St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-03
TWAS MANSLAUGHTER
Says the Jury in the Case of the State
Against Sam McFar-
land.
A Stay of Proceedings Granted for
Thirty Days--How the Pris-
oner Takes 1t.
He Speaks Coolly and Again Pro-
tests That He is an limo
cent Man.

Inc jury in the Mcfarland murder case
rendered verdict at $50 o'clock Yesterday
afternoon after being out twenty and one
half hours. These twelve men who held
the life of Mcfarland in their hands found
MIN not guilty of murder as charged, but
pronounced him guilty of manslaughter in
the second degree, the verdict being an
.nounced by George +. MonfOrt, foreman.
Judge SimonS granted stay of proceedings
Tor thirty days at the end of which time
Mcfarland will receive his sentence. The
penalty for this degree of manslaughter is
from one to seven years in the penitentiary.
1t was ascertained that the reason the Jury
took so much time to come to an agreement
was that two jurors were for acquittal and
persisted IN their behalf for some time, but
finally compromised the matter on the
verdict rendered. The verdict occasioned
little surprise to anybody who has paid at
tention to the evidence given in the case.
MFARLAND INTERVIEWED.
Mcfarland was seen in his cell at the
Jail last evening by GLOBE reporter and
talked very freely concerning his case
when asked how he felt over the result OF
the trial. He said that he had been perse-
cuted by some OF the people here. sit
looks to me-" said he, although the hon
orable police thought they were prosecu-
ting guilty man or they would not have
used me as they have done. They made a
great mistake in holding me guilty and try
ing to scrape up evidence to convict me of
crime of which L am as inno-
cent as you are. A part of the testimony
against me came from people whom
lots OF folks here in ST. Paul would not
believe under oath. 1t occurs to me that
have been convicted of manslaughter in the
second degree for taking a few drinks of
whisky, visiting howell of ilI-fame and be-
ing robbed. 1t looks hard for man to set
on the stand and tell as near the truth as
his memory will let him and not be believed.
If uttered word which was not true,
| then | never told the truth in my life. I
have always been Woodworking boy and
law-abiding citizen. don't believe that of
| all my employers, one would say a
word against me or believe me guilty
OF numbering man for twenty-dollar
note. L told my counsel that he could obtain
all the dispositions he wanted concerning
my good character. for am well acquainted
with Gen. Logan. who got my appointment
as messenger in the treasury department, and
with Congressman Houk OF Tennessee,
where 1 was born, and with other promi-
nent men, among them Mr.. Speck of st.
Louis, who was once my employer. But,
OF course no dispositions were needed, as
nobody can say anything against my pri-
! Vate character. l worked in the treasury
! department at Washington from January,
1885 until June % of that year, when re-
signed and went to Winnipeg and was ems
ployed as porter on the Canadian Pacific,
because times were good there and there
was much more money in railroading than
in the treasury department.
| EXPECTED ACQUITTAL.
did not expect anything else from the
trial than acQuittal. l thought the police
would find the guilty party in preference TO
cOnvicting ME, but they just sat down in
the police station and never made any at
sempt to find the guilty one, They advised
me to plead guilty of a crime that did not
know was committed until 1 got to the
police station. l did not find fault with
the jury, for there was considerable evil
dence against me. Considering that Fraker
said he saw me have a razor, and that
man got killed there was possible cause to
believe him. l think that poor man was
dying when l went through that door.
When asked if he intended to abide by
the result of the trial. Mcfarland declined
to answer, and referred the reporter to his
counsel. He said Mr. Lawler had been a
good friend to him, better than many he
had befriended, III fact the lawyer had been
the best friend he had during the trouble,
except his brother. His colored friends
here had stood by him well, although none
of them were under any obligation to him.
Mcfarland said his parents were both dead,
but he had one brother in Washington who
had worked in the treasury department
since 1880 as Waterman, then passed the
civil service examination and became clerk
in the interior department. He was Re-
publican and had been discharged since the
present administration begun. He was now
keeping a restaurant in Washington. Nc
Farland talked over all the circumstances
of the night of the murder with great free
dom, but firmly maintained his innocence.