St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-09
Five Hours Of DelibePation
Result in a Verdict Of Ac-
quittal.
No Degree Of Crime Above
Manslaughter Is Con-
Sidered.
MaSterful Arguments for
Both Sides Made by At
toPneyS.
The Judges Charge Would
Indicate a Verdict Of
Guilty.

The result of the trial of Christ Koran
on an indictment charging him with the
murder of Moritz l.. WeIsser Aug. s
last is all acquittal. and the man was
discharged from custody. The jury re-
tired at 500 last evening and re-
turned into court shortly before
IL with a verdict of not guilty.
Koran showed no excitement at the
acquittal, but, in mingling with the
jurors as they went out of the court
room, he cOnyersed freely and showed
his appreciation of the life and liberty
vOuchSafed to him at their hands. He
said he was glad TO be freed for the sake
of his children. Asked as to how he
felt, he said he was in daZed condition,
and at once repaired to the home OF his
brother, IsadOre Koran. where he stayed
Just prior to the shooting. The verdict
meets the approval of the general pub
lie, and was III accord with the opinions
expressed by many officials and citizens,
who took the view that the prOvOcatiOn
was great enough to drive the man into
a frenzy. 1t was stated that at no time
did the jury consider higher grade of
crime than manSlaughter, and it was on
this point that some of the jurors held
back the verdict of acquittal.
At the Forenoon Session
yesterday the state sought to show that
there were no improper relations be-
tween WeiSser and Mrs. Koran. and
with this view called Jesse Peterson,
bartender: Stephen Conger, druggist;
Mrs. Emily Won Arnold and Lizzie
Polli. niece who boarded at the Koran
house. The latter witness heard the
defendant call his wife names. Mrs.
Paulina A. EggarS, of South Da-
kota, a sister 10 Mrs. Koran, said
that Koran scolded his wife. and
that they did not live happily.
She had also heard them quarrel about
Weisser. Frank Gabrill often saw
Mrs. Koran and WeisSer sitting to-
gether. Mrs. Cook was again called by
the state and said she had seen them
together often, but saw no improper
conduct. Shortly after noon both sides
rested. and Mr.. Erwin said: 81 will
submit the case to the Jury on the
judges charge" County Attorney
O'BrIen did not accede to this PROPOSE
ton, but asked for an hour and half
to argue the case TO the jury. Mr.. Erwin
then proposed to limit the argument to
an hour for each side. Mr.. O'Brien
still insisted on being allowed longer
time. The county attorney then began
his address to the jury by saying:
County Attorneys Address.
TN many respects this is the saddest case
that it has been my lot to see. Not only has
the question of the killing q man and the
leaving of children been involved, but the
reputation of the defendants wife. Hus-
band has been arrayed against wife ami child
against father. making, as i said. the saddest
case coming to my knowledge, Whether
you shall say with me that the. woman
i'll this case is an honest, Woodworking
woman as 1 believe, or shall be branded
as harlot is question for you, under your
OATH Koran followed Weisser into the
kitchen on the fatal day armed with a re-
Volver, ana with the purpose OF killing him,
and he did shoot him. as related by the child.
The reason there were not two victims in
this case is that the revolver was defective.
When Koran turned TO his wife and said.
Here is one for you, too. the reason he did
not kill her is that he did not have time to
set the trigger for the second shot before his
wife could catch hold of HIM and prevent
his shooting"
The county attorney proceeded to dis
cusS the evidence. and to comment upon
the domestic turmoilS in the family
prior to the intimacy with Weisser. In
commenting on the attitude with WeiS-
ser. Mr.. O'Brie1 said it was injudiciOuS,
but was indicative of the pluck of the
woman, who was innocent, and intended
to show it to the people. The address
was a careful presentation of the facts
brought out in the trial. 1t lasted about
an hour.
For the Defense.
W. w. Erwin began his address for
the defense shortly before o'clock and
spoke somewhat more than an hour.
He confined himself principally to a dis
cuSSiOn of the evidence, but occasionally
INDUCED in periods of pathOs, sarcasm.
scorn or denunciation. He claimed &C
cidental shooting in moment of unac-
countability or insanity. His theory Is
that the statutes made out Il prima facie
case Of insanity. AS argument that the
defendant was insane at the time
the shot was fired, Mr.. Erwin reviewed
ing that Koran loved his wife to a point
that jealousy sprung up on slight prov
OcatiOn. After a vivid picture of the
facts in the case presented as hyp0-
thetical case and an assertion that Ko-
ran believed this condition of affairs,
Mr. Erwin said:
What would you have dones You would
have put him out and if you could not have
done it by law you would have done it by
force. You, in the providence of God, are
not put in the position OF Koran. III you
ever are you. too, will be crazy. You Will
wiring your hands and sit in solitude and
weep, as Koran did, until the frenzy of de-
spair will have filled your mind until you
reach point where you can't distinguish
between right and wrong. If one of you can
walk along the path Koran walked and say,
before God that he was not i'll a frenzy. then
you may hang him."
When Mr.. Erwin spoke of the night
when Koran hit Weisser with chair.
he spoke in singing sarcasm of the claim
of the state that Mrs. Koran was type
of sturdy virtue. Her virtue was being
protected by her husband, but she in
terposed to protect WeisSer. and when
her husband left the house she went to
WeiSser's room and washed his bleed
ing head. In confederation OF the in
timacy with Weisser, Mr.. Erwin argued
that Mrs. Koran and her friends are still
arrayed against the defendant. and she
still retains the pictures and eff
fects of WeiSser in her house
as relics. He asserted that the
story of Rosa was made up, and she had
been coached by some one to tell the
story He cited Ihe discrepancies be-
tween the two stories told by her and
the Inconsistencies in the story on the
witness stand. Mr.. Erwin's theory of
accidental shooting was that Koran
only intended to use the pistol III self