The San Francisco call., 1904-06-10
JURY REACHES
NO AGREEMENT
Is Almost Evenly Divided
Over the Guilt of ''Jack
the SWatter' in Alameda
WOMAN is POSITIVE
Miss Kate GrOnin AffirmS
Beyond Question the Ac-
cused Man Assailed Her

ALAMEDA, June s.-Milton Blake,
accused by the police of being Jack
the Swatter," who has terrorized wom-
en- and children here for the past FIVE
months and against whom a charge of
battery had been preferred by Miss
Kate CrOnin, one of his victims, was
tried before a jury in City Justice r.
b. Tappan's court this afternoon, but
no verdict was reached, the jury stand
ing six for conviction and five for ac-
quittal after being out three-Quarters
of an hour. Blake will be tried again
on the Cronin charge, as the police
feel certain that he is Jack the
Swatter" and that they have strong
case against him.
Miss Cronin was positive in her iden-
tification Of the defendant as the man
who attacked and beat her. She re-
lated how she had observed him stand
ing on the northeast corner of Santa
Clara avenue and Park street when she
alighted from an electric car and how
he had followed her north along Santa
Clara and grasped her by the throat
when she was near Pine street, pun
meled her about the head with his
clenched fists and kicked her brutaly.
SCREAMS. BRING HELP.
When she screamed for help d. E.
Peddler, who had been standing at the
corner of Park street and Santa Clara
avenue, went to her assistance and was
told by the young woman of the attack
that had been made upon her. While
Peddler was escorting Miss Cronin
along Santa Clara avenue toward her
home they met Blake coming directly
was painting and breathing heavily and
stopped him, asking the youth If he
was not the person who had assailed
the young woman. Blake denied that
he was and in response to questions
put him by Peddler said that he had
been feeding a horse at High street;
that his name was Blake, and that he
lived OH Walnut street. Miss CrOnin
would not positively identify Blake
while Peddler held him, saying that she
dreaded the nOtoriety it would bring
her.
AS soon as Peddler released the
youth he hurried away, and then it was
that Miss .Cronin informed Peddler that
the person he released was the one who
attacked her. Peddler corrobOrated the
young woman's testimony, and Blake
himself testified that he had met them
both and identified them in court as
the same persons he had encountered
on the night Miss Blake was beaten.
THREE QUESTIONS ASKED.
Attorney A. L. Frick, who defended
Blake, asked but three questions Of
the defendant upon direct examination
In reply to the first Blake said that he
had met Miss Cronin on the night of
the attack and in response to the sec
ond denied that he had assaulted her.
AS his third answer Blake denied that
he had on a light suit of clothes on
the night the battery was committed
Upon cross examination by Deputy
District Attorney Brown Blake dis
played an uncertainty of memory con-
cerning dates and the suits of clothes
he had and wore at different times.
Other witnesses who gave testimony
were Detective George Brown, r. An
derson and the defendants mother.
Composing the jury were D. Upton, Ira
Sanford, S. McHenry, B. T. Scott, d.
Graham, Alfred Clement, l. n. Chap
man, c. F. Banta, E. Losee and c. c.
Volberg. There is still another charge
of battery against Blake, preferred by
Miss Annie Seebeck, who was beaten
in the same manner as Miss Cronin
and who Identifies Blake as her assail-
ant.