The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-24
SHAUNTY'S SLAYER
FREED FROM JAIL
Grand Jury Returns No Indlct-
ment Against Woman Who
Shot Lover.
SELF-DEFENSE is PROVEN
FIRST LAW OF NATURE UPHELD
BY FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS.

For the first time In the history Of
the United States court in the Salt Lake
district, q grand jury yesterday failed
to return an indictment In case where
murder was charged. When the grand
jury made its f1nal report at 10 O'Clock
yesterday morning to Judge John A.
Marshall, the court was informed that
the case against Laura Vandaveer
Shaunty, charged with the murder of
Paul Shaunty. her common-law hus-
band. a private at Fort Douglas. March
10, 1910, had been ignored and not a true
bill had been returned.
The woman's story Of self-defense had
apparently been sufficiently corrobora-
tive to convince the jury.
Mrs. Shaunty was busy cleaning her
cell at the county Jail yesterday when
she heard the key grind in the big lock
downstairs. She heard Jailer Bert Sea-
ger conversing with another man. She
stopped sweeping and listened. She
heard them climbing the stairs TO her
cell. 4 minute later she heard the
words, You are freei"
A few minutes later she left the jail
in company with United States Mar
shall L. II. Smyth.
After leaving the Jail she went to an
uptown restaurant, where she had a cup
of coffee, and then she took a South
Temple street car and went to the home
OF a friend at 70 Alameda street, where
she will remain several days until her
father. who lives at Wellington, Kan,
sends her money with which to go
home.
Can't Forget Tragedy.
While naturally deeply thankful that
she is eXOnerated of the crime Of MUIR
der and will not have to Withstand the
ordeal OF a long trial, the young wom-
an last night said that she feared that
she would never be herself again. as
she could not erase the bitter memories
of the terrible tragedy.
Sentimentality nor the sO-called I'M
written law did not enter into the de-
liberatiOns OF the grand jury In the case
of the young woman. It is said that
the evidence adduced before the body
satisfied them beyond a reasonable
doubt that when Laura Vandaveer
killed the soldier Shaunty, she acted
solely In defense of her own life.
Mrs. Vandaveer appeared before the
grand jury, told her whole life story,
described the scene which took place in
the kitchen Of Captain Willis Uline's
house where she was working on the
afternoon when Shaunty entered and
choked and abused her. She enacted
over again the scene OF the shooting.
and when she had finished she was so
overcome that she had to be taken to
the county Jail in a carriage and serV-
Ices of physician were necessary.
Procured Marriage License.
The young woman told of her meet
ing Shaunty shortly after she went to
the post to work two years ago. She
said he promised to marry her, but as
he did not keep his promise when the
day appointed for the ceremony came.
she insisted and kept insisting until he
finally secured a marriage license. The
services were never performed, and no
return was made on the license.
The witnesses who testified before
the gand jury in the case were Captain
Willis Uline, Theodore MacConneu, Mrs.
Ralph D. Grow, Charles NJ. Scott, e. 3.
Dusenberry, Minnie Stellar. Martha
Price, Major Manley, William Hart
man. Private Mclaughlin and Lieutens
ant X. S. Snow.
Grand jury which considered the case
was made up OF a number Of the
wealthiest and most prominent men of
the state, as the following personnel
viii show:
w. W. Ritter, Salt Lake, foreman; w.
w. Armstrong, Salt Lake, secretary;
Jesse Knight, Provo; H. G. Bates, Salt
Lake; Josiah Beck, Provo; G. 3. Blake
~, Salt Lake; NJ. ". Butler, Trenton;
ID. a. Callahan, Salt Lake: w. S. Chin
man, American Fork; John Farr Og-
den; Thomas Gillian, Richfeld: ] s
McBeth, PaysOn: L. w. Nelson, Amer
lean Fork; D. C. Reed, Brigham City;
Thomas P. Thompson, Ephraim; A. P.
VOORHEES,, Manti.