Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-04-25

Crowd Waited Until the Finish.
We. the jury. find Harrison Witcho.
wnh, alias Harry Witcheway. the do.
PENDANT, guilty of murder In tho sec
ond degree. ma charged In the within
Indictment, ana fix his punishment n,
IL years in the pcnItentiary.
(Sgned)
wv. w. ROWELL. Foreman"
Having been out three hours ana
is minutes, the Jury IN the case of The
indian slayer OF Dora Hall returned
me above verdict In the Corporation.
court OF lG minutes past 10 o'clock
last night.
Immediately after The reading of the
verdict Attorney Il. M Lett. senior
counsel for the prisoner, made mo.
ton for n new trial on tlie grounds M
errors In the admission and refusing
TO admit testimony. tho misdirection
OF the Jury by the court, ana that the
verdict was contrary TO the law, and
the evidence. The attorney salao M.
nounced that no would reserve. the
right to ask for new trial ON tho
ground of newly discovered evidence.
He explained that after the case went
to the jury he had learned that some
white man, whose name Ia unknown
Mt this time, saw WItchewah ana Dora
Hall going down Twenty-fourth street
toward Writings saloon. This wit.
ness is reported to have said TINT the
couple did not quarrel and that tho
Indian did not strike the woman.
Crowd Cautioned.
As soon MS the jurymen flled into
the court and took their seats I'm The
Jury box, Judge Barham cautioned the
great crowd that packed the cour.
room not to make any demonstration
when the verdict was read. The
court then asked the Jury IL II had
reached verdict. the foreman replied
in the affirmative and handed the yer.
dict to Clerk of Courts ID. G.. Smith.
/ The clerk commanded Harrison
Witehewah 10 stand UP and the yer.
diet was read. The Indian. who was
seated In front of The Jury box and
on the left hand of Mr.. Lett. arose
quickly TO his feet and stood with
dropping shoulders and eyes cast to
the door. He heard the reading OF
the verdict without any outward signs
of emotion, and when he resumed his
seat he continued to keep his eyes to
the floor.
The argument in the tase consumed
four hours anu 35 minutes and II was
! three minutes to G o'clock when the
case was given to the jury. Tho
iurymen Immediately left the court
! room and began Its deliberations. In
response 10 message from Judge
/ Barham. the jury reported at Z
! O'Clock that 1t had not reached an ag-
reement and the court adjourned un.
+, Ill s o'clock The jury was taken 10
| dinner at the Coferton Hotel. but re-
: turned an hour later and was again
| locked UP to continue the considera.
ton of the case. When court re-
convened at s O'clock great crowd
had gathered in the court room.
Prisoner Talks and Laughs.
While the jury was out, Witche-
wall seemed 10 be in unusually good
spirits and he talked with several peo-
pie including one or two of the spec
tators for long time, telling his exper-
! fences. He laughed frequently dur
ing the recitals and had stranger
! walked into the court room at the
time he would never have picked the
Indian as the prisoner charged with
murder.
When the jury reported mt o'clock
that il had not been able to reach an
agreement. fears were entertained
that there would be hung 1iry.
Shortly afted 8 O'Clock, however, the
jury notified the judge that a verdict
would he agreed upon by 10 o'clock.
The crowd waited patiently through
out the time the jury WAS ont.
How Jurors stood.
1t is understood that on the first
ballot cast, five of the jurymcn voted
! for is years in the penitentiary. four
for ten years and the remaining three.
for IL, 12 and il years II seems
Continued on Page Two.)