The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-02-10
WOMAN IS FREED
DENVER JURY AC0UlrS MRS
HELEN c. SCHMI0lAP.
WHO KILLED HER HUSBAND
Her First Ac. is 30 Issue 4 Boast -e
su. tire Jucse Says Her Aeauis.z
Wa. 1rzses.y on Justice and Q $
misses .-e ygry in Disgrace.


DenyeE-The jury il the case Q.
ETs- Helen G- Schmi6lap. on trial t5-
the murder OF her husband. VILLA
schEiclap. OF Monday morni-s
erougG. II a verdict Of not guilty
TIE verdict was reached after fort
-So hours elaboration and after -.e
impression had already become preYz
len. that they. Ike the jury in the for
ner Lr;al OF the defendant, would uo-
be able TO come to an agreement at a.
!. Is the climax ot one OF the most ss1
ss.iCnal tragedies tha, ever took
place in Denver. Early in the mon
Tag Of July :. 1895. William Schmidt. :.
4 druggist, was shot By his wife Il
his roor al the Clarendon roomi-E
house. 1917 Arapshoe street The
couple had been estranged for a yea
MIS- Schnidlap vas formerly the vie
O. Albert Ezekiel, with whom she
came TO Denver hye years ago WIZ
their two children. from Phoenix, A.
soma Ezekiel and Schmidlap We
once Intimate friends. -Four years
ago Mr.. and Mrs. Ezekiel were d.
vo-ced and a marriage between the Ia
ter and Scnnidlap soon followed.
Mrs Sehnidlap charged that ter
second husband often mistreated he.
and that her shooting him was done IN
self-detense. Insanity was also
pleaded IN ex,enuauoa OF the Grim
i was Claimed that this arlic;ion ~
inherited from her father. Brig
Goodrich. said TO have been once a
prominent l4Sysr of Arizona
The accused woman was twice tr!=t
for the murder of her husband. Hsr
first trial. which took place last No
yeIuber. resulted in a hung jury.
It is said that on the balloting OF ths
juryn men before a verdict was finally
reached. ten were for acquittal aad
two for conviction.
After her release Mrs Schmid ?
gave ont the following statement:
If ! am guilty OF any crime it has
been that ! have not ramefy submittsd
to abuse and viIhfcation from d
drunken and abandoned husband thar
no self-respecting woman would tol-r-
ate for a moment Ny revolver spoze
FOR ne and mine. and for all tha- q
wife holds dear and sacred, and
have no anxiety but that the verdict
will be cOncurred in by all true hus
bands aEd good wives and mothers
have fought this battle and received
this fun y!ndication, and II means as
much for thousands of other suffering
and abused women as for me-"
No one was more astoaished at the
verdict than Assistant District Atto7-
ney WhitforG, who had conducted the
prosecution He expressed his indiz-
nation in strong terms and asked that
the members of the jury De dismissed
from further service Later in The day
Judge Carpenter complied with his re-
guest. saying.
The court desires 10 say with 70
speet 10 the request OF the district at
torney that the jury which returned
the verdict on this morning should be
| excused from further attendance upon
the court for the term. that the court
AT first felt Itself SO great INDICATION
concerning the yerdic. that il did not
feel that il could trust itself concern
, ing the matter this morning X now
feels after a lapse OF few hours that
II can speak coolly and dispas siona,ely
and il desires to say that it considers
the verdict an outrage upon society. 4
trsvesty upon justice and rep-ozch to
the administration OF the Law. 1t was
such verdict as would indicate either
that the jurors had not capacity to
weigh evidence or that their reason is
cloudsd or may BE- easily clou4ed by
mawhsh or maudIin sentinsntality.
am fully convinced that they can be
of no further service 10 the court In
the administration OF Justice and they
Are excused for the term