The Grit-advocate., 1906-02-09
WOMAN IS FREED
DENVER JURY ACQUITS MRS.
HELEN C. ScHMIDLAP.
WHO KILLED HER HUSBAND
Her First oct Is to Issue a Boasting
But the Judge Says Her AcquittaI
Was Travesty on Justice and Dis
misses the Jury in Disgrace.

misses the Jury IN Disgrace.
Donver.-The jury in the case OF
Mrs. Helen G. Schniidlap, on trial for
the murder of her husband, William
Schmidlaps on Monday morning
brought in verdict of not guilty"
The verdict was reached after forty.
two hours deliberation and after the
impression had already become preva
lent that they, like the jury in the for.
mer trial of the defendant, would not
be able to come to an agreement at all.
1t is the climax of one of the most sen,
sational tragedies that ever took
place in Denver. Early in the morn,
ing of July 8, 1905, William Schmidlap,
a druggist, was shot by his wife in
his room at the Clarendon rooming
house, 1917 Arapahoe street. The
couple had been estranged for a year
Mrs. Schmidlap was formerly the wife
of Albert Ezekiel, with whom she
came to Denver five years ago with
their two children. from Phoenix, Ari-
zona. Ezekiel and SchmidIap We're
once intimate friends. Four years
ago Mr.. and Mrs. Ezekiel were di-
Vorced and marriage between the lat
ter and Schmidlap soon followed.
Mrs. Schmidlap charged that her
second husband often mistreated her
and that her shooting him was done in
self-defense. Insanity was also
pleaded in extenuation of the crime.
1t was claimed that this afflicton was
inherited from her father, Briggs
Goodrich, said to have been once a
prominent lawyer Of Arizona
for the murder of her husband. Her
hrst trial, which took place last No
vember, resulted in hung jury.
1t Is said that on the balloting of the
jurymen before verdict was finally
reached, ten were for acquittal and
two for conviction.
After her release Mrs. Schmidlap
gave out the following statement:
If l am guilty of any crime it has
been that l have not tamely submitted
to abuse and villifcation from a
drunken and abandoned husband that
no selfrespecting woman would toler-
ate for moment. My revolver spoke
for me and mine, and for all that a
wife holds dear and sacred, and
have no anxiety but that the verdict
will be concurred in by all true hus.
bands and good wives and mothers. |
have fought this battle and received
this full vindication, and it means as
mnch for thousands of other suffering
and abused women as for me-.
No one was more astonished at the
verdict than Assistant District Attor-
ney Whitford, who had conducted the
prosecution. He expressed his indig
nation in strong terms and asked that
the members of the jury be dismissed
from further service. Later in the day
Judge Carpenter complied with Ills re-
quest, saying:
The court desires to say with re-
spect to the request of the district at
torney that the jury which returned
tie 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 verdict that it did not
feel that it could trust itself concern
ing the matter this morning. 1t now
feels after lapse of few hours that
1t can speak cColly and dispassionately
and It desires to say that it considers
the verdict an outrage upon society, a
travesty upon justice and rcproach 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
clouded or may be easily cloudcd by
mawkish or maudlin sentimentality
/ am fully convinced that they can be
of no further service to the court in
the administration of justice and they
are excused FOR the term"