Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-25
JURY DECLARES
M'KINLEY GUILTY
AGED UNCLE, GIVES UNSHAKEN
TESTIMONY
Man Shot Several Times by Nephew
Tells straightforward Story Of
the Midnight Tragedy on
the Lonely Ranch

Guilty as charged" was the verdict
of the jury yesterday In the case of the
state against William Mckinley.
Mckinley was charged with assault
with intent to murder his aged uncle,
William Reid, at the latter's home on
December IA, 1906.
Most of the morning was occupied in
hearing the testimony of Mr.; Reid who
having gone to bed early, as was his
usual habit, he had been awakened by
knock at the door which he recognized
as that of his nephew
He arose, lighted candle and went
to the door, which was secured by
heavy sliding bolt, and opened 1t. AS
he opened It he turned away to return turn
to bed and Mckinley, entering, said:
and began firing. at him.
After the third shot he fell across the
De 9ed this fryhs to m@e @ T To this ny the @ 5
made no reply, but fired two more shots,
both of which are. supposed to have taken
effect In the back & Of the e. neof ioft Just De-
After the shooting Mckinley, went out,
leaving his uncle lying on the bed, where
he was found the next day by some
neighbors, who notified the police.
Testimony Is Unshaken
Mr. Reid next told of how he had taken
his false teeth out of his mouth In his
handkerchief and of splitting out consid-
erable blood from time to time, and with
it three of the f1attened bullets which
were found by the detectives and offered
in evidence on Thursday by the prose-
cution.
On cross-examination Mr.. Reid was un-
shaken in his Identification of MS
nephew as the person who did the snoot-
trained, through long experience, to rec
ognize McKinley's knock. He was sure,
too, that there was no conversation than
that he had first mentioned In his direct
He denied having first met Mckinley
in County Kerry, Ireland, and related IN
full detail how he had been apprised OF
the fact that he had nephew through
a chance meeting with stranger
It was while working in field near
the road that he had accosted an old
man who was passing on his way TO the
Mr.. Reid invited the traveller. to stop
and rest and later to spend the night
with him, as he was lonely. The stranger
asked Reid how many children there had
been in his mothers family;
Upon learning that that Min Mr. Fg1d chd cofstd of his
parents, because of sister who ne
thought had died within few hours
after her birth and of whom he had
never heard, his visitor volunteered to
write to the old home and inquire.
In the course of a few weeks the an
swer came back that his sister was not
Only alive ana well, DuI Sue ldu SSNSh
children, one of whom she had named FOR
He Immediately replied, telling her to
send the boy to him and he would give
him a good home 1t has been five years
since the nephew arrived and since that
little little five-acre apple ranch and in the
very house where the, shooting occurred.
They worked together, dividing the
profits equally, and the old man taught
his nephew all the details of budding and
grafting the different kinds of fruit: A
Slight disagreement over some alfalfa
hay that the young man wanted to feed
to a neighbor's horse led to serious
quarrel and a month later the shooting
took place.
When the prosecution rested the attor-
news for the defense asked for consul
tation. in which they offered to have the
defendant plead guilty to assault with a
deadly weapon if the district attorney
would give his consent.
When this was firmly denied the de-
fense waived the offering of testimony
and the case was allowed to go to the
jury without further argument by either
side.
Mckinley claims that his grandfather
and the father of former President Nc
Kinley's father were brothers. He also
told of having stayed at the home of
Abner Mckinley at New York upon his
arrival in this country before coming
to California.