Arizona republican., 1904-05-14
JOSIAH ANDERSON FREE
Jury, Having Been Out Twenty-two
 Hours, Acquits.

The jury yesterday acquitted Josiah Anderson of any crime in connecticn with the killing of William Cameron at Agua Caliente on the night of August Il, 1902. The verdict Was reached after deliberation of twerty-two hours and was brought into court at 10 o'clock. No more serious crime than man slaughter was considercd by the jury at any time Tn the consideration of the case. On the first ballot six of the Jurymen stood for conviction and six for acquittal. On a subsequent ballot there were eight for aCquittal and from that time or the jul ylnen one by enc joined the ma jority
 When the verdict was announced the defendant shook hands with his at torneys, the members of the jury anl his friends. He had expected an ac- quittal so he was not overcome by the pleasant surprise.
 This was his second trial for the shooting of Cameron. At the first hs was convicted and sentenced to five years at Yuma. He had served ten months of that time when the iudg- ment of the lower court was reversed by the supreme court, which orde ed a new trial
 The jury was guided in it's finding by the following facts. The defendant and his victim had been friends for a long time. Cameron for years having lived most of the time at the house of the defendants father. Cameron had got into trouble about the branding of some cattle belonging to H. H. Wills Anderson had heen selected by 10th parties to -arbitrate the dispute con- cerning the ownership of the cattle, and CT the day preceding the night of the killing he and Cameron went to Agua Caliente, the home of Wills, for that purpose. The decision of Anie- son was in favor of Wills and after that Cameron reproached Anderson for having thrown him down. Tn the course of the evening there was more or less whislkey drunk, and those who have had experience say that the whjskey of the Agua Caliente brand is more effective than any ether kind There were some words between Cam eron and Anderson in the course of the evening and il was stated by witness 1s for the defense that Cameron made threats against Anderson. That was disputed by witnesses for the territory, but at any rate, though Anderson had come on one of Cameron's horses and had interded to stop that night at the house of the father of Cameron, he changed his mind. took his saddle from Cameron's horse and announce 1 that he would go houe with Robert Leitch, young man who happened 10 be ct Agua Caliente.
 late at night Cameron left Agua Caliente. After a period of firm fif- teen minutes to thrce-quarteTs of an hour. according to various witnesses, Anderson anu Leitch started home hy the same road Cameron should have taken a short distance from Agua Cal icnte. Before reaching the fork of t1e road they came upon Cameron sitting on his horse in the shadow of tree. They said that he renewed the quarrel and told Anderson that they might as we'll have it out then and be done with it and made motion as if to draw his gun. when Anderson drew and fired four times. The territory aought to throw a cloud upon the testimony of Anderson and I4eitch as to the circum- stances of the killing but the fact thae Cameron was there and that the de- fendapt when bc left Agna Caliente did not expect to see him, impressed the guTy-
 The only motive suggested by the ter ritory for the killing was that Ande-- son did not want Cameron for broth er-in-law and it was testified that Cameron wac dcsirou> pr marrying ths sister of the defendant: one witness for the territory sworc both at this trial end the former ono, that she heard An derson say in the presence of Camero that he would kill him or commit sui eide before he would have him fer a brother-in-IaW
 At the former trial the defense only denied this theory, but at the one just concluded the sister of the defendant was present and said in q manner that left no doubt in the mind of the Jury that she was telling the truth, that euch q thing az marrying Cameron had never suggested itself to her and she did not think that Cameron ever thought of it; that on the contrary h. had spoken to her of his approach nS