Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-02
O'BRIEN NOT GUILTY.
Jury After Deliberating Thirty-F Five
 Minutes So Report on Case.

The case against John O'Brien in the superior court closed yesterday at o'clock. Toward the close 1t took q rather sensational turn. David New all and John Gale testified for the accused. Gale was rather strong witness. He testified to sleeping with OBrien the night of the alleged crime, that he was a light sleeper and would probably have heard O'Brien mad he got up during the night. He also testified that OBrien wore rub Der boots before he went to bed and after he got up the next morning. so that it was unlikely that it could have been those boots that made the i'm presslon on Dondero's window sill. which Detective Kennaugh had seen George w. Alderman corroborated ,OBrien's testimony regarding the bill and then came the surprise of the day.
 Joseph French, baker at IFS South Main street, took the stand and Mir Kennedy, handing him a dollar bill asked him if he had ever seen 1t be- fore. He said he had seen one like it, and then it developed that the bill was marked somewhat like the one which Dondero had recognized as tue one taken from the till. Mir French went on to say that a number of bills similarly marked had come into his possession about the time O'Brien had been arrested. The morning after the arrest he received $5 bill on North Main street thus marked, and few days later he found two bills in his store receipts also marked.
 The morning after the trial in the city court he showed. these bills to John Grogan, bookkeeper for c. A. Sackett, and the latter asked him to keep them and any more if he got them. And he kept them.
 Prosecutor Kellogg objected to this evidence and the court allowed it, and remarked that the bills might have been marked for him for this trial. MT French could not say if he had received any marked bills before the arrest of O'Brien.
 John Grogan and Hubert M. Rig ney then testified to O'Brien's good reputation and the case was closed.
 All the forenoon was occupied in making the arguments. At 2 o'clock the case went to the jury, and at 2:3o they reported verdict of not guilty, and O'Brien was discharged.
 The case against Aaron Blansf1eld for burglary of M. J. Daly & Sons gas fitting and plumbing shop on Bank SISeL Ol T6UI udIy ?, IOOo, WftS pul O1A at 2:45 Attorney Guilfoile defends Blansfield. The property which ne is accused of taking consisted of brass faucets and other such supplies to the value of. $75. For this crime two men are serving term in the state prison, and one was tried and discharged in the city courts Blansfield is said to have left town immediately following the commission of the crime. He was arrested in Bridgeport few months ago. though he had visited Waterbury several times since the night of the burglary. and lived in Bridgeport since that time.
 The defense in the city court was an alibi, he claiming that he was sleeping off the effects of intoxication in sa- loon in Brooklyn at the time the crime was committed.
 Edmund J. Daily was the first wit ness. His testimony was to the ef- feet that the premises were locked up as usual the night of the burg lary and that when he went there about o'clock about 200 pounds of goods valued at about S150 were miss ing. Some of the goods were recov- cred by the police that night.