Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-13
CONVICTED
OF ACCEPTING BRLBE
Dramatic Scene in Courtroom; Wife of
Prisoner Is Hysterical
Throws Herself on Knees as Verdict of Guilty
Is Announced-Many Of the Jurymen
Are Moved to Tears
BY Associated Press.

SACRAMENTO Oct. 12.-Crying out
in futile protest against an inexorable
decree Of justice, hysterical with the
shock of her sudden bereavement and
utterly prostrated, Mrs. E. j. Emmons
flung herself upon her knees in Judge
Hart's courtroom this evening at the
instant a verdict Of guilty was re-
turned by the jury which has been for
five weeks engaged in trial of her hus-
band on a charge of boodling. All the
eagerness and suppressed excitement
that attended the consummation of the
long trial was forgotten in the sudden
realization of a wife's grief; all the
stern formality of the courtroom was
swept away in a wave of pity that
surged from every heart, and when
Emmons, seemingly unmindfui Of the
decree just rendered against him,
sprang to his wife's assistance, every
head was turned away; the voice OF
Judge Hart faltered, and the proceed
ings stopped.
Never has there been more pitiable
end to a trial in the department where
so many criminals have found how
hard is the way of the transgressor.
The short period engaged in delibera-
ton conveyed to many of those in at
tendance a belief that the jury would
return verdice of guilty, but Emmons,
his wife and his attorneys were to all
outward appearances as confident as
at any time during the trial. Had
there been any intimation given of the
result it is probable that the friends of
Mrs. Emmons would have prevailed
upon her to remain away from the
courtroom during the last trying scene.
Emmons himself bore up bravely and
paid not the slightest outward atten-
tion to the verdict or the subsequent
proceedings while the session was in
progress. He appeared much more con-
cerned over the condition of Mrs EN-
mons, and while the responses from the
jurymen were called for and made his
back was turned to Judge Hart, the
clerks desk and the jury.
Tries to Comfort Wife
Gently he raised the stricken woman
from the floor, but while her arms en-
circled him her head dropped over his
arm as if she was half fainting. Vainly
he tried to soothe and quiet her. Her
sobs, broken by inarticulate pleadings,
echoed through the still courtroom until
the mother caught sight of Edith, her
toward the back of a big chair at her
fathers side, and whose tiny form was
shaken by convulsive sobs. Again
Mrs. Emmons fell upon her knees, but
this time it was not in the abandon
ment of despair. Tenderly she raised
the golden head and the agony in her
voice was repressed as she endeavored
to dry the little girls tears.
Half the spectators in the courtroom
by this time had tears in their eyes
and the silence had become embarrass-
ing. The clerk finally completed the
reading of the names and Judge Hart
asked Grove L. Johnson if he wanted
to set the day for arguing the motion
for a new trial. By agreement a week
from next Saturday was selected and
the spectators, the officials and the
jurymen hurriedly left the courtroom,
where Mrs. Emmons sat, apparently
unmindful of her surroundings, sob
bing while her husband and two of
the women in attendance endeavored
to calm her.
1t was half-past 5 when the jury re-
tired this evening for deliberation, and
two hours and a half later the verdict
of guilty was rendered. In the mean
while the jury had been served with
dinner, so that the time given to dis
cussion of the case was necessarily
brief. Just what transpireG in the jury
room will probably remain a secret.
Before they returned to the court room
they entered, as they announced, into
an agreement to convey to no living
person an account of the manner in
which the guilt of Emmons was de-
termined.
When they left the court house this
evening, after being discharged from
the custody of the sheriff, who has
had charge of them for nearly five
weeks past, they hurried away in every
direction, refusing absolutely to dis
cuss any features of the case.
Probably Only One Ballot
The only utterance that would give
any clew to the number of ballots taken
was elected from one member of the
jury, who, after telling of the agree
ment entered into, said:
There is nothing we can say. The
result speaks for itself"
The same remark was made by other
jurymen, showing that it had been
agreed upon, and about the court house
II was generally believed that the jury
found for conviction upon the first
ballot, and that this was not taken
until after the jury had partaken of
dinner, which was served in the jury
ROOM
EAlIGT OlIlIGI OutlSe I1dlJ dllu OlSlIlCL
Attorney Seymour settled down in the
sheriff's office to await the return of
the jury. 1t was generally believed
that the deliberations would be pro-
longed, and some of those interested in
the result resigned themselves to a
vigil to be terminated, as they thought,
when Judge Hart would order the jury
locked up for the night.
At ten minutes to s. however, Deputy
Sheriff Ben Chambers came from the
jury room and notified judge Hart
that verdict had been reached. There
was a brief interval allowed for the
attorneys to be notified, and mean
while the news has flashed beyond the
precincts of the court house. Judge
Hart took his seat or the bench at
three minutes to s and by that time
the court room held fully 100 people.
District Attorney Seymour. with At
tornevs Jones and Platnauer we've en-
gagged in WHISPERED converse tion at |