The Elbert County tribune., 1906-08-09
JURY FREES her
MRS. HuTcHINsoN ACQUITTED
O.. INSANITY PLEA.
RETURNS TO HER HUSBAND


Vista Murder TrIaI-Jury Finds
That Defendant Was Temporarily
Insane When She Shot the Woman
Whom She Believed to Be Her
Husbands Paramour.
Buena vista.-The jury In the now
famous Hutchinson murder case re
turned a verdict of not guilty at 7:25
o'clock Thursday evening, and Mrs
Grace Hutchinson. who shot and
killed Mrs. Mary Bode in Salida on
the morning OF June 18th last, is now
free woman.
Never In the history OF this city has
there been so much pent-up excitement
as was exhibited when the verdict was
made public.
When it was announced in court
Mrs. Hutchinson fell forward without
a word and was supported by the sher-
in and her attorney down the stairs
to the residence OF the sheriff. where
she was met by her mother, sister
her husbands mother and other rela'
tives of herself and husband. Her con
dition amounts almost to collapse but
1t is thought she will recover.
She has forgiven her husband and
they will resume marital relations.
When the verdict of the twelve men
was read by the clerk of the court.
Harold Hutchinson, her husband. oc-
cupied chair in the back of the court
room. He covered down as If expect
ing a blow as the documents were
handed by the foreman of the Jury to
the clerk.
When the reading was ended he
sprang to his feet and cried "ac-
Quilted" He did not meet his wife,
however, until later in the parlor of
the sheriff's house, and the meeting
was pathetic.
What passed between them is not
known, but he took the frail creature
in his arms and both wept. He soon
left her with her relatives and in com
pany with an older brother returned to
their hotel. He stated few minutes
later that a full reconciliation had
been effected between himself and his
wife, and that they would immedi-
ately return to the ranch home of his
mother near Salida until they could de-
eide what to do and where to go in the
future.
Everywhere the streets are thronged
with people who talk of nothing but
the trial. The majority approve the
verdict of the jury. Those who op
pose it are few but are bitter in their
denunciation of the Jury and say a
license or premium has been placed on
murder, citing the Schmidlap case in
Denver as a parallel.
The morning session of the court
lasted but one hour and fifteen min
ute. Hutchinson resumed his testi
mony, and the cross-examination by
the prosecution failed to shake the
story of yesterday.
Two mental specialists, DR.. ]. II
Turner of Salida and DR.. s. d. Hop
kins of Denver, gave 1t as their opin
ion that Mrs Hutchinson was perfectly
sane at the time the shot was fired
DR.. Turner happened to be in the law
office of Somerville & Williams at Sa
Ida when she was brought in immedi
ately following the shooting and had
an opportunity to observe her closely
under stress of excitement.
Other unimportant witnesses were
examined, while some of the evidence
the defense intended using was ruled
out. Following the convening Of court
aIter tne uoou -ecess, ~ Z SioSh, en'
courts instructions were read to the
jury by Judge Bailey. They were
quite yoluminous, requiring thirty min
utes in the reading. and briefly, after
describing the different degrees o.
murder and divesting the instruction.
of all legal terms, summed up the
case as hinging entirely upon the one
question as to whether the defendan
was sane or insane at the time the
shot was fired.
The argument of Attorney George
d. Williams in answer to the open
ing argument by James Locke, prose
cutting attorney, as well as the clos
ing argument by George X. Harten
stein of this city, who was retained b.
the prosecution. were masterful gem
of oratory.