Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-08-10
JURY FREES her
MRS. HUTCHINSON ACQUITTED
c.. INSANITY PLEA.
RETURNS TO HER HUSBAND

That Defendant Was Temporarily
insane When She Shot the Woman
Whom She Believed 10 es Her
Husbands Psrsmeur.
Buena vista.-The jury in the now
famous Hutchinson murder case re-
turned a verdict Of not guilty at T:25
o'clock Thursday evening. and Mrs.
Grace Hutchinson. who shot and
killed Mrs. Mary Boie In saiida on
the morning OF June 18th last. Is nov
q free woman.
Never In the history Of this city has
there been 50 much pent-ap excitement
rs Was exhibited when the verdict was
made public.
When IL was announced In court
Mrs. Hutchinson fell forward without
word and was supported by the shef-
IN and her attorney down tho stairs
to the residence OF the sheriff. where
she Was met by her mother. sister.
her husbands mother aud other rcia-
tiycs OF herself and husband. Her con.
dltlon amounts almost To collapse but
II Is thought she will recover.
She has forgiven her husband and
they will resume martial relations.
When tho verdict Of the twelve men
was read by the clerk Of the, court.
Harold Hutchinson. her husband. oc-
cuplcd chair In tho back Of the court
room. lie covered down Ms II expect
inE blow ns tho documents wor,
handed by the foreman OF tho jury To
the clerk.
When tho reading was ended he
spranK To his feet and cried ''ae-
aniticd!" Hc did not meet his wife.
however. until later In the parior of
tho shcrin's house. and the meeting
vas pathetic.
What passed between them Is not
known. but he took tho fraii creature
in his arms and both wept. lie soon
icf, her with her relatives and In com.
pany with an older brother returned 10
their hotel. He stated few minutes
later thn, a full reconciliation had
been effected between himself and his
wife. and that they would immcdi.
atciy return TO the ranch home of his
mother near Saiidn until they could de-
eide what to do and where to 20 In tho
future.
Everywhere tho streets arc ihronsci
with people who talk OF nothing bu,
the trial. The majority approve the
verdict of the jury. Those who op.
pose Il arc few but are bitter In their
dcnunciation OF the Jury and say n
license or premium has been placed on
murder. citing the Schmidiap case In
Denver ms n parallel.
The morning session OF the court
lasted but one hour and fifteen min
ute. Hutchinson resumed his tcs,l.
mony, and the cross.cxnmination by
tho prosecution failed to shake the
story of yesterday.
Two mental specialists. Or. ]. II.
Turner OF Sai!da and DIR. s. ID. Hop
kins of Denver. gave II rs their opin.
lon that Mrs. Hutchinson was perfectly
sane ut the time the shot was fired.
DIR. Turner happened to be In the law
Office Of Somcrvillc & Williams Mt Sn-
Ida when she was brought in immedi.
atciy following the shooting and had
IN 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
after the noon recess, at o'clock, the
courts instructions were read to the
Jury by Judge Bailey. They We're
quite voluminous. requiring thirty min.
utes in the reading. and briefly. after
describing the different degrees OF
murder and divesting the instructions
OF all legal terms, summed up the
case as hinging entirely upon the one
question as to whether the defendant
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 by
the prosecution, were masterful gems
OF oratory.