The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-18
JURORS
DECLARE MEAD
To Be INNOCENT
One of the Panel Held
Out for Conviction.
THE PRISONER BROKE DOWN
ALLOWED TO GO ON his OWN
RECoGNIzANCE.
Mead Considers the Ballot of the
Jury to Be Virtually
Verdict in His
Favor.
THE PRISONER BROKE DOWN
ALLOWED TO GO ON HIS OWN
RECoGNIZANCE.

| A verdict of eleven TO one in favor Of
acquittal was the result OF the trial OF
! John NJ Mead for vagrancy, just con
/ cluded before Judge Conlan-
The prosecution closed its case after
( the examination of three witnesses mao
/ been sworn The first of these was Hat
! tie Roberts. with whom 1t had been stat
] ed Mead and his wife had been seen II
/ the Thalia- Following her came Gus
Weiter, who testified to having been
spoken to by Mrs Mead and TO having &C
/ conpanied her home. Mrs. Mead herself
was the last witness.
Mrs Mead was asked how long she had
been in the city and then II she knew the
defendant. Yes, he is my husband she
said Mr.. Lemon, prosecuting counsel
then announced that under that state
ment he would ask no further Qoestohs'
MIR. Gallagher then waived any right 10
remain silent that she had as the wife of
the accused, and the court also took
hand and Quoted the rather heated ar
gument the lawyers were getting into
Judge Conlan asked the witness il she
waived any rights she had and she said
she did 90. The prosecution was told TO
go on with its questions. Mr.. Lemon
wanted TO ask only one, howeyer-Do
you live at 125 Turk streetT The wit
ness admitted that she did, and then the
prosecution declared its case closed
Mrs Mead was the first witness for the
defense. She was asked II she had done
ali the things she is accused OF doing ana
she denied each as Il was enumerated 10
her. She also denied knowing the peo-
pie who had so positively idenuned ner-
Tessie Smith, Hattie Roberts, the ponce
officers and the two women who said she
had lived in their houses, and the men
who had testified TO having been spoken
10 by her in the street. she denied also
being in the Thala on any occasion,
Frank Bell and c. A. Reynolds, her
own attorney and the prosecuting attor-
ney Of Police Court No. were called 10
irnpeach the record of her conviction IN
that court. but this was not allowed
Mead himself was then called. he toid
how he went to the Golden Eagle Hotel
when he and his wife first came TO the
CITY. and how after living there for a
week they bought a little store on Mar
latter part Of July. and since then he
said he had been making his living by
selling religious books. He submitted two
NethodIst Church OF Sioux City. Iowa,
signed by the pastor of the church, u "
l. Brown. One Of these was dated July
1896 and the other November, 1897. a tele-
gram 10 the Mayor and one to the Chief
Of Police, both Of which nave peen pun
nshed here, were also allowed IN evidence
against the protest of the prosecution.
The court ruled, however, that anything
that would tend TO help the case OF tne
defendant was admissible Nead was a;. thei 7
to those made by Mrs Mead.
The most important part OF mis- testl-
mony was in regard 10 % the evg b,ch 81 + '9 ie
charged that Mrs. Mead spoke to Police
man Joy on the street. mead SAD MS
wife was sick al sb 5na did not eave the
house. He said he remembered 1t because
he had put it down in his diary, and then
he was asked to show the diary. He dld
SO and was rigidly cross-examined by Mr.;
lennon and made some additions and
erasures The book was finally ad-
rnitted in evidence. 1t served as the oasis
on which Lennon attacked the testimony
of both the defendant and his wife
It had been shown by one OF the wit
evening Mead appeared with a light mus
tache and in the evening he was clean
shaver or had a dark nustache. rms
Mead denied, and he added that he never
Owed his mustache or wore a false one. He
said the only times he had ever Deen 20
the Thalia was after the arrest or MS
wife. and then he went down there to see
what kind of q place ii was, as he had
heard that there were TO be witnesses
from there.
testify TO the good character held by
Mead and his wife. and the case closed
The attorneys wanted to argue the case
and Mr. Lemon to save time waived his
opening address. To this Mr.. Gallagher
objected but the court allowed IT, ana ror
an hour the case was argueo pro ana con.
After being out over two hours the jury
failed to arrive at a verdict and was dis
charged. 1t is understood that the Jurors
stood eleven for acquittal and one for
conviction Judge Conlan at once ordered
the defendant released on his own recog-
nizance.
Mead broke down and wept bitterly
when the foreman of the jury announced
that 1t was impossible to agree on yer.
dict AS the jurors filed out OF the court
room Mead. with tears streaming down
his cheeks, shook hands with several OF
them The wife, who was also crying
led him from the court room, after Vainly
endeaYorfng to cheer him up.