de-
cree. Court then adjourned until two
p. IN. Fifteen minutes before that hour
the great bell Of the Court House doomed
forth its solemn notes,-found out after
ward to be for the assembling OF Court,
but the people thought the jury had
agreed, and such q rush to the Court
House was never seen before. The
streets were black with people, old and
young, male and female, ali running as
fast as possible to get in, jamming on
the stair cases, falling and trampling
over each other, and in five minutes the
large room was filled to its utmost
capacity, only to find that the toesin
was sounded for opening the afternoon
SESSION Of court. Some left, but a large
number remained. About 3 O'Clock din
ner was served to the jurymen in the
north jury room, after which they re.
nH m haf - kaa.
deliberations. CHANGING at their faces |
as they filed by, no one could read the |
dread termination Of their secret session. |
Six o'clock arrived and most Of the |
spectators retired for supper, leaving . |
few to keep company with the Judge, |
attorneys and court officers. At 6:l5 the |
jury, having formally announced that |
they had agreed, filed slowly into the |
sOmbre Court room, already partially |
shr0uded in gloom by the gathering |
twilight, and in response as to whether |
they had agreed, the foreman, W. H. |
Shipe, responded In the affirmative and |
said that they had found the defendant
guilty of
MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
The prisoner, who had been brought |
into court by the Sheriff, eVinced no |
particular emotion, and took the verdict |
calmly, being, seemingly, less affected i
than some OF the spectators. He was at /
once taken back to his cell. His counsel |
made a motion for a new trial, which /
will be heard next week, as court Rd-
jOnrns either the Sth or 9th to enable
the Judge to attend District Court In
county. The statute pre-
scribes 100 days between sentence and i
has yet remaining a little over three
mOuth9 Of life