The evening world., 1891-06-20
SURPRISE At THE VERDICT.
Twelve Men Voted Ella Nelson
Guiltless in Killing Post.
The Foreman and Another Juror
on Their Reasons.

Tho verdict OF the jury acquitting Mrs. Ella
Nelson OF the murder Of Sam" " L. N. Post,
the insurance broker, was a surprise TO the
whole city.
II was so unexpected that Recorder smyth
seemed nonplussed for the moment, and he
excused the jurors until to-day, forgetting
for the moment that 1t was half-holiday.
The jury will not be discharged till Monday.
The 1urymen are David Keller, foreman, a
jeweller at "a John street; Patrick s. Russell,
713 washington street Wesley M. Burke,
Charles II. Meade Louis c. Hazel, Isaac
Tobias, George Webster, william Leppe,
Joseph Dunlap, Bbenezer s. Coates, william
Neuburger and Ferdinand Morrison.
Coming close on the heels OF the acQuittal
OF Pasquelina Robertiello OF the killing OF her
lover, who had Spurncd her. 1t makes pertinent
the half gasped query OF Prosecutor Wellman:
" Is 1t become an impossibility to convCit
woman OF murder In New York;
The last woman convicted OF murder In
New York was Chiara Cignarale, and even her
life was spared, Gov. Hill committing her SEN
tence to imprisonment for life.
Chiara Cignarale, a feeble and ignorant
woman, shot and killed her british husband,
and Justification was the defense offered, with
temporary alteration.
Pretty Pasqualina RobertiellO, an innocent
Italian child who loved not wisely but too
well, shot and killed her perfldious lover, who
was about to desert her In the direst eX-
tremity which can reach n maiden. The de-
tense was again justification and alteration.
Mrs. Ella Nelson, a Sclf-Confessed woman OF
the town, shot and killed the man who had
deserted his own wife and babes to become
her paramour, but had announced that he
was about to forsake her.
The jury went out at $50 last evening. AT
7 O'Clock they dined at a neighboring hostelry,
returning at & o'clock. At $50, Foreman
David Keller announced that the twelve citi-
zens, ten OF them middle aged married men,
one bachelor and one widower, had agreed
that Mrs. Ella Nelson was innocent OF the
crime charged.
The whole audience was surprised into an
unnatural silence. The stern old Recorder
ga2ed in amazement at the Jurymen. Mrs.
Nelson broke down and wept like a child.
Bill Howe, her famous defender, was non.
plussed, for nothing better than disagree
ment had been hoped for by Mrs. Nelson's
friends.
The jury dispersed in silence They had
compacted to keep their secret deliberations
TO themselves. They refused TO talk.
An EVENING WORLD reporter called upon
Foreman David Keller to-day. Mr.. Keller Is
OF the flrm OF Keller, Ettinger & Fink, dealers
in watches and diamonds at "a John street.
He is q prematurely gray-hatred man, with
a serious, earnest manner, and was engaged
in weighing diamonds In the delicate scales
made for such work.
~ wonder which is the pleasanter occupa-
| tion-weighing diamonds or weighing and
Vic value vi lllt
1t was tho reporters pleasantly, but II
| brought no smile to the face OF Juror Keller
Tho lines Of seriousness rather deepened.
MIR. Keller refused to discuss the work Of
| the jury.
1.-Two reasons have been given why Ella
Nelson should have been acquitted" sug'
gested the reporter
"One is that as she was the only witness
who told how the shooting of sam Post oc.
CURED, there was room for reasonable doubt
as TO whether she acted In self-defense OF
committed cool and delierate murder"
"Did you read the evidence7 No man
knows how that shooting occurred" ejac-
ulated Mr.. Keller, tnvoluntarily.
Without apparent notice OF this free ex.
posure OF the action OF Mr.. Kellars own mind
the reporter continued:
49, THE other reason is justification and TEN.
porary irrespOnsibility."
"Oh, not at all. There could be no justin.
cation" returned the foreman.
Mr.. Keller refused TO say how many ballots
were taken, but admitted that there was q
disagreement among the jurors at first.
Mrs. Nelson could not be found this morn.
| Ing. She Is stopping somewhere In Brooklyn
with friends, but her address was unknown
to her lawyers, Howe Hummel.
| She drove away after the verdict last night
| simply telling her attorneys she would call
and see them next week.
Juror Patrick z. Russell is a butcher at 7l2
Washington street. He says that he con
CURED In the verdict because there was nc
| directly conclusive proof that Mrs. Nelson
had shot Post.
"The witness MichaelS," he says, iran
away and did not see the shooting. There
was scufie OF some kind, in which Post was
| shot, and we gave the defendant the benefit
| OF the doubt.
POSTS dying statement was not regarded as
having much weight, because he did not tel
| the truth when he gave a name that was not
| his own. We believe the womans statement
| IN preference to his.
"lhen the evidence showed that the pisto
was found in Posts hand. No one saw Mrs
Nelson have pistol.
:" think that The verdict given was In &c
| cordance with the evidence. | know / was
guided entirely by the evidence and not by
| any sympathy for the accused"