Arizona republican., 1901-11-15
MRS. MERCER CONVICTED
4 Necessary Verdict for the saviI g
 of Boy.

Mrs. Alfreda Mercer. the wife of
 hard-working man and the mother of
 some little children, was convicted late
 last night by United States trial jury
 of a violation of the Edmunds act.
 This is an old case and was first
 brought up almost year ago on the
 complaint of the mother of a young
 boy whose relations with the woman
 old enough to be his mother had be-
 come notorious all over town. Both
 the woman and the boy were arrested
 and the boy. having been indicted, was
 convicted and sentenced to six months
 at Yuma. There was an unwillingness
 to convict Mrs. Mercer, or even put her
 on trial. on account of her family. and
 the case was allowed to go over to the
 next term with the hope that an end
 had been put to the disgraceful rela-
 ton and that the boy who was still
 much under 20. would be cured of the
 infatuat.on for the woman on his re lease from the penitentiary-
 Some time after that Mrs. Mercer
 professed a conversion to Christianity
 and il seemed that she was going to
 lead better life. However. on the re lease of the young man from the pen itentiary she began making oVertures
 to him again and in order to prevent a resumption of the relations between them it was resolved to prosecute the
 case which had been held over/ .'-''H The evidence agaisnt her Was over
 whelming. Her husband was put on the stand by the defense as witness
 in matters ''voir dire.'h and that led by cross -exa imitation to the disclosure
 that they had been married about six
 teen years. of and on." by which he meant that they had been separated part of the time on account Of the
 wife's conduct. The case was prosecuted with Q great deal more vigor than might have been expected in matter which did not seem to be of overwhelming import ance, but United States Attorney Aor- rison had set out to separate the Wo-
 man from the boy and if possible save him. The jury was made up largely of level headed business men. not lack in gallantry. yet not likely td be un- necessarily swayed by sympathy. Still though the case was submitted quite early in the afternoon. the verdict Of guilty with q recommendation of mercy was not submitted until after 2 o'clock last night. Al o'clock those who are wise in the ways of juries would have
 wagered their last dollar that there would be q disagreement, for a DalilH iappeared .n the clerks office with . re quest TOT a pdth Oi Ndi quest was denied and word was sent back that the United States was not paying men g. day to play seven-up or solo.
 Upon the announcement of the Yer dict Mrs Mercer was put into the custody of the sheriff and locked up. Her husband. who had remained with her during the trial. went home to his children 1t is only about once in q century that God makes q man who will stand by a woman in this kind of a trouble: therefore Mir. Mercer ought to be as distinguished character as Caesar or Napoleon and other men whose types appear with great infre- quency.
 O. L. Collins, who had been con victed the day before of selling liquor to an Indian, was sentenced to sixty 1 days in the county jail and to pay fine of $i00.
 | All the trial jurors in the United States court were finally excused The | jurors who had served in the territorial court presented themselves for pay
 and were surprised to learn that they were three days short. Two of these days were taken up by an extra session of supreme court and
 the other by a law day.
 It was reported last night that the 1 jurors had formed pool to see if
 this pay for these three days could not
 be collected from the county.