Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-06
Jury Disagrees and Renders
no Verdict in the Celebrat.
ed Case.
WILL GET A NEW TRIAL

tion the Twelve Men Could Not
Agree Even to Report a Disagree.
ment-odd Disclosures. .Isf
From Mondays Daily.
Eva Bliss, whose trial on the charge
of numbering Rolla Houdyshell con-
sumed three days of last week in dis
trict court, will be given another trial,
the jury having been unable to come
to an agreement after remaining clos
eted for twenty-eight hours. The
members of the jury were discharged
from further service in the case at
800 o'clock yesterday afternoon by
Judge Vermillion. The last ballot re-
suited in a vote of seven for conviction
and five for acquittal.
The case was given to the jury at
11:15 o'clock Saturday morning, and
the members of that body Immediately
retired to prepare verdict. By those
who had watched the progress of the
trial it was thought that verdict
would be announced during the after
noon, but when the time for adjourn,
ment came there was no report. All
night the twelve men argued the case
and Sunday morning they were almost
as far from an agreement as they had
been when they entered the jury room.
The first ballot stood four for con-
viction and eight for acquittal. After
q season of argument those who be-
lieved the woman to be guilty had re-
ceived an addition to their ranks and
another later ballot brought the stand
ing to six for conviction and six for
acquittal.
Ballot after ballot was taken before
any change in the opinion of any of the
jurymen was apparent; then one more
convert was won by those who favor,
ed conviction. This was early Sunday
morning, and from that time until the
jury was dismissed there was no
change in the standing.
Agreed on Nothing.
During Saturday night, when it be-
came apparent that no decision could
reached as to whether the jury should
declare the defendant guilty or inno-
cent, the advocates of a conviction pro-
posed that the jury agree to disargee
This offer was refused by the oppon-
ents of verdict against the defend
ant, however, but Sunday afternoon
these latter tried to secure the same
kind of vote but were unsuccessful
A unanimous vote was impossible.
Called Into Court.
About o'clock yesterday afternoon
Judge Vermillion, believing that it was
useless to have the jury remain con
fined any longer, summoned the mem
bers into court and after receiving 6
report of the last ballot, but without
polling the jury, the court announced
that he would wait no longer for al
agreement and discharged the jury
from further service in the case.
Will Get Another Trial.
The defendant in the case, Eva
Bliss, is still in Jail and will be give1
another trial 1t is not known wheth
er this will be during the present tern
of court, although B, w. Scott, attor
ney for the accused, is endeavoring tt
secure trial for his client as soon as
possible. 1t may be, however, tina
there will not be time during the tern
now in progress, and in that case sht
reconvenes in August.
An Odd Case.
The Bliss case, dealing as 1t die
with characters residing in the Smok!
Row district, was one of the oddes
ever held in the Wapello county dis
trict court The majority Of the wit
nesses were residents of that part c
the city known as the toughest" sec
ton of the county.
I'm the ten years during which
have been directly connected with tn
affairs of justice in Wapello county,
said one man in speaking of the case
81 have never seen the equal of tn
Bliss case. According to testimon
during the trial of the case find tha
woman who has been known for se'
eral years as Anna Wright, the wife {
Henry Wright. was never married t
the man, although they have been liz
ing together as husband and wife fo
several years and have three children
the Oldest of whom is 10 years of ag
The woman was married, she says,
William Skaggs on April 8 of tn
present year. Wright it is allege
was concerned in the theft of harnes
for which Abe Smith served term
the penitentiary. The harness wa
stolen from w. H. Stevens and B.
Ballagh in this city and sent to Ced'
Rapids by Smith, who was arreste
as he drove into Cedar Rapids in
covered wagon a few. days after th
theft.
"The Wrights are not the only on'
who have been breaking the law, a
cording to the testimony, howeve
The defendant, Eva Bliss, testified TIL
her name has never been Wright, {
though it is fact that she was f
several. years. known. as. Mrs. e,
Wright, the wife of Jake Wright, al
that both of them lived in this city
man and wife. Although Ithave know
the woman for several years nev
heard her called Bliss until this mi
der case came un."