St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-20
HENNEGE SET FREE.
Anna NJ. Smiths Alleged Ae-
complete Pronounced
Not Guilty.
Lawyer Erwin Astonishes a
Crowd by Not Speaking
to the Jury,
But the Members Thereof In
dorse His Position After
Six Hours.
w. P. Murray Is Preparing to
Assail the Garbage
Contract.

Charles Hennege was given his free
ON by the verdict of a jury that tried
him for completely iii the murder of Ed
ward Hoppe at Bass lake on the Fourth
of July last. Hennege was trying to
drive Hoppe from the lake III front OF
his premises when Anna NJ. Smith, the
coIored housekeeper for Hennege, shot
and killed him. The woman was tried
and found guilty of murder in the third
degree.
Mr. Hennege is an honest old Ger
man, whom it is hard to believe has any
righteousness in his nature. HIS ac-
tons don't indicate him to be bad
man, and no one believes he was guilty
of any intentional crime, or abetted 1t
in any way He is very deaf, and his
apparent Indifference during the trial
is because he could not hear. he told
the same story on the witness stand
Yesterday that he told III the Smith trial.
and the Jury could not do otherwise
than believe him.
Mr.. Erwin had an abiding conviction
from the first that his man would be ac-
rapid trial Of the case. In fact, the
trial was short as compared with the
trial of the woman Smith. Mr.. Erwin
adopted the very unusual course OF not
addressing the jury i'll the in
terest of his client from be-
ginning to end. lie made no
opening address and disappointed
the large audience that went to the court
room Yesterday afternoon to hear his
closing address. When the county at
torney had concluded ali exceedingly
able address to the jury, Mr.. Erwin, adj
dressing the court, stated that with the
consent of his client he had decided not
to make any address to the jury.
Judge Brill iinmedlatey began all
able and exhaustive charge TO the
Jury. When he was receiving tue evil
dence and came to the part usually de-
voted to the claims of the defense. the
Judge heSltated for a moment, lndicat-
ing that he had been given but little op-
portunity to judge OF the nature OF tie
defense, except as it cropped out III tie
plea of not guilty and the request for in
Structions to the jury. The court eX-
planned the law OF Self-defense and gave
a good exposition Of the theory on which
TO DdS6 all ASSAULT. IL tVtlulACu lnlAt
five minutes to charge the jury.
The twelve tried men and true re-
tired to the jury room about 4 o'clock
and it was few minutes after 10 when
verdict was reached. IL required
about an hour to bring Judge Brill from
his residence to the court room. In the
meantime Hennege had been brought
from the Jail and passed the time in
pacing about the court room. He
could not hear the verdict of mot
guilty" read by the clerk and was UNI
moved when tod Of the result. Several
of the jurymen shook him by the hand
as they passed out. Joe Smith, a son OF
the colored woman who did the shooting,
approached the old man and wanted him
to 60 to the Arlington hotel for the
night. This the old man declined to do,
saying he had no money with him.
The colored man offered to pay
the bill, but Hennege declined, and
expressed decided preference to
go back TO the Jail for the night. The
court entered an order discharging the
prisoner, and he went back to the Jail
of his own accord and was allowed to
pass the remainder OF the night in the
bunk he has occupied since his arrest
last July. Today he will go to his home
at Bass lake, and, judging from his
manner<wili not take great Interest i'll
the affairs of life for the few remaining
years he has to live.