Wichita eagle., 1889-09-15
UNITED. STATES COURT.
Lane Found Guilty of 4 Felony-The Townsler
and Winters Murder Case on Trial.

charge and defined the word rape to tn
jury He then read statute from til
United States laws which fixed Denalt.
for the crime with which Lane is charged
He then went over the case and the testi
mony in thorough manner and then TOLD
the jury to give the defendant the benef
OF every reasonable doubt. The jury theI
retired in charge of bailiff.
After an absence of a few minutes tht
jury returned to the court room and sale
they had found verdict 1t was handed
to the clerk and was as follows:
We, the jury in the above entitled cause
duly empaneled and sworn, upon our oaths
fnd the defendant guilty of carnal and I'M
lawful knowledge of Francis NJ. Skeed, a
female under the age of sixteen years.
w. ACKERMAN, Foreman.
Judge Foster discharged the jury and
turning to Lane asked him if he had any
thing to say before sentence was passed
upon him. Lane started 10 make speech
but his attorneys stopped him and at the
same time they arrested sentence until
they could make motion for new trial.
Judge Foster gave them until Monday to
make out their papers.
The Townsley and Winters murder case
was then called. The prisoners were
brought into court and ranged at the bar.
Townsley is a man between fifty and fifty
| five years of age and presented we'll
dressed appearance. He has medium
sized grey beard and grey hair. Winters is
about ten years younger and has also a
well-dressed appearance. He, however, is
somewhat different in looks from his part
ner inasmuch as he has dark beard and
raven hair. To cover his eyes he wears a
pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. Sitting
together they presented more the air and
look of attorneys than men who were on
trial for their lives.
The jury was called and after about
twenty had been excused panel was Sc
cured which consisted of the following:
A. 4. Downing, G.. w. Friend, James
Finch, Thomas Weir, Philip McGough,
w. r. Snyder, o. c.. Lugmire, J. W. Rich
ardson, William Rodman, Z. c. Helvie, Z.
G. Jeffries A. \. Deming.
District Attorney Perry then arose and
stated the charge against the defendants
He said the crime had been committed in
the country of Oklahoma, and that on the
9th day of August last the murdered man,
George Stevens, went into the store of
the defendants, Townsley and Winters, in
the tawn of Guthrie, Ok. He was in his
shirt sleeves and was unarmed, and that
but short time after his entrance he lay
on the floor of the store dead, shot through
and through. 1t also appears that a short
time before the crime was committed the
defendant, Townsley, had occupied with
out permission building owned by Stew
ems. during the latter's absence from the
city. On Stevens return he found the
building occupied by these men and he en-
tered it and removed some goods that were
in it. During the same day he met the
man Townsley and his brother at the
building and engaged in an alterca-
ton with them. He struck one
of them with his fist when one of the
Townsleys drew knife presumably for
the purpose of attacking Stevens. The
latter then drew a revolver and the Towns
leys withdrew with the threat that they
would ''tiX'' Stevens before night. The
latter did not think any more about the
threat "and," said Mr.. Perry, 1.-THE evil
dence will show that Stevens gave the re-
volver to some one else during the day."
On the day the shot was fired by which
Stevens was killed the latter went to the
store of the defendants to get a book
something in the nature of an account
book-and that while in the store he was
attacked by Townsley with Ratchet and
that Stevens caught the Ratchet in his left
hand and while he was trying to get it
away from Townsley, Winters fired two
shots at him. at a distance of but a few
feet, one of them entering the left side in
the region of the heart and coming out on
the right side Stevens sank to the ground
and in a few minutes breathed his last.
Mr.. Dale, one of the attorneys for the
defense, then arose and stated
what the witnesses for the de-
Tense would testify to and wound up by
saying that he thought that when the jury
had heard the testimony which would be
given by the witnesses they would find
that the defendants were guilty of no
crime.
District Attorney Perry had charge of |
the prosecution and was assisted by ". |
Z. Hackney and l. p. Campbell, while the |
defendants were represented by Frank |
Dale and George d. Orner.
Frank 2. Cease, residing in Guthrie, was |
the first witness called. Knew Stevens for |
four years. Met him at Greensburg, Kan /
Knows the defendants. Both Stevens and |
the defendants have been living in Guth- |
RE since the country opened. Described /
Oh a plat where the buildings in question !
are located. Described the internal ar
rangement of Townsley s. Winters store |
room. He knew nothing about the cir |
cumstances attending the murder.
Mrs. Crosby was sworn. Resides at |
Guthrie Was in Guthrie on the 9th day |
Of August Described the location of |
Townsley s. Winters store with reference
to her own building. There was window
IN the south end of my building, from
which | could see the front of Townsley Is |
store About noon on August
J, was in the store of
rownsley and Winters Went in to
ouy some potatoes about 12,o'clock. l was
n the store about seven minutes before
heard the pistol shots. Mr.. Winters vast
ront of the store. There were some men
n the back of the store and they were talk
ng very loudly. Didn't recognize the
-oices. Winters spoke very sarcastically
o Stevens who had just entered the store.
Winters was standing between two count
RS and Stevens was standing near him
Iud facing north Mr.. Keller was also
landing near Winters passed to south
ide of the store TO some shelving and then
anne directly back. l heard Mr.. Winters
ay: I'll break all of you fiat before long
,Ir. Stevens said: You viii, eh, She then
vent out of the store. They continued 10
uarrel. Mr.. Winters called Mr.. Stevens
beggar Stevens made q response which
witness did not distinctly understand.