The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-02
Ii Didn't Take the Jury Long 10 De-
clare Him Innocent.
END OF A SENSATIONAL CASE
MissouIa People Generally Regard
the Verdict as a Righteous and
Just One-intense interest
Displayed at the Trial.


attracted so much attention as the case
which went TO the jury late this afternoon,
in which Charles NJ. Johnson was charged
with arson in the first degree in setting
fire to the Eclipse livery stable, March IL,
1894. Crowds have thronged tho court
room during the four days that the trial
has been IN progress, and every word OF
the testimony has been carefully listened
to by the hundreds OF people who have
been present. and the bearing upon the
case OF the story of each witness has been
discussed IN office, store and shop and on
the street corners.
1t has been n sensational case in all its
respects, and the evidence offered by the
defense has been IN point blank OPPOSE
ton to that presented by the state. There
have been charges and counter charges OF
manufacturing evidence, and the wit
nesses in the case have been severely criti-
cised.
The greatest precautions have been
taken to keep the jurymen free from out
side influence. Since they we're first
sworn they have not been allowed to sep
arate and they have been guarded night
and day by two baililfs whose integrity is
unqueslione1. Judge Woody forbade the
bailiirs to allow the jurors to see a news
paper that contained any account OF the
trial and then, lest the jurors should find
such papers in the waterclosets or clse-
where, he summoned the local newspaper
men and instructed them TO refrain from
any comment upon the evidence during
the progress of tho trial.
The evidence of the state, while fully
circumstantial, was sensational and, at
first, carried considerable weight with IL.
The testimony for the defense was IN di-
rect con tradIction to that ollie ed by tho
stale and much of it tended to prove the
states evidence false. Tho character of
some of the states witnesses was success
fully attacked and some of them cannot
feel particularly gratified at the revela-
tons made as to their standing in the
town.
1t was a battle royal from start to finish.
Judge Reeves conducted the case for tho
state with consummate skill and his cross
questioning will stand for a long time as
"a model of legal acumen and skill. His
associates, +. c. Webster and County
Attorney Dixon, have been interchangeable
in their efforts and the most that could
be made out of the case has boon made by
them. For the defense, Il. C.. Marshall,
Hal =. Corbett and Joseph X. Wood have
acted in a mastery manner. Nothing
seems to have been overlooked that could
have been brought to bear upon their
case. The manner in which the witnesses
have been introduced and their testimony
presented has been admirable. The story
of Johnson's alleged CRIME as told by the
state has been attacked from every quar-
ter. 1t has been denied by many wit
nesses; the character of the states witt
nesses have been impeached; Johnson's
whereabouts on the night of the fire have
been proved.
All this has been followed with the keen
est interest. Standing room in the court
has been at n premium. This morning
when the few remaining witnesses had
been examined and the arguments were
TO begin, the crowd of eager spectators,
most of them prompted not by curiosity
but by sympathy for the defendant, was
more than the court room would contain
and extended far down the stairway,
while scores of people turned away, find
ing entrance impossible. The court an
nounced tins morning that two hours and
half would DO allowed for each side
half an hour more than had been at first
decided upon. Tho crowd waited breath
lessly for the lawyers to begin, and all day
there was no disturbance in tho room.
+. c. Webster opened for the state and
spoke 81 minutes. lie review ed the evil
dence carefully and showed that, if the
statements of reputable men, under oath,
were TO be received, there could be no
doubt as TO the guilt of the accused.
Hal ). Corbett spoke first for tho de-
Tense and his argument was eloquent and
impressive. He spoke for an hour and 20
minutes and dwelt principally upon tho
testimony of Loughborough and Hyde for
the state. lie attacked this evidence
HaronIxr nd nj anal.ef- Of l,tts
little remained of tho story told by these
two men. Loughborough received especial
attention and was characterized very
forcibly.
Then, for an hour and 20 minutes this
afternoon. Colonel Marshall held the audi
ence by his splendid argument for the de-
PENDANT. lie reviewed the whole case aud
then drew his conclusions. He had fun
with Loughborough's diary and ridicnled
with bitter sarcasm some of the evidence
for the state. which he SAID was not en-
titled to consideration. He characterized
the whole case as tho persecution OF an
innocent man for the qualification of pcr-
sonal spite.
At the conclusion of MarshalI's argu-
ment. Judge Reeves began the final argu-
ment for the state and spoke for an hour
and half. lie opened his argument in
an eloqutht manner, ucuNlng that ne
desired TO prosecute any mau, much less
the accused. Before he had been speaking
quarter of an hour u was evident that
the state attorneys dcspaircl of securing
the conviction OF Johnson for arson and
the remainder OF tue argument was de-
voted TO showing that Johnson was an
accessory TO the setting Of the fire. \
student Of expression, watching thc jury
al this time, would have predicted the
verdict correctly, as 10 was evident tina,
the jurors were not pleased with such a
turn in thc argument.
Judge WOody's charge 20 tue jury was
fair and impartial; DO defined arson and
accessory and was apparently satisfactory
10 both sides. The charge was concluded
and the jury placed .u charge Of t.r bal,
ifs at 5:l3 O'Clock and 'Aa colr. al,
inrrrnnl ILn i'm. mimi al IN liz