Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-04-28
FOUND GUILTY Of MURDER.
LEAZER TO PAY PENALTY
WITH HIS LIFE.
The Court Finds Him Guilty of
The Premeditated Murder
of Patrolman G.
McNamara.

Guilty of murder in the first de-
gree. -
That was the verdict rendered in the
| Circuit Court this noon by Judges
Jones, Thomas and Revell in the case
of William Leazer. charged with kill.
| ing Patrolman John q. McNamara, al
Fairfield, this county, on the night OF
| March 81, last.
In the breathless silence of crowd
ed courtroom, to the prisoner who sat
| trembling at the bar and to the coun-
sci who had labored, with poor ma
terial, to save him the decision came
without surprise. 1t seemed to be the
| only verdict possible under the cir
| cumstances and had il been otherwise,
the prisoner must have been greatly
surprised.
With dropping head and set eyes,
with a pallor that Offset the darkness
of his skin aud with hands clasped and
| unclasped as the fateful words were
delivered, LeaZer heard his death
knell. To the large number of colored
persons in the room it struck terror
1t set before them the terrible evils of
carrying concealed weapons and the
horrible thought that some dav the
AhOC VI ttiC BlASOlCA MOuAu DG
in the event of the continued pernic-
ious habit of carrying deadly weapons.
With all the kindlines at its COM
mRnd, with all that mercy with which
justice is said to be tempered, the de-
cision was rendered and the task, a
task which Leazer himself had set
them. was completed by the court to
what must have been the satisfaction
af oil int
gallows staring him in the face, man
acled to sturdy deputy sheriff and
hope dead in his heart, Leazer was
lead from the court room, through a
mass of people who followed him close
ly with their eyes to the county Jail
where, at some future day, he will
give up his life as the atonement the
law of man has made for the taking
of the life of another.
Just before the close of court yester-
day States Attorney Nicholas H.
Green began his opening argument for
the state. 1t was clear, lucid and
succinct, carrying with it force and
conviction. Taking up, bit by bit.
the evidence produced by the state, he
presented in form that brought out
the salient features, the facts perti-
nent to the crime and the testimony
wAifsb As aFgHenpp shHMaan no rgnrs
of oratory or the word pictures which
are supposed TO appeal to jury, but
the stubborn and irrefutable facts that
appeal to the judicial mind. He
dwelt at length on the testimony
which showed that Leazer had threat
ened to shoot any one who attempted
to arrest him. This evidence showed
that Leazer expected that he would be
stopped for stealing coal and that he
was prepared for that stoppage or ar
rest to kill, to murder and remove
from his path, the one who sought to
block his way.
The argument was not long in the
making in spite of the fact that Mr..
Green WAS fortified by abundance of
evidence, by statements of guilt on
which he could dilate for hours were
he so inclined Instead, however, he
appreciated the fact that the court had
summed up the evidence, had dissected
it and needed no instruction. He soon
ceased and said that he was done that
the state had made its case and that
no other verdict other than that of
first degree murder would satisfy it.
When court convened this morning
Attorney Jackson, for the defense,
stated that ne would not make any re-
marks, but that his associate, George
l.. PendIeton, would like to close. The
remarks of Pendleton, considering the
material of which the defense was
made, was very good. He pinned his
defense to the statements which had
been made by the prisoner and the
contradictory statement made by the
witness Horah. He asked that this
evidence be stricken out; that Horah
had made one statement to the police
when LeaZer was arrested and another
when he got into court Pendleton
talked for some time, but it was plain
ly apparent that he did not have the
conviction of the innocence of the de-
fendent to back him up. When he
closed the court was prepared to re-
tire.
The three judges left the bench and
retired TO the judges room at one side
of the court room. There they re-
manned for an hour while Leazer, at
times engaged in conversation with
his counsel and at others apprehen-
sively watching the door, behind
which his fate was being decided.
Something audible was said by his
counsel and he smiled, but with a
forced effort, which told how inter-
ested he was in other matters.
Around and about him a loud buzz
of conversation was going on by the
spectators in the room. They discuss
ed the case in all its phases and he
could not help but hear the remarks
which were made respecting his guilt
OF this he gave no sign, but looked
anixously at the door, nervously ex-
amined his hands and shifted in his
chair where he sat, feet outstretched
and arms resting ON his chair. At
last there was a movement at the door.
the handle was turned and the three
judges stepped forth. With eyes that
searched their faces for an inkling of
his tate. for an expression that would
give him some hope, his eyes followed
them across the side of the room, up
the steps to the bench and into their
chairs.
Some delay was occasioned in To-
eating States Attorney Green, who
was engaged in the grand jury room,
where several important matters
awaited him, but he was finally
found. The court then stated TO coun-
sci for the defense that to make the
exceptions whscn they had noted tothe
admission of certain of the testimony
effective they must be committed to
writing. This caused some little fur
AaIow and xnyhcrr the owronffrnc