The Mena weekly star., 1908-03-19
GUILTY 0F CHATTING
PENNSYLVANIA CAPITOL CONsPI. RACY TRIAL RESULTS IN CON-
 vIcTIoN OF DEFENDANTS.
MOTIONS FOR 4 NEW TRIAL ARE FILED
Judge kunkel Gives the Defendants 30 Days in Which to File Their Excep- tiens-cascs Will Be Appealed 1t RetriaI Is Denied--The Penalties h the Case.

Harrisburg. Pa, Mar 15.-The jury in the first of the capitol conspiracy cases to be tried gave verdict Fri day night of guilty as to every one of the four men who have been on trial here for the last seven weeks after six hours deliberation. There were two ballots taken, but the jury did not come into court until two hours after reaching a conclusion.
 The men found guilty are John H. Sanderson, contractor; William P. Shy der, former auditor-general; w. L. Mathues, former state treasurer, and James M. Shumaker,- former superin- tendent of public buildings and grounds.
 Motions for new trials were made in each case.
 Only San1erson and Snyder were in court when the verdict was given and neither would talk None of the coun- sel for the defendants would say any thing about the case. The states at torney when questioned, said that they were pleased with the result of the hard work.
 Maximum penalties for each defen- dant in this case is two years impris. onment and $1 900 fine.
 The four men were convicted of defrauding the state in furnishing the new capitol, which cost the state figure at which the contract was esti- mated
 The convicted men may not be called for sentence for many months, If at all. As soon as the jury, which had been sitting in the case for seven
 weeks. returned it's verdict of guilty as to all four men Friday evening, Judge Kunkel received motions for new trials and allowed 30 days in which to file the reasons. When they are entered upon the record Judge kunkel will set time for argument and will decide the matter at his con venience. The general belief is that no new trial will be granted. but this is mere speculation Should retrial
 be refused the case will be taken to the appellate court.
 Sanderson left for Philadelphia Sat
 urday and Snyder and Shumaker also
 took trains for their homes, refusing
 to talk about the cases Mathues went
 home Friday night
 One of the preliminaries in the next
 case in the series of capitol cases to
 be tried came up before Judge Kunkel
 Saturday when counsel for Joseph M
 Huston of Philadelphia. architect of
 the capitol and designer of the furni
 ture. asked for an extension of time
 in which to make application for a
 separation of Huston's case from that
 of the other defendants to be tried
 next.
 Huston was indicted along with
 severance of his case with the con
 sent Of the prosecution. and 1t was
 rumored that he intended to turn
 states evidence. Huston was not
 called to the witness stand. but his
 assistant in the capitol work, Stan
 ford B. Lewis. gave damaging testi
 nony against the defendants just con
 victed. Lewis is also under indict.
 ment and he will be tried later.
 When the request for an extension
 of time was made Saturday counsel
 for the other defendants in the next
 case to be tried opposed the move. but
 Judge Kunkel decided to grant a con.
 tinuance until Tuesday. It is likely
 counsel for the other defendants will
 also ask for separate trials.