Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-11
Fair Monday. warmer In western
Portions Tuesday, Fair.
MAE HAYES is FOUND GUILTY
woman Who Swallows Three Hun
dred-DOIIar Diamond ts
Convicted.

After celebrating just twenty-four
hours the jury in the case OF Mae Hayes,
tried for swallowing a $500 diamond be-
longing to T. l.. Combs & Co., brought in
verdict at 1l:90 a. m Sunday Of guilty,
fixing the value of the diamond at $500 and
asked the leniency of the court in behalf
Of the defendant.
The charge on Which the woman was
tired was grand larceny. The trial was
before Judge Sutton of the district court,
and Max A. Roessig was foreman of the
jury.
Mrs. Hayes. or Thomas as she is called
in the indictment, took the verdict with
little show OF emotion. She did not weep
as she did during the appeal of her attor-
ney for mercy during the argument be-
fore the jury. She seemed to be nervous.
but beyond this did not show any signs OF
breaking down. She consulted few min
utes with her attorney W. w. Dodge,
before being taken back to Jail by Deputy
Sheriff Stryker.
Mr.. Dodge was disappointed in the ver-
dict.
II still believe" he said, that the
state failed to make a technical case
against her. The evidence OF Maloney and
Furen was conflicting on some points and
they did not show felonious intent"
However, he thanked the Jurors for the
attention they had given him and for the
recommendation OF leniency.
When the jury retired Saturday fore
noon the FIRST ballot is said TO have stood
10 to for conviction. The two voting
for acquittal clung tenaciously for YER
dict Of not guilty until after II o'clock
Sunday morning, when they gave in and
Cd 70 hn
by the majority Judge Sutton was called
and It was just 80 when the verdict
was read, just twenty-four hours after
the jury had gone out.
Judge Sutton. in discharging the Jurors
from further service in the case, thanked
them for their work.
Jurors are like soldiers he said.
'They have to serve their country for
very small pay, but this service is neces-
sary for the protection OF life and prop
erty."
The crime for which Mrs. Hayes has
been convicted is so unusual that attor-
neys have been unable to ind n record OF
a similar case in the records of the court.
She and j. T. Hayes, with whom she has
been living as his wife. and man named
Simpson came to Omaha from Texas
about May 6 All three OF them had bad
rc cords in the south, according to infOr-
nation received here by the police. Short
~ after their arrival according to Mrs,
Hayes story, Simpson skipped out with
$50 all she and Hayes had, She told sew.
eral persons she intended to steal the
diamond in order to reimburse them for
the loss of the money
May II she started out to make the
rounds of the jewelry stores. The sus-
picions OF some of the jewelers. were
aroused by her actions and they informed
other jewellers 20 look out for her. De-
tectives Maloney and Drummy started ou
to make a search OF the stores for tn,
woman. They found her at T. L. Comb,
& Co.'S store. where she was looking al
some diamonds which were being showr
| her by Mr.. Furen, the diamond salesman
Detective Maloney took his station out
side the diamond room and watched her
! While Mr.. Furen's back was turned h,
| saw her place ore of the gems in he
mouth. Mr.. Furen also missed the dla
mond and he asked Mrs. Hayes where 4
was She told him he had put II away
and then the detective rushed in on he
and demanded the diamond Her moutl
was searched, as well as her hair. ha
and clothing. but no trace of it was found
/