Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-10
Minority Leader of Illinois Legisla.
ture Cleared of Bribery Charge in
Lorimer Election.
QUICK VERDICT is SURPRISE
Accused is Not in Court Room When
Jury is Ready.
DEMONSTRATION BY FRIENDS
Throws Arms About Attorney in
Warm Embrace.
FACES ANOTHER INDICTMENT
Victor In second Trial May Have tS
Face sUn Another Charge ON
Allegation of Same
Character.
FACES ANOTHER INDICTMENT


Character.
CHICAGO. sept 9.-Lee o'Nen Browne
minority leader of the Illinois legislature,
charged with bribery In connection with
the election of william Lorimer to the
United States senate, was found not guilty
by jury in the criminal court today This
was Brownies second trial The jury dis
agreed in the first trial
The speedy verdict was a surprise 10
the many who had watched the progress OF
the second trial and had feared that
repetition of the tedious deliberations of the
first jury would close the case,
When the word that the Jury had agreed
was sent to Judge Kersten Browne was
not in the courtroom and there was n short
delay after the jury filed in before he ar
rived.
The reading of the verdict absolvlng
Browne from guilt was greeted with cheers
from friends OF Browne who crowded the
courtroom. Browne turned to his attorney,
Charles Erbstein, and threw his arms
around his neck and for a moment they
embraced.
The balffs were rowerless to maintain
order and with rush Brownies friends
lholsted him TO their shoulders and carried
him around the courtroom continuing their
cheers.
A sembiance Of order was restored by
vigorous efforts on the part OF court Of
fcias and the jury was polled The basis
of the indictment against Browne was
that he had brbed Representative Charles
A. White of o Fallon, Ill.,, his colleague on
the democratic side of the Illinois general
assembly to vote for William Lorimer for
United States senator.
! Browne, who is a candidate in his home
district for a seat in the next Legislature
faces another indictment voted by the
Sangamon county grand jury in Spring
| field and based on the same allegations of
having brlbed Representative white
| Details OF Deliberations.
The Jury, which took eight ballots, was
out twenty-one hours. on the first ballot
! the jury stood eight to four for acqulttal.
The final Juror standing out for conviction
was won over to sign the verdict of ao-
! quittal at 2:2j o'clock this afternoon. The
| verdict was returned IN open court a few
! miutes before 3 o'clock. Immediately the
! court room was In an uproar. 1t was ten
minutes before baliffs stopped the cheering
which percolated through the corridors and
down the elevators of the criminal court
! building to the street
Browne was lunching at a down town
hotel when he received a telephone mes
sage informing him that the jury had ar
rived at a verdict He scrambled into an
automobile and was whIsked TO the court.
arriving in time to hear the reading of the
verdict His eyes filled with tears as the
clerk of the court finished reading,
Browne appeared greatly pleased as
though he had been completely absolved Of
| further trouble in relation to the vexing
subject of Senator Lorimer's election. Ap-
|
| Indictment on tho samo charge and will
have to face trial at Springfield in sanga-
mon county. When this subject was mem
| toned to Attorney Erbstein the lawyer
said:
Don't worry about Springfield, we'll
take care OF that when 1t comes up"
Credit 20 Lawyers.
| II owe my life to the lawyers who de-
Tended me-" Browne exclaimed when he
caught his breath at is all due to their
unswerving and absolute devotion to me.
owe everything to them. thank them
from my heart"
States Attorney Wayman was plainly put
out by the verdict At first he refused 10
talk Later, in his private office, he made
the following statement:
"The verdict speaks for itself The pub
lie knows the eVldenct. presented tHo
evidence and did everything that public
prosecutor could do. The state OF Illinois
will reap the benefit Of the prosecution re-
gardless of the verdict have nothing
further TO say"
The verdict in the Browne case came as
dramatic aftermath TO yesterdays sensa-
ltional incident between Colonel Roosevelt
and Senator Lorimer regarding the Hamil-
ton club banquet.
The Roosevelt -Lorimer incident was fire.
quently mentioned by people discussing the
Browne verdict
Senator Lormer was attending a meeting
Iof directors of the La sale Street National
bank when word was given him concerning
the verdict. A telephone girl at the bank
received the message. Leaving her switch
board she hastened to the directors room,
. where she handed paper with the words.
mot guilty. 10 John !. Hughes, a director.
Mr.. Hughes read the terse message and
then handed it to Senator Lormer. lie
read 1t. tore it up carefully and continued
his remarks TO the directors. Not until
the meeting had adjourned did the other
,|directors learn Of the verdict.
The senator left the bank for home with
out discussing the matter and refused to
make any statement regarding H. He was
las calm and taCiturn as though nothing un-