Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-21
ATTORNEY COWAN ACQUITTED
0msha Lawyer Cleared Of the Charge of
subornation of Perjury.
JURY IS OUT ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES
Case of y. A. Gregory, who Shot Com
stable Moss at LoveIand, is Com
tinued-Notes of the Su-
perior Court.
UHY is OUT ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES

w. P. Cowan, the young Omaha attorney,
was acquitted yesterday afternoon in the
district court of the charge OF subornation of
perjury. The case was given to the jury
about o'clock and fifteen minutes later
that body summoned the court bailiff and
informed him it had arrived at its verdict.
AS it had not been expected that the jury
would reach verdict in such a short space
of time, the attorneys for the state and
defense and Cowan had left the court house
and 1t was close on half an hour before
they could be got together to hear the find
ing of the jury.
AS soon as the verdict was read Cowan
stepped forward, thanked the jury and court
and shook hands with the jurors He then
left the court house in company with his
attorneys and friends
Cowan was charged with inducing Robert
Johnson, witness in the trial of Lawrence
and Tracy, two Omaha men convicted of
chicken stealing last February, to give false
testimony. This was Cowan's second trial
the jury on the former occasion having
failed to reach an agreement. Young John
son, the main witness against Cowan and
self-confessed perjurer. has an indictment
for perjury hanging over his head but as
he is not believed to be wholly mentally
responsible, it is doubtful if he will ever
be placed on trial.
Gregory's Case Goes Over.
The attorney for j. A. Gregory, the horse
thief and desperate who shot Constable
Moss of Loveand, filed a motion for a con
tinuance of the trial of his client and Judge
Green put it over until the January term
Gregory claimed that owing to his being
laid up with a wounded leg for some time
he had been unable to prepare his defense
and further that his witnesses lived out
of the state and he had been unable to reach
them.
Gregory, when informed yesterday morn
ing that his trial would follow the compile
tion of the Cowan case, became ugly and
told Jaier Morgan that he would never be
taken into the court room alive. There
are not enough sheriffs to take me into the
court ROOM" he said. From his demeanor
it was evident that II his case had not been
continued he would have attempted to have
carried out his threat and in all probable
ity he would have had to be carried into
the court room. A special watch will be
kept at the county Jail, as it is the belief
of the authorities that Gregory's motive
for having his trial continued is that he
hopes to find some means through the as
sistance of his friends on the outside to
frequently made the threat that he will
never be taken to the penitentiary alive.
The continuance of Gregory's trial disposed
of the criminal docket for this term and
the hearing Of cases on the civil calendar
will be resumed this morning.
In the Superior Court.
The trial of the suit of j. B. Beach, a
banker of Hamburg, Ia, against Mrs. R. C.
Richardson of Mills county was commenced
in the superior court yesterday morning, but
an agreement was reached and a verdict or
dered entered for the plaintiff before the
case reached the jury. Beach sued to re-
cover on notes to the amount of 81 900
which had been sold to him by j. J.
Gravatte of this city. These notes were
given by Mrs. Richardson for 3700 fruit
trees which she had purchased from Gra-
waite, but she resisted payment, alleging
that at the time she bought the trees Gra-
waite agreed that no collection was to be
made on them until the orchard was bear
ing. At the last term of district court in
Mills county Mrs Richardson secured the
indictment of Gravatte on the charge of OBJ
tanning money by false pretenses. After
the evidence lad been submitted yesterday
cent purchaser of the notes, an agreement
was ordered whereby a verdict for the
plaintiff was given for $1,610.
A similar suit brought by the Union
Transfer company against Mrs Richard
son to recover on notes to the amount of
1857 transferred to it by Gravatte, was dis
missed and verdict for the amount en-
tered for the plaintiff company.