Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1894-12-15
NOT GUILTY!
Crouch Acquitted Of Leon $
Incidents Of the Last Day
of the Trial.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
There Was a Crush at
the Closing Scene.
An OratOriCaI Battle Be-
fore the Jury Box.
The First Ballot on the Defend
ants Fate Stood Seven
For ACQuittal, Three
For ManSlaughter
and One For
Murder.

H. B. Crouch has been acquitted of
the murder of Abundio Leon. 1t took
the jury about four hours to agree upon
verdict of his innocence.
The attendance at the fifth and last
day of the famous trial was the largest
perhaps that ever honored a court pro-
ceeding in Arizona.
The crowd filled every inch of sitting
and standing area within the court
room. The main aisle was packed un-
til officers of the court were compelled
to slowly work their way through. The
crowd extended out into the corridor
and hung about the stairway hoping
that after awhile room would be made
for it in some mysterious manner.
The widow of Leon, clad in black,
her head enveloped in black shawl,
sat on bench just outside the court
room beside other black shawled women
of her race, waiting mpetiently for
vengeance to be pronounced against her
husbands slayer.
The defendant, as he had been all
through the trial, was surrounded by
his wife and other members OF his fam
| lily.
The last day of the trial attracted
! for the first time several other ladies,
who found seats within the bar.
The prolonged and famous case began
yesterday morning with the arguments.
Colonel Millay, who had been prevent
ed by illness from continuing his plea
the evening before. resumed the open
ing argument. HIS address, after an
admoniti0n to abandon all prejudice
careful history of the case and a sys-
tematic review and comparison OF the
evidence.
He was followed by Judge Alexander
for the defense. His speech was elo-
quent and impassioned and was pro-
nounced by members OF the bar a par
ticularly able one.
Judge Stilwell who had been with the
case from the beginning representing
the defendant at the inquest and the
preliminary trial and who had personal
ly conducted the examination OF wit
nesses, closed for the defense.
His argument was model one to g
Jury of level headed men. There was
no attempt to create sympathy or arouse
feeling. Neither was there an effort TO
build reasonable doubt OF his clients
guilt, but he sought rather to tear down
every doubt OF his innocence.
The evidence was arrayed in master
ly manner and the effect upon the jury
was so marked that many who had been
predicting that the best the defendant
could hope for was verdict OF man
slaughter, began to foresee his freedom.
District Attorney Williams closed for
the prosecution. Though he did not
take the evidence up in any particular
order, he presented an extremely dam
aging case for the defense. He ad-
verted to an attempt to obscure the
judgment of the jurors by the creation
Of sympathy by means OF the daily
presence at his side of the defendant IS
family. He spoke of that other woman
clad in black upon whose husband IS
death was founded the present action.
At the close of his address Judge Baker
read the instructions. They were more
voluminous even than those presented
in the Price trial. So many nice law
points had arisen in the present
action that had not appeared in the
other. For instance, the question
as to the admission of testimony tend
ing to throw light upon the comparative