The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1903-12-25
VERDICT WAS NOT GUILTY
n. A. WILSON ACQUITTED OF CHARGE OF
RoBBEG EAWLIHs COUNTY SAVE.
Prosecution Fem Under Weight Of Fact
That the Woman Who Turned States
Evidence Was TO Get Nice sum Of
Money in Case Of Conviction.

The sensational trial Of NJ. A. Wilson,
charged with robbing the county treas
urer's safe OF Rawlins county IN Decem-
Der, 1901, which was IN progress all OF
last week at st. Francis by change OF
venue, ended Saturday night by the
jury returning a verdict Of not guilty.
The prosecution suffered a crushing
blow when it was brought out IN the
cross examination OF Mrs. n. B. New
some, who had turned states evidence,
that she was to receive $3.50 for her ties
timony IN case Wilson was convicted Of
the charge. Mrs. NewsOme vas thought
to be implicated IN the alleged plot of
Wilson to rob the RawIins county treas
ury, and finally was induced to tell all
she knew about it. Her testimony look
ed very damaging to Wilson. but before
the case was worked through her testi-
mony vanished into rather thin air.
Ed Kelly, who was arrested in Chicago
several weeks ago, charged With being
the accomplice Of Wilson and the man
who did the expert cracking of the safe,
is in Jail at Atwood, and in all probabili-
ty he will be released, as the information
against him practically collapsed with
the acquittal of Wilson.
Mrs. Newsome testified that when she
came to Rawlins county in 1900, she
took up her residence with one of Viii
sons daughters, and later on became &C
quainted with a man by name Of King
who was represented by Wilson to be a
land man. But doubling both this mans
name and mis- business, she opened the
matter to Wilson, who then confessed to
her that his real name was Kelly and
that be had come to Rawlins county al
his request to do the expert work on the
cracking of the county treasurer's safe
The letters from Wilson to Mrs. New
some after she had removed to Okla
homa, in which repeated reference tC
the "land man." 81 and agent" ETC., were
said by Mrs. NewsOme to refer to the
robbery.
Wilson's testimony was to the effec
that while be took his meals with his
family in the second story of his brick
building IN Atwood, he slept on his farm
outside Of the city, and that on the nigh
Of the robbery he was not in Atwood buf
at his country home, and knew nothing
Of the robbery until he came to town tn,
next morning. The man who came t.
Atwood to see him, and whom the pros
ecution tried to establish was Kelly, wa
not Kelly at all, he SAID, and that tht
mans name was Ford and came to SCI
him on real estate matters. The defend
ant also testified that his trip to Omahl
was in response to telegram saying tia
his brother was seriously Ill, and that b.
arrived there January 1. Wilson ais
said that Detective He'll, who was shad
owing him in Omaha, was absolutely
mistaken when he said that the man wa
Kelly who tapped on the car window 70
Wilson just before the train left for th
west.
In rebuttal Of previous testimony al
leging that man by the name of Foste
was asked by Wilson to secure the SCI
vices Of Kelly to do the safe cracking wa
absolutely false, and that his relation
with Foster had never been other thal
that of mining business in which bot
at times were mutually interested. h
admitted registering at three differer
hotels in Nebraska under assumed name
explaining that he did so because he ha
become suspicious that he was bein
Swallowed and wished to avoid ARE!
until he reached home.
Mr.. Wilson made a very strong wi
ness in his own behalf. The prosecutio
failed to break his story in any respe,
In cross-examinatiOn. Numerous OthS
witnesses we're put on to cOrrobOrate b
story as beng made to appear correct
the main.
Witnesses were offered to prove Mr.
Newsome's reputation for truth an
veracity, all pronOuucing it bad.
The case has been very ably repI
scented on both sides. J. H. Briney, J.