Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-29
SENSATIONAL SCENES.
Elliott Throws His G.. A. R. Button at
the Members of the Jury.
TWAS MURDER IN SECOND DEGREE
His Wife's Sister Faints When the Clerk
Reads the Verdict.
A MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL TO BE MADE

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.l
COLUMBUS, O., July 2S.-W. j. Elliott,
late editor of the Sunday Capital, was to-day
found guilty of murder in the second de.
gree, the penalty for which is life imprison,
ment. He was convicted of shooting A. c.
Osborn, a newspaper man and former en-
ploye of Elliott, ON February % last. He
also shot and killed w. L. Hughes, an in
nocent bystander, at the same time, besides
wOunding dozen or more people, three of
whom will be cripples for life.
The Indictment for the murder of Hughes
still stands against Elliott The verdict
was rendered at 1880 o'clock this morning in
the presence of &, 900 people. The local in
terest and feeling has been very great.
The scene when the verdict was read was
sensational. Judge Pugh entered at 1920,
and was closely followed by the jury.
Judge Pugh inquired if the jury had
agreed on a verdict, which brought out the
response from Foreman Pegg: "We have. p"
THE VERDICT HANDED UP.
Judge Pugh then asked that the verdict
be handed up, which was done. The Judge
held the verdict in his left hand and drew
the entry in the criminal docket. AS he
handed the verdict to Clerk Mitchell to be
read, the Judge admonished the audience
not to indulge in any demonstrations. The
suspense of the crowd was intense while
Clerk Mitchell read the preliminary lines
of the verdict. When that point was
reached where the verdict read: "We, the
jury, etc, find the defendant, w. J. Elliott, :"
Miss Nellie Maroney, his wife's sister,
screamed and fell back in her brothers
arms in faint, evidently expecting the
next words would be guilty of murder in
the first degree
Clerk Mitchell paused for a few seconds
and then went on to read: 'sNot guilty Of
murder in the first degree, but do find him
guilty of murder in the second degree"
The defendant sat in the posture of prayer
before table. The children of Elliott cried
bitterly, but his wife restrained her feel
ings.
ELLIOTT GETS IN A RAGE.
1t is evident that the defendant expected
a verdict of less degree as he grew to rage
and as an expression of his feelings jerked
his G. A. r. button from his coat lapel and
threw it at the Grand Army members of the
jury as an indication of what he thought of
them, being members of the same Grand
Army post.
A motion for new trial is to be argued
on Saturday. Elliott refused to make any
statement for publication. He curses news
paper representatives, and says he has no
further use for them. Elliott was promi-
nent in Irish-American councils, was a
Fenian prisoner in Ireland, but was re-
leased on representations by the Minister
from this country, that he was citizen of
the United States. He has held prominent
official positions in the State, and accom-
plished what he did by his streng person.
ality, which he threw into his paper in
way. His newspaper property,
which was valued at S40,0 900 when he COM
mitted the crime, has recently been sold for
$3.50 at Sherif's sale
Osborn, the victim of the tragedy, secured
his methods from Elliott when he was on
the latter's paper, and when he entered the
service of rival Sunday sheet he was able
to fight the defendant ON the line of his own
tactics. 1t was the personal exchanges of
this character which led to the tragedy in
the streets.