Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-18
MkNGH1 Is CONVICTED.
Sioux City Man Found Guilty Of
Murder in the Second
Degree.
He Was Accused Of Kicking and
Beating His Wife TO
Death.
Farmer Near Boone Swindled
Out of SIPS by a Smooth
Stranger.

4 Sioux City. Nov. 1S.-Guilty of murder
in the second degree-that was the YER
dict of the jury against Ben Mcknight
| who had been on trial for an entire
The maximum penalty fer this crime
/! is life Imprisonment, and the minimum
| is ten years in prison. Judge Dewey viii
pass sentence on Mcknight at o'clock
| Wednesday afternoon.
| 1t took the jury only few minutes to
| come to an agreement. 1t was sent out
just before the hands of the clock point
ed to $3.50 o'clock and at 3:45 o'clock the
twelve men were in the jury box again
waiting for the court to receive its ver-
dict. Only one ballot was taken in the
jury room and it was unanimous for the
defendants guilt of the most serious
crime for which the instructions Of the
court would allow conviction. 1t took
less than minute for the jury to COM
plete this ballot after they assembled,
but as one of them expressed 1t. they
waited awhile for appearances sake.
There was no discussion of the case
in the jury room at all; the jurors SEEM
ed so thoroughly convinced of Nc
knights guilt that several of them lat
err expressed the belief that there would
have been just as ready conviction of
murder in the first degree had it been
permissible.
When the jury filed into the court
room the long benches were almost emp
ty. The quick verdict had not been ex-
pected, and only the few had heard the
fleeing rumor of an agreement were
present.
The sheriff's office was notified and
Sheriff jackson Immediately went after
Mcknight, who had been taken to his
cell after the arguments OF the attor-
neys had been closed and the jury in
structed. When the sheriff Informed
Mcknight that the jury had agreed Nc
Knight said:
They did it in hurry"
On the way to the court room NC
Knight seemed to have premonition OF
what was coming, and remarked to the
sheriff:
.They must have made up their minds
before they went into the jury room.
Mcknight talked to a reporter just
after the verdict had been read. He
said in answer to questions. Il was
very much surprised. expected to be
acquitted. / think the jury was preju-
diced I do not know what l will dc
now as to appealing the case. can tell
better about that tomorrow.
.,l.;c NTaIy 1tryI1f 11o
been convicted was committed last June.
He had been arrested by the police for
asaulting his wife by jumping upon her,
kicking and beating her, convicted and
committed to the county jail The news
of her death was conveyed to him by a
for the Journal. Mcknight
acted in craven manner and seemed to
fear that summary justice might DE ex-
acted. He was extremely nervous and
continued to look toward the door OF
the jail 1t was fact that around town
there was talk of lynching Mcknight.
The story of his brutality excited many
people. However, no violence was
shown. The coroner's inquest declared
that Mcknight as responsible for the
death of his wife and he was bound
over to the grand jury for murder in the
second degree. At the sitting of the
grand jury he was indicted for murder
in the first degree.