Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-29
VANCE FOUND GUILTY
Jury Declares That Dentist Com
mitted Vile Crime.
ONE JUROR HELD OUT THREE HOURS
Six Hours Time Was Required to
Reach Verdct-Court Convened
Sunday to Hear Decision of Jury
Will Appeal Case.
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[From Mondays Daily.l

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[From Mondays Dailyl
After six hours delberation, during
three of which only one man held out
against the decision of eleven others,
the jury in the case of the state
against DR.. Mark Vance came to an
agreement shortly before IL o'clock
Saturday night and yesterday morning
at 8 o'clock a special session OF the
district court was held while the jury
reported to Judge Vermillion that they
had found the defendant guilty OF
lewdness as charged in the indictment.
Defendant Unaffected.
There We're but few people in the
court room at the time the jury re-
ported yesterday morning. The de.
PENDANT was present, accompanied by
his uncle, DR.. W. w. Vance. Joseph
Proctor, the foreman of the jury, hand
ed the verdict to Deputy Clerk w. T.
Mollison, who was acting as clerk of
the session, and who read the finding
of the jury. The attorney for the de
Tense, Captain w. H. G. Jaques, waived
his right to poll the jury, and the
members of that body were discharged.
Will Appeal Case.
Captain Jaques said this morning
that the Vance case will be appealed
undoubtedly unless a new trial is
granted by Judge Vermillion. The de-
Tense has three days in which to file
motion for new trial. In case this
motion is overruled the case will be
appealed to the supreme court. The
other two cases against DR.. Vance
have, as announced some days ago
been continued until the next term of
court owing to the fact that Captain
w. H. G. Jaques. chief counsel for the
defendant, will have his time so occu,
pied with other work that he cannot
attend to the case.
In the Jury Room.
The jury retired to the jury room
about o'clock Saturday evening, the
arguments of the attorneys having
taken the greater part of Saturday
afternoon. The first ballot, it is stat
ed on the authority of one of the jur-
ors, stood seven to five in favor of,
conviction. After considerable dis
cussion another ballot was taken
which resulted nine to three for con-
for and two against conviction, but
after another season of discussion one
of the two changed his views and the
vote stood eleven to one. 1t was thus
for almost three hours However, af-
ter the facts in the case had been pre-
scented to the juror from all sides for
three hours he finally relented and
voted with the other eleven jurors for
conviction. The members of the jury
then retired for the night and in the
morning they sent word to Judge Yer
million, who opened court at 8 o'clock
to hear the verdict.
Didn't Want to Serve.
According to the statements of the
man who held the jury in the Vance
case for three hours, it seems that he
was not SO much in doubt of the guilt
of the defendant but that he did not
want to vote to declare man guilty
of this offense. When he was examin-
ed for the jury he stated to Captain
w. H. c. Jaques, counsel for the de-
Tense, that he was averse to sitting
on case of the nature of the one at
hand, but nevertheless promised to
hear 1t and decide upon 1t fairly and
| justly.
A Revolving Crime.
The crime of which DR.. Vance has
just been found guilty occurred
March / last. The complaining wit
ness in this case. was little Inez Field,
| the daughter of Conductor o. D. Field
who runs out of this city on the Mil
waukee railroad.
| According to the testimony of the
| little girl. she was in the office Of DR..
Vance on South Market street in this
city about March of the present year,
| having some dental work done, when
the crime was committed. She COM
| planned that she was i'll and immedi
ately left the dentists Office In tears.
| After reaching home the little girl
still claimed that she was i'll and il
was not until evening, after she had
been put to bed that she plucked up
courage enough to tell her mother of
| the affair.
| Arrested at Y. M. c. A.
! Vance was at the Y. M. G. A. build
ling when he was arrested watching a
basketball game. At the police sta
ton he denied the charge made
against him and declared that the lit
| tie girl had been mistaken. However
he was put under heavy bonds and has
been at liberty since that time.
Other Charges.
The case has excited more atten
ton than any that has come up ii
this county for several years. At thu
preliminary examination, which wa
taken from the police court to tina
of Justice Campbell on change O
venue, none but those Immediately in
terested were admitted to the room
and the greatest secrecy was observed
DR.. Vance was held to the grand jury
and meanwhile it developed that sew
, eral other little girls We're ready tt
prefer charges against him for in
decent exposure of his person.
Il Indicted for LeWdness.
When the case came before tn
grand jury that body found it hard t
settle on a charge. Finally, however
it was decided that the man shoult
be indicted on the charge of lewdnes
and the papers were returned accord
ingly, three indictments being found
all on the same charge but with differ
ent prosecuting witnesses.