Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-01-27
Dempsy Found Guilty.

noon the counsel addressed the jury.
When Court convened Friday morning a
big crowd was present to hear Judge
Stoves charge to the Jury The Judge
began talking shortly before 10 O'clock
BE finished about 1920 and the jury re-
tired to the jury room. Dempsey was IN
Court all morning and listening with the
greatest attention to the remarks OF the
Judge. When the jury had gone, Demp-
sey arose apparently unconeerned' ana
left the court room with his attorneys.
Upon the reconrening of the court al
o'clock the jury cameIn and asked tor inr-
ther instructions relative to the various
counts in the indictment. The Court e1-
planned again that the prosecution nae
failed to produce any evidence which would
justify the jury in finding Dempsey gniit!
on the third and fourth counts, winch
charged the defendant with combining
with other persons unknown to admlni-
ter poison, that the only counts the Jury
could consider were the first and second.
which charge that Dempsey adminlstere
poison with intent to commit murder. TIE
Court said that if the jury believed pois"n
was administered and that Dempsey
administered or caused to be admins
tered such poison then he was
guilty as to the first count
After receiving these instructions tne
jurors went out. Dempsey and his att"r-
neys were standing in the corridor at tht
time the jury came in for instructions anh
when told of the fact they FASTENED tut"
the courtroom. They arrived IN time 10
bear the latter part of the Judge
"And if YOU think he administered or caus-
ed 10 be administered poison TO the men a.
Homestead, then You must find him gull
ty." L. K. Porter's counteDance eioudeo
as he heard the instructions the jury asked
for and he said: at looks like convle-
ton"
About seven minutes after the jury had
left the court for the second time thej
came in with their verdict. us MI
Dempsey or his attorney in court" sai'
Judge Stowe. Mr.. Dempsey pushed nj
way through the crowd and answered, "a
did hi. attorney Dempsey stood looking
steadfastly at the jurors, and when th.
court crier read out I'VE find the deien-
dant guilty as indicted" his expression
never changed, but on the reading oeine
finished be turned around and sat down
He was apparently the least concerned
person in the court room. After speaking z
a few words to his attorney, he left tn.
courtroom.
PRESS COMMENTS.
The verdict OF guilty in the Dempse'
case was verdict spriDging absolutely
from the Jury. The impression whlrD
Judge Stoves charge made upon the oai
and the public was that it was serupnl"u7
ly fair The defendant certainly han none
the worst of his comments upon the Ia"
and his statement of the iacts. Inc prlh
cipal speech for the Co mmonwealth, as II
happened. wi as made By an attorney VINO was
unexpectedly compelled To represent Di,-
trict Attorney Burleigh when he was SUI
denIy called away from court by the death
uf his mother.
The Jury evidently accepted as sufficient
corroboration of the confession OF acconi-
plices the circumstsntial points sustaining
their story, and disbelieVed Dempsey e1-
d lamation that he had put bali a doze"
cooks in the mill restaurant as PAID sple-
upon the skilled labor employed elsewhcrt
n, the works and that they were sent ther
for no other purpose The evidence "f
previous good character does not seem l.
nave weighed much II does not appear
likely that the jury believed Dempse
sent any body into the Homestead mii
With the clear design of poisoning anybod,
10 death. but rather that he did conspire L.
Introduce into the food OF the men at wort
there a violent and dangerous drug, VIII
the pupose OF making them unit for wort
and so driving them ont of the MILL D.
believing they held him responsible for
rhe full results oi the drugs administered
It is not impossible that they counted Tor
somewhat, as going to prove reckless as
regard oi consequences on MS part th'
fact in recent strike conducted by mn
in Allegheny, street cars containing lnho-
cent passengers we're recklessIy stoned ahd
Iynamited because they were run To breah
a strike which he was sustaining. PITTS
burg Times.
To those who have pursued the testimo-
Nv in the case of Hugh f. Dempsey, charg
I'd with having been implicated in thr
poisoning of food served IL employees III
ihe Homestead mill, the verdict OF the jury
will not only be no surprise but VIII receive
their hearty commeHdation. The crime Is
one of the most atrocious and infamous
known 10 the law, and the circumstances
attendant upon its preparation IN this cast
were so peculiarly sggravatlng and heih
ious that, the facts having been larry ana
clearly established, a verdict OF conviction
was imperatively demanded.
The trial was presided over by one ol TIE
ablest judges in the state, and the defend
ant had The benefit of counsel of unques-
toned force and il fuence. The vital
points were: First, was poison put INT"
the food as alleged7 and secondly, II pois
IN was SO administered was 1t at the ln-
stance or by the authority of the defend.
ant The court charged the jury tnat II
the evidence failed To show that poison
was used they must find verdict for the
defendant If, on the other hand. they
were satisfied that poison had been used.
then they must satisfy themselves beyond
a reasonable doubt that it was nsed at the
instance and with the knowledge OF the
defen dant before they would be warranted
in finding a verdict of guilty. The court
further instructed the jury that they
night convict Dempsey ON the testl-
mony Of his accomplices, Galighe'
and Davidson alone. The defendant
was competent though interested Wit
ness, while his sccomplices were sus-
picious and tainted witnesses, and 1t was
The duty of the jury to pass upon their
credibility. If they believed Gallagher
and Davidson's testimony, that would just
tify them ia finding a verdict OF guilty a.
agast Dempsey even though he had denIe
all completely in the poisoning. The
Judge concluded in these words; II have
carefully avoided anything like an opinion
upon either of these facts, because II is Tor
Won alone to determine them and render
your verdict i'll accordance with such de-
termination without fear or favor"
There was apparently no serious doubts
In The minds Of the jurors as to tbs main
facts in the case. They were satisfied
poison had deem used and that Dempsey
had guilty knowledge of the fact. Some
difficulty was experienced as to the minor
counts IN the indictment. but when the
court cleared away that obstacle they
promptly rotarned verdict of guilty as
indicted The crime involves fine not
exceeding 81 900 and imprisonmenL III the
peuitentiarv not exceeding seven years
not a whit too severe when the gravity OF
the offense is considered. .-Pittsburg
Gazette.
A member Of the Dempsey jury was cor
rallied by reporter TN the street Saturday
and asked il he would not be kiad enough
ta enlighteD an anxious public as To what
took place in the jury room during the
time intervening between the courts
-. 4 =, ,.. ,,r,,n,,lga;inu of rho verdirt