Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-07-30
SPARED HIS NECK.
The Verdict in the Elliott Murder
Case at Columbus, O.
The Jary Finds Him Guilty of MUIR
der in the Second Degree, Which
Means Life Imprisonment.
END OF A SENSATIONAL CASE.

his brother, p j. Elliott, killed Albert
c. Osborn, a reporter of the Sunday
World, and w. Hughes, a bystander,
besides wounding a number of
people, during shooting af-
fray on High street, in this
city, on the afternoon of February %,
last, has been convicted of murder in
the second degree. The trial has been
in progress since May IL. The crime was
the direct result of personal journal
| ism. The verdict is no surprise, as the
! long siege of the twelve men in their
room had given out the impression that
there was some doubt as to the grade
of the crime.
There was a great crowd in and
around the courtroom in anticipation
of the verdict AS soon as the people
saw the jury appear the crowd in the
hall made break for the criminal court
room door. While all this was going on
the great crowd was as still as death,
only an occasional "Sh-hr' admonish-
| ing some of the crowd to keep still
being heard in the room. Before
| the verdict was announced Judge
Pugh cautioned the audience not
| to make any demonstration. He
said to them that they must
make no sign or noise what
ever. But when the verdict was read
they forgot the admonition of thec ourt
so far as making noise was concerned,
! for there was a perfect roar of con-
versation and the court crier raped
for order till he could follow the judges
order and adjourn the court till next
Saturday.
When the clerk began to read the
verdict there was highly sensational
scene. When Mr.. Mitchell read the
indictment for murder in the first
degree Mrs. p. j. Elliott thought
that meant guilty Of murder in
the first degree, and partially
raised up and made sup
pressed scream. She then fell
back into her chair AS the clerk
reached the words guilty of murder
in the second degree" Miss Marony
arose, gave vent to wailing cry and
and then fell back in a fainting fit.
Mrs. w. J. Elliott was very pale,
but made no demonstration. At
torney Ernhart caught Miss Ma
rony as she fell back, then
started for some water in the back
room. w. j. Elliott had his youngest
boy in his lap, and when the verdict
was being read he covered the child's
eyes and mouth so he would not
see or make an cutlery When
Miss Marony tainted the defend
ant turned to her and gave some
instructions about what to do
with her. Neither Mrs. w. j. Elliott
nor the children made any demonstra-
ton at all. Miss Marony was taken
into the judges private room, where
she soon revived and left with the re-
mainder of Elliott's relatives.
As the verdict of the jury was read
| Elliott became so enraged that he
pulled the Grand Army of the Republic
! button from the lapel of his coat and
threw it spitefully in the direction of
the jury. The emblem went bounding
from place to place and finally rested
on a raised disk under Juror Au-
berts chair Mrs. Elliott did not
! shed tear, but the excitement was
so great that she probably could not
realize at the time what the verdict
meant. The children all began to cry
when Miss Mallory tainted. The scene
was a most heartrending one and
brought tears to the eyes of Foreman
Pegg, while the other members OF the
jury bowed their heads in mournful
silence.
BY the laws of Ohio murder in the
second degree is punishable by life i'm
prisonment, the court having no alter
native in the matter. Notice of a mo-
! ton for a new trial was made and so
sentence was not passed. Court fixed
next Saturday as the time for hearing
arguments on the motion for a new
trial
| Elliott's crime was the direct result
of personal journalism Osborn, one
of the murdered men, was the pro-
prietor of the Sunday World. while
the Elliotts published the Sunday
/ Capital Both sheets were of the
! business way. The editors gave
a great deal of space in their
respective sheets to personal abuse
of each other, and this created an ex-
ceedingly bitter enmity between the
| Ellliotts and Osborn. While the streets
were crowded with spectators of the
Washington birthday parade the men
met The Elliotts claimed that Os
born began hostilities, but this was
not established, nor was it proved
that he was even armed. w, ]. Elliott
opened FIRE upon Osborn with re-
volver, whereupon the latter ran, w
J.'and Perry Elliott pursuing and firing
at him until he fell Then w J. Elliott,
standing over him, shot him again
so that he died. A bystander,
Mr. Hughes, who had been superin-
tendent of the asylum of imbeciles,
was shot in the eye and killed by a
stray bullet, and two others were
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