The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-10-01
Jury Brings Freedom to Martin
SChleyer, Charged With At
tempting To Murder Wife
OTHER CHARGES NOT SETTLED
Schleyer is Remanded Under Reduced
Bail for Trial on Second Charge
But May Be Released in
Few Days

We the jury, find that there is rea-
sohable doubt of the sanity Of the de
PENDANT, Martin Schleyer, on May 10,
1908, at the time of the commission of
the alleged offense charged in the in
formation and find him Not Guilty of
such offense for that reason.
owe further find that the defendant
has recovered and is of sound mind at
this time.
(Signed)
T. F. Smith, Foreman
The above was the verdict of the
jury i'm tho case of the State of Wis
consin VS.. Martin Schleyer, which came
to a sudden termination in the Circuit
Count this morning when the jury re-
turned a sealed verdict to the court
1t came as one of the greatest surprises
even known in the Circuit Court and
Schieyer who had sat yesterday facing
prison as a result of having attempted
to kill his wife, was Immediately given
his liberty on this charge and remanded
to jail under reduced bond to await
hearing on a charge of having at
tempted to kill Herman Koehler. There
are grave doubts as to whether or not
this case will ever be brought to trial
and it is very probable that the verdict
of the jury will result in Schleyer be-
coming free man before the end of
the present term of the Circuit Court
The return of the verdict was at
tended with a scene scarcely ever dup
Heated in the Circuit Court for Keno
sha county. The defendant all but
collapsed and his attorneys as well as
other people in the court room shed
tears Of sympathy for the man. At the
same time the district attorney de-
manded from the court that the panel
which had sat as jurors on the case
be excused from further service at this
term of the court ON the ground that
the verdict was a miscarriage of JUS
tice The court made no reply to the
motion of the district attorney nor did
he show by his actions his opinion of
the verdict of the jury Schleyer him
self was too affected by the sudden ter
mination of the case to even thank the
jury and as the men filed out of the
jury box after rendering the verdict
they found Schleyer sobbing and great
tears running down his cheeks. 1t
was not until after he had been led
from the court room by the sheriff that
he thought of the jury and by that
time they had scattered about the court
room and he had no chance to thank
them, Attorneys Taylor and Stewart,
who had conducted the defense for
Schleyer so successfully, were about as
happy as Schleyer and they rushed out
and grasped the jurors by the hands
and attended to the little cremony that
the defendant had overlooked in his
joy over the outcome
The case was given to the jury just
before five o. clock on Monday after
noon and the instructions Of the court
in regard to the special defense of in
sanity were particularly clear and i'm
partial. Both the attorneys for the
defense and the state were satisfied
with the instructions The members of
the jury had agreed among themselves
not to talk about the case after the
verdict had been rendered, but it is adj
mitted that from the first ballot
majority Of the jurors favored the re-
lease of SchleyeT. It was stated that
the story told by Schleyer made
powerful impression upon the jurors
and while all were from the first of
the opinion that he was sane at the
present time, large majority believed
that he was insane from the alleged
mistreatment of his wife at the time
of the shooting One of the jurors held
out for several ballots, but the final
ballot was taken just after ten clock
AT this time Judge Belden and his as
sociates had retired for the night and
the jury sealed the verdict and left it
in tie keeping of Foreman Smith.
The fact that verdict had been
reached was generally known about the
city and when court convened this
morning there was great crowd of
people in the court room. Schleyer
had hardly hoped for discharge at
this time and when he learned that
verdict had been reached it filled him
with forebodings. He had steeled him
self for further trial and when he
was brought into court he leaned his
head on the table and eagerly searched
the faces of the jurors for some sign
of his fate There was nothing to
show the great JOY that was in store
for him until the clerk after polling
the jury began the monotonous order Of
reading the verdict. schleyer caught