Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-07-30

The Jury Was out only IAN Hour---
the Prisoners Mother Overcome with
Grief
John O'Neil was found guilty Of the murder OF
Mrs Hattie f. McCloud Of auckland at Greenfield
"Wednesday forenoon by the jury which had been
listening to the evidence OF the trial Of the past
ten days
Chief Justice Mason began bis charge soon after
court opened Wednesday morning He occupied
30 miuut-s He referred to the responsibilities Of
the commonwealth in the case, and explained
what constitutes murder in the different degrees.
The rights Of "A prisoner under the law were also
explained. The chief justice dwelt on the char
acter of the evidence submitted, and showed how
It should be- weished. and how circumstautlal
evidence was to t~ considered differently from H..
rect testimony # Eye witnesses
The law was -Xpluud-d and made clear bN
uuotatiu ns from Cul-f Justice shaw " hen me.
cui-f Justice had concluded O'Nril was given the
usual opportunity To- address the jury. The pris.
ourr. however, declined To do say ny. Am not
Yet ready
A. soon a thu Jury r-tireI the I-ctatnrs with.
drew ana 10 few minutes the court room WAS
practically empty II MAS the opinion generally
expressed that the Deliberations would be-. IT long
duration and a great many thought likely that a
disagreement would result. The court h-took
itself To H. quarters 10 the court house. and the
attention Of the justices as occupied with ether
matters Al li.SO word was received that the
jury desired 10 return. but 1t was hot stated
whether they had reached an sgrrru-ut or wht tn
rr they desired further Instructions The court
assembled promptly.
At is. ttr jurym-u having formally answer
I'd 70 roll call. u was announced that Vrrd Ter
had been agreed upon ana in Response to the
usual questions the foreman announced that
,''Nrll had been found guilty OF murder in the
first degree.
The announcement was received without any
manifestation Of approval or di,approyai by the
spectators.
o Neil. who, from the time the jury enter d
had shown keen anxiety by his expression, ON
hearing the words Of the foreman. covered his
fac with his handkerchief and sat down without
removing it, He made no statement, and seemed
! quite overcome 10y the verdict.
TIE trlal Of the case beg a week ago last
| Monday, and III witnesses were examined The
/ evidence against O'Net was circumstantial. but
| was very strong He disappeared on the night Of
| the murJer from to $50 during the time when
| the crime was committed. He had been without
money for week, bot during the evening Of the
/ murder he exhibited : . or SO. or almost exactly
| the same sum taken from Mrs McCloud. His
actions the day after the crime were very pecu
! liar. To some he pretended not to know who
Mrs McClOud was. but to others h- spoke OF her
| famlliarly He had not seen the body that day.
but the Raguse brothers testified that he took
| one of them 10y the throat and illustrated the
very way in which the deed must have been done
! The defence tried TO show that IL was impOSSi-
| bic for o Neil TO have committed the murder aud
! be at points where he seen. according To tes-
| timony for the defence. at certain hours Per
| maps the most sensational incident Of the trial
/ was when. IN order to account for the money
| which o Neil hal. the prisoners mother and siS
! tiers were compelled TO testify that funds which
! Miss O'Ntil had deposited in a trunk from time
! to time, for her own use, were missing shortly
! after the time Of the murder.
| The 'ews of the verdict broken to the
| O'Neil family by Frank j. LAWYER, who assisted
! in the defence O'Neil's mother who was walk
/ lug on the street when she met Mr.. Lawler, wepi
bitterly, declaring that her boy was innocent and
that the case would be taken to the highest courts