The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-06-29
VERDICT REACHED
IN WOOD|LL
INQUEST
FOUR JURORS RECOGNIZE ELE-
MENT OF TRUTH IN LETTER
Decision is, "Eastman Killed Mrs.
Woodill or Was Accessory to
the Murder"

st. Michaels, Md, June 2S-Tht
verdict of the coroners jury in thC
Woodill murder case was that East
man killed Mrs Woodill or was acces
sorry TO the murder"
II was compromise verdict, as -four
of the members of the jury refused tc
sign until the words "or accessory tc
the murder were added,
st, Michacls. Md, June 2S.-with
| the compromise verdict OF the coro
ner's jury that Robeh e. Eastman
| either killed or was an accessory to
the murder of Edith May Woodill and
the declaration OF States Attorney
| Taylor that he was through with the
case, the strange dual tragedy which
has for nearly a week focused the
eyes OF the entire country upon this
little out-of- -theway hamlet of Mary
lands famous eastern snore, became
a closed incident today.
Four Of the twelve jurors refused to
sign the verdict, and the words "or
accessory to the crime were added
TO the draft which. approved by the
majority, bluntly accused Eastman of
the murder The four dissenting jury
men merely wished to protest, they
said, against the manner in which the
inquiry was conducted, declaring much
available evidence was not adduced.
The letter left by Eastman for his
wife in which he said that Mrs. Wood
i'll had been killed by woman in a
Jealous frenzy. was not read There
was just bit of petty politics mixed
up in the verdict for some of the mem
bers OF the jury nave been bitter po.
litical enemies in Talbot county af-
fairs.
The jury sat for time today In the
bungalow itself. with Eastman's un-
| barked grave not fifty feet away. Mrs.
Eastman had visited the place earlier
In the day and had stood dry eyed for
a time beside the new-made mound
Some one with Ill judged humor had
planted tomato vine on the grave.
Mrs. Eastman, thinking the vine a
native flower, asked what it was. No
one had the temerity to tell her. She
stood by the grave until at last a con-
vulsive shudder shook her shoulders
Then she was led away.
From the testimony the autorities
have formed this final theory:
That Eastman was In need Of
money; that he probably had been
getting money from Mrs. Woodill for
some time; that he undoubtedly knew
something Of her past life and that
he had been blackmailing her; that
he attempted 10 continue this practice
and that the woman rebelled, init
mating that she, too, had found out
certain things about Eastman and that
if driven TO it she would expose him.
-. Eastman's dread of serving a term
in the penitentiary is-well known. His
wife has said That he told her he
would rather commit suicide than be
locked up,
AS to why Mrs. Woodill went to t:1e
bungalow there was no evidence. An
interesting development was the find
ing Of the scraps of a torn letter in
the cracks Of the bungalow floor Lit
tie sense could be made from the frag-
ments.
The letter evidently was about the
visit of someone to some place, to be
"chapcroned or not, as she saw fit"
The compromise verdict declared
that on Sunday June 20, on Broad
creek. Robert Eastman felonlously
killed, or was accessory to the crime
OF numbering Edith May Thompson
Woodill, wife Of Gilbert Woodill Of
Los Angeles, Cal"
The four dissenting jurymen were
deeply impressed when they first read
Eastman'S letter giving his story of
the crime, and while they morally be-
lieved him alone guilty. they desired
that every other possible factor in the
case should be eliminated. They COM
planned that no testimony showing
that Eastman and Mrs. Woodill met at
Royal Oak station on Saturday anda
were last seen together in a motor
boat was officially shown
There was talk today of having an
analysis made Of the contents of the
bottle found in the shack yesterday
and which is believed to- have con-
tained narcotic drugs which may have
been used upon Mrs. Woodrl prior
to her murder But the analysis was
regarded as unnecessary in view of the
finding of the jury. and the coroner re-
marked that the county had spent
enough money on the lamentable case
Mrs. Eastman was granted letters
of administration and all OF her hus-
bands real and personal property will
be turned over to her She soon will |
return to the stage.
Three witnesses gave interesting
testimony before the coroners jury, |
but developed nothing TO change ma
teriolly the complexion of the strange |
case.
William Sutton. who went TO the !
shack to ask Eastman to attend re-
ligious meeting, definitely fixed the |
time of his visit as Sunday afternoon,
between 8 and 6 o'clock. This also
definitely fixed the time of the murder
as occurring on Sunday night SUIT
ton swore that he heard Mrs. Woodlll's
voice, There was nothing to indicate
that she and Eastman were OF had
been engaged IN a quarrel,
George Powell testified that he
spent all day Sunday at Suttons
farm. within view of the bungalow.
and that he saw no one go near the
shack that day. Powell said he met
Eastman on Wednesday in front OF
the bungalow, and that, for the first
time In their acquaintance. Eastman
did not ask him 10 come in. Eastman
said he had Just returned from the
greatest trip of his life, and that he
hdu hdu experiences WHICH would
make great reading" Powell's testi-
mony seems 10 do away with the story
that a party of people in launch
visited the bungalow on Sunday
Powell said Eastman told him he
had picked up some girls at St Mich
aels on Saturday. and had asked them
If they would go TO the bungalow in
his launch. They agreed and every
thing went we'll until The launch
grounded of Robert Seths place.
Then the girls got cold feet" East
man said. and wanted To go home.