The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-25
TICKET BROKERS FREED
AMID EXCITING SCENES
Jury Reaches Verdict After Be
ing Hung" for a Number
of Hours.
FORGERY NOT PROVED

I'VE, the jury, find the defendants not
guilty" was the verdict rendered in the
Messing-Glick forgery case after exactly
twenty hours of deliberation. AT the read
ing of the verdict of acquittal the families
of the defendants, who were present, be-
came almost hysterical
1t was ten minutes before the excitement
subsided sufficiently for the court TO dis
miss the jury. The case had been long
and trying one, and the suspense was very
apparent upon the defendants and their
friends as they entered TO hear the verdict.
The instant that the clerk Of the Criminal
Court read the words, mot guilty" Rabbi
Messing, the father of one of the defend
ants, for a moment practically collapsed.
Regaining his composure, he kissed his son
repeatedly. Miss Sarah Click a sister Of
the defendant Samuel Click, sprang TO her
feet. exclaiming: Thank God! Thank God!
He is freei He is free" Similar express
sions of pleasure were made by Lena and
Esther Click, sisters Of the defendants. and
the many friends of the two families when
the verdict was read.
One of the most pathetic instances of
gratitude at the result of the verdict was
appreciation to Attorney Spaan for the
services he had rendered the son in the
course of the trial The lawyer, who had
been almost merciless with his witnesses.
touched by the feelings of the father, gave
way to his emotion. and the two stood for
minutes with hand in hand, trembling in
silent emotion.
Both defendants thanked each of the
rendered and some of them were seen to
give evidences Of feeling at the result Of
their own verdict. The court, clerk. bailiff
and all connected with the case were given
thanks.
The first ballot taken by the jury a little
after o'clock yesterday evening resulted
in six for acquittal and six for conviction.
At midnight, when the jury retired. the bal
lot stood nine for acQuittal and three for
conviction. At o'clock yesterday morning
balloting was resumed and the vote result
ed the same as when the jury retired for
the night, nine for acquittal and three for
conviction. The balloting resulted the same
throughout the day and up until o'clock
yesterday evening, when a verdict for ac-
quittal was reached. Judge Davis. who
was trying the case, was compelled to leave
the city yesterday, and left word with the
jury that II Il decision was reached to keep
it until he returned at o'clock 1t was
given out yesterday that the jury had failed
TO reach a verdict and that ii would so re-
port to the court When it was found out.
however that decision had been reached
1T was generally believed that it would be
for acquittal.
The indictment upon which the defend
ants were arrested comprised two charges
that of forging railroad tickets and the
disposal of them, knowing that they had
been forged. The State tried TO show by
Detective III. A. Roach and Ticket Account
ant Brine, of the Big -Four Company, that
certain tickets had been marked so that
they could be later recognized and sold to
the defendants and later purchased after
they had been altered. One of the tickets
in question was from Indianapolis 10 Mid
dletown. o. The defendants denied that
any alteration had ever been made by
them, and that the tickets. if changed, were
done before they came into their posses
sion.
The trial which has just concluded has
been in progress for the last nine days, and
the jurors and Bailin Mendenhall went
home last night for the first time since the
trial hegan-