The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-29
Sachs Acquitted of Muir
der OF HOtChkiSS.
FOUR BALLOTS TAKEN.
Jury Took Only Three Hours in
Coming 10 an Agreement.
THE EFFECT UPON THE PRISONER

NiddletowD, Conn, Dec. 29. The jury
in the case of Herman Sachs, charged
with murder in the first degree In the
alleged shooting of Bertrand H.. Hotch-
kiss. at his home in KilliDgworth, Friday
evening, August %, returned verdict of
mot guilty" late yesterday afternoon.
The jury had been. out exactly three
hours
As they filed into their seats slowly,
each ono OF the 12 men was visibly nerv
Gus Particularly was tnis true OF f..
Mcdonald, the foreman, who uttered
'n' guilt" "almo st inaudibly, in response
To the question OF Clerk OF the Court
Vinsl il they had reaor ed "a veIoiet.
When the verdico was announced At
torneys Chase and Calef. the prisoner S
counsel, shook hands warmly, and AT
torney Calaf opened the prisoner stand,
watch permitted Sachs to walk out a free
man.
His sister at once embraced him, and
the liberated man for the first time since
bis arrest showed symptoms OF nervous
ness.
A Aiter the excitement had subsldei.
Juugo III a7er thankeI the jury ana dis
charged tGem. Four ballots we're taken
by the Jury before they reached IA verdi [.
The hrst ballot stood for acquittal and
favored RcquittaJ. with 1 for conviction,
and the taird ballot showed another gain
sor acuuittai, IL standing to &
There was not much deidy after the
third ballot before n verdict was
reached.
state Attorney Murdoch was very
much disappointed at the outcome OF
Sachs would be found guilt of murder IN
the first degree.
Sachs first remark after his release
was very emphatic To the effect that be
knew he never would hang. Later he
Q .iu he would remain in Killingworth for a
lew weeks, ana then he would go 10 New
York, where his mother and married
sister now have their home.
Promptly after the opening of court at
10, estefdaytm orniDg, ATTORNEY PrenticeW
Chase of New Haven, senior counsel for
the pris lner, began the closing arguments
for the defense. lie spoke for an hour
and Is minutes.
During his remarks he most scathinaly
denounced Mrs. Hotchkiss, the wife of
the murdered man, who vas In the court
room with her mother, asserting that she
was perjurer and claimed that she
knew the murder was tn he committed,
and said the shot that killed Mr.. Hotch-
kiss was fired from tho bedroom door,
and not the window, as claimed by the
state.
''Wno cCmmi It'd this murd,ry' con
tinued rfe lawyer. who got angry
wnen asked about lty It was Mrs. Hotch-
kiss and she finally placed tho blame on
Sachs because suspicion fell on him.
lie closed tie plea by asking tne jus y
not to make TWO murdors by hanging an
iBnocent man.
Court then took a recess for 10 minutes.
and at ii :56 State Attorney Murdoch be-
gan his argument He finished at :15,
having spoken an hour ana 20 minutes.
He laid great stress upon the motive
which Sachs might have had for muI-
dering Hotchkiss. He said that 1t was
his unholy love and jealousy thaU
promI ted the crime, ard he claimed that
tho murder was premoditateu.
He reviewed the tas InJny at length
and made the NEST o. oacGs' love for
Mrs. Hotohkiss. tiis arraignmt mt OF ths
accused was especially severe. ana bis
argument was made with telling force.
Judge Ibayer occupied less than half
an hour in his charge to the jury, and
gave his Instructions in a fair and i'm
partial manner. The Jurv retired at 2:2S
y. IN. and at 5:2S returned with the YER
dict.