The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-10-15
ENDS AS PREDICTED,
Caster Jury Fails to Arrive at a Yer
dict and is Discharged by
Judge Williams.
MAJORITY IN FAVOR or ACQUlTTAL
New Trial of the Case Will Not be Held TIL
the March Term of the Court.-Gas-
ter's Bondsmen Ask Release.

| New Trial of the Case Will Not be Held TIL
the March Term of the Court. Gas
ter's Bondsmen Ask Release.
The trial of former Aldermen John
Caster came to an end in the Circuit
Court Saturday evening just before
six O'Clock, when the jury announced
1 to Judge Williams that there was no
hope of their arriving at verdict and
| they we're discharged. The prisoner
/ was in court when the jury was dis
charged, and he was given new bond
for his appearance at the March
term Of the Circuit Court when the
case will have another hearing.
Just after the trial Mrs. Veronica
Ritter, who had been on the bond of
the defendant, asked to be released
from further liability and she was
released. The releasing Of Mrs. Rit-
ter left the bond of Caster, which was
signed by Mat Orth. unsatisfactory to
the State, and Caster put up certified
check to make the bond good until
another bondsn1an could be secured.
It is thought that the new bond will
be furnished within few days. Gas
ter was not taken into custody as the
certified check was held as sufficient
bond.
The final chapter of the case was not
an unexpected one, and ever since the
jury had retired to the box to consider
the case there was lurking suspicion
that disagreement would be the re-
suit. This suspicion became GER
tainty when the jurors returned TO the
court room on Saturday afternoon and
asked that certain portions Of the evil
dence be read to them. This evidence
was not sufficient to convince the men
who had been voting against the con-
viction Of Caster, and when the jury
returned they took many ballot with
the same result.
There were many surprises in the
jury room, and after the jury had been
discharged they talked freely Of the
/ two days they had spent together.
The first ballot for the verdict resulted
in the jurygbeing equally divided, six
of them voting for conviction and six
for acquittal. In the long contest to
secure verdict the vote of the jury
varied, and at one time there were
eight of the members voted for the
acquittal Of Caster. The sticking
point for the jurors was found in the
fact that many of them believed that
Caster had been made some promise
of immunity from prosecution If he
would give out the whole story of the
alleged boodling.
/ On this point seven of the jurors held
out to the bitter end, and when the jury
was discharged the vote stood eight for
acquittal and four for conviction. All
of these men refused to believe that
Caster had made the statements with
out promises of protection from prose-
cution. After the jury had been dis
charged these men talked freely Of
these points, and one of them stated
that there had been so much wrang-
ling over this point that the jury had
not come to the point of considering
the evidence in the case. Several Of
the jurors were Disguised with the
acts Of their colleagues, and seemed to
think that the latter were not acting
in good faith.
Attorney ingalls, who had defended
Caster was entirely satisfied with the
verdict, as he had scarcely hoped for
an acquittal of his client.
The trial has brought out the weak
points Of the case made by the State,
and the District Attorney still insists
\ that Caster will be convicted on Sec
ond trial.
Closing Scenes of the Trial.
The closing scenes of the long con-
test were devoid of pyrotechnics. It was
generally conceded that the state had
made strong case against Caster and
there was great deal of interest
taken ia the possible defense to be
offered to the testimony which had
been admitted to the jury. The de-
Tense had but one witness as to the
facts in the case and that was the de.
| PENDANT.
| Caster had been held back as the
trump card of the defense but he made
a sorry figure on the witness stand and
1t is conceded that his testimony aided
rather than weakened the case that
had been put up by the state. Caster
was noticeably purturbed when he
went on the stand and the old lack of
memory which characterized his testi-
mony at the preliminary hearings Of
the other cases was very much in e7i-
dence. At this time it seems that
4 Caster remem bered less than he did
before. But it can be said that one
! thing was gained by the defense ia the
putting Of Caster on the stand and that
! is that It removed the last hope of ever
! prosecuting any of the other members
Of the Council who were alleged to
have been connected with the case.