The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-26

house of the F'osburgs on the night Of
the 18th of August, 1900, and found
revolver on the table, and that he shot
a girl and escaped.
a second affidavit is made by tn.
Handisade woman, but signed -
Gray" the last name being that of ths
man with whom she had been living
The affidavit contains the allegations
given above.
NO DOUBT OF INNOCENCE
Immediately after his discharge
young Robert Fosburg accompanied
by the members of his family went to
the Wendell House where a reception
was held and hundreds of people shook
hands with the young man
AS soon as the jury was dismissed
the foreman called them together IN
his private room and for the first time
there was a conference as to what the
Jurors believed. Without exception
they declared that they would have re-
turned a. verdict of not guilty WITHIN
Is minutes even had they not been in
structed by the court. They aeknowl-
edged they would have paid no atten-
ton to the exhibits in the case.
While Judge Stevens was speaking to
the jury, the members of the Fosburg
family, realizing what his remarks
meant to them burst into tears, while
the defendant sat with buried head the
tears coursing down his cheeks The
wife of the defendant was the only
room, and it was said that she remain
ed at the hotel because of illness.
From the court room young Fosburg
went directly to the hotel and passed
quickly to his wife's room. She was Ill
in bed but the news of her husband s
acquittal so strengthened her that she
arose and throwing her arms about his
neck, exclaimed:
THANK God! Thank Godl"
Mr.. Fosburg spent sometime with his
wife and then went to the lobby of the
hotel where for an hour he received the
expressions of good will of his friends
When District Attorney Hammond,
who has been the prosecuting officer in
the trial was asked to make a state
ment he said that he thought it would
be improper for him to say anything at
this time except that from the evidence
submitted the court was fully justified
in taking the case from the jury. He
thought, however, that Chief of Police
Nicholson was fully warranted in maxi
ing the inves tigation he did.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CASE
The Fosburgs are not Pittsfie1d peO-
pie Father and son are wealthy con-
tractors, who have installed many man
ufacturing plants in New England and
who came to Pittsfield about eighteen
months ago to build the Stanley Elec-
trio Works. They rented the hand
some Castle residence, where the entire
family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Fos-
DuTB, ST. ana lne1F three uduS nleiS-
May, aged tWenty-four; Esther. sixteen,
and Beatrice, thirteen-and their two
sons-Robert, his fathers partner
James, a son still at Yale-and Robert s
wife lived
On the night of August 20 last neigh
bors of the Fosburgs were aroused by
cries of 'Helpi MURDER coming from
the Fosburg home. Investigation show
ed that May Fosburg was dead from a
bullet wound in her heart and her
father and brother were more or less
bruised and hurt. Members of the
family alleged that burglars had enter
ed the house, shot May Fosburg and in
jured the others. The police refused to
accept this version of the affair and
charged the brother of the dead girl
with the murder, alleging that the
shooting grew out of a family row.