Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1907-08-01
HAYWOOD ACQUITTED.
JURY RETURNS VERDICT AFTER
TWENTY-oNE HOURS.
JURY DID NOT BELIEVE ORCHARD
Considered Instructions as Favorable
to the Prisoner-Haywood Thanks
Jury and Court Officials and Hur-
ries Away to His Family.

Boise, July 29.-Into the bright sun
light of beautiful Sabbath morning,
into the stiffness of city drowsy
with the lazy slumber of a summer
Sunday, William D. Haywood, de-
PENDANT in one of the most noted
trials Involving conspiracy and muir
der that this country has ever known,
walked today a free man, acquitted
of the murder of former Governor
Frank Steunenberg.
The probability of a verdict Of ac-
quittal in the case of the secretary
treasurer and acknowledged leader of
the Western Federation of Miners
had been freely predicted since yes
terday when Judge Fremont Wood
read his charge, which was regarded
as strongly favoring the defense in
its Interpretation of the laws of con-
spiracy, circumstantial evidence and
the confederation of an accomplice
who confesses.
Governor Gooding said:
The verdict is great surprise to
me, and l believe to all citizens of
Idaho who have heard or read the
evidence in the case. | have done
my duty. l have no regret as to any
action l have taken, and my con-
science is clear
"As long as God gives me strength
shall continue my efforts for gov
eminent by law and for organized
vigorous prosecution of Meyer and
when apprehended There will be
neither hesitation nor retreat"
Not the least interesting of the
comments made upon the verdict to-
day was that of Harry Orchard, the
self-confessed murderer of Governor
Steunenberg and the witness upon
whom the state chiefly relied to
prove its claim of a sinister conspir-
acy against the Western Federation
of Miners.
When told at the state penitenti-
airy that Haywood had been acquit-
ted Orchard said:
well. l have done my duty. |
have told the truth. could do no
more. I am ready to take any pun
ishment that may be melted out to
me for my crime and the sooner it
comes the better
one hours that the jury which at first
had been divided eight to four, and
then seemed deadlocked at ten to
two, finally came to an agreement
shortly after the first faint streaks OF
a coming day showed gray above the
giant hills which wall Boise to the
north and east.
The weary, snow-boearded old bail
iff who had kept an all night vigil be-
fore the. door of the jury room was
startled into action by an imperative
knock from within. Events moved
rapidly enough after this, and when
at last the principal actors in the
trial had been gathered into the
s O'Clock, the white envelope handed
by the foreman to the judge was torn
open and the verdict read.
1t came as an electric thrill to the
prisoner, to his counsel, to the attor-
neys for the state, and to the small
group of heavy-eyed newspaper men
and court officials who had been sum-
moned from beds but lately sought.
or from offices where sleepless wait
ing had marked the night.
Tears welled to the eyes of the
man, who, during the eighty days OF
his trial had sat with stoiid indiffer-
ence written upon his every feature
at last the icy armor he had thrown
about himself with the first day OF
jury selection had been pierced, and
whatever of pent-up feeling had been
contained within was loosed.