The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-01
BOILER ACQUITTED
Only Three Ballots to Give a Yer
dict of Acquittal.
now The VERDICT WAS RECEIVED.
George Boiler. after Three Trials and an
imprisonment of Nearly Three,
~ Years, Free-The History
of the Case.
THE VERDICT.

THE VERDICT.
George Boiler was Saturday acquit
ted of the murder Of Mic liau, and
discharged from custody. AT half past
five O'Clock the jury came into court
and handed their verdict to the sheriff
who passed it to the Judge. Not a
sound was heard in the room, where
the crowd had remained after the jury
had retired, and every one looked AT
his Honor with strained eyes and ears,
listening for the reading. The Judge
said: "We, the jury, find the defend
ant (the quiet becomes intenseI not
yuiltyw When these words were pro-
nounced, about two dozen persons in
the audience rose to their feet and
with one accord set up shout which
echoed and and re-echoed through the
building. 1t took the sheriff thirty
seconds or more to partially restore Or
der, and quiet was only obtained again
when Judge Stipp shouted; stop
where you are, or I will send half a
dozen OF you to jail"
Boiler kissed his wife and child and
then laughed and cried in turns.
with his child on one side and his
wife on the other, he then went up to
the Jury and thanked each one. First,
however, he shook hands with Mr..
Eckels and thanked him for what he
had done Mr.. Hit was not present
at the time; nor was the States Attor-
ney.
The jury got the case shortly after 4
o'clock, and on the first ballot stood
nine to three for acquittal. Another
ballot decided the case.
When court convened in the morn
ing at $50, Mr.. Ecklcs concluded his
argument. In all he spoke five hours.
Mr. Blake spoke from l:l5 until about
3 o'clock. The Instructions were quite
long. One instruction in particular
had considerable effect with the jury.
IL was, in substance, as follows: III
the Jury believe from the evidence that
Hau assaulted Boiler with hammer
in Boilers own house and drove him
into the kitchen; and if Boiler closed
the kitchen door, and Hau followed
him into the kitchen and assaulted
said Boiler with hammer, then, un-
der the law Of the state there was a
probable cause for the shooting"
Boiler was seen by the reporter and
he is a free man again. Well,' he
said, Il hardly know. | will remain
in OTTAWA until Monday, and then
will go to La Sale, as | think can
get work at Matthcssen & Ilegclcr's
in that city. | am grcatful to my at
torneys, to the Court, the jury and all
my friends for all they have done for
me-
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
On the 18th day Of July 1887, George
Boiler and Nicholas Ilau quarreled at
the home Of the former in StreatOr,
and Hau was shot and killed by Boil
ger. He was at once placed under ar
rest, and within few days was bro't
TO Ottawa and placed in jail. He was
indicted for murder at the September
session of the grand jury, and. fortu-
natcly for him, Messrs. j. ii. Eckels
and II. G. Hit were, by Judge Dibell,
appointed to defend him. lie was first |
tried at the October term, and the Jul |
ry, after being out three hours, re-
turned verdict finding the defendant |
guilty and sentencing him to be hang |
ed. In December Of the same year |
Judge Blanchard granted new trial !
Lit SNOolii VI idi b'oh pltiN' III I'bl
~, 1888, when the jury, after being out |
all night, returned a verdict Of guilty, |
with sentence Of imprisonment for
life. AT the September session of the
Supreme Court, 1888, this judgment |
was reversed on the ground that Judge |
Blanchard had refused proper instruc-
tons and excluded proper testimony.
The prisoner was returned from the
penitentiary, and the case set for trial
at the October term, 1880, but was, on
motion Of the state, continued until |
the present time. Boiler in the mean
time has served nineteen months in |
the pcnitcntiary and thirteen months
and one week in Jail,
His attorneys nave worked hard for
the client thus thrust upon them, and
having now cleared him have won
victory they may well be proud of, and
the public generally are congratulate
ing them. Mr.. Eckcls, when seen last
evening, said; 81 have worked dill
gently to saw Boiler, and | am well
satisfied, At the very beginning the !
chances for success were very slim and |
since the first trial We have had re-
verses that ought to have discouraged /
us. but now we have won | can rest |
satisfied"