Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-09-10
SILENT AS TO BROWNE
Minority Leaders AcquittaI Is
Discussed With RooSe-
welt Incident.
Chicago, Sept. 10.-Senator
Lorimer today resigned from
the Hamilton club.


Chicago, Sept. 10.-The Jury
which yesterday acquitted Lee O'Neil
Browne of Ottawa, ILL.,, legislative
minority leader, charged with brib-
cry in connection with the election
of William Lorimer of Chicago to
the United States senate, took eight
ballots. and was out 21 hours. On
the first ballot the jury stood eight
to four for acquittal. The final Juror
standing out for conviction was won
over to sign the verdict at 2:35
o'clock in the afternoon for acquit-
tai. The verdict was returned in
open court a few minutes before
o. clock.
Friends I'm Uproar.
Immediately the court room was
in an uproar. II was ten minutes
before bailiffs stopped the cheering
which percolated through corridors
and down elevators of the criminal
court building to the street.
Browne was lunching at a down
town hotel when he received a tele-
phone message informing him that
the jury had arrived at a verdict.
He scrambled into an automobile
and was whisked 70 the court, ar
riving in time to hear the reading of
the verdict. His eyes flled with
tears as the clerk OF the court nm
ished reading. second later he
threw his arms about Attorney
Charles Erbstein of the counsel for
the defense. Browne was then hoist
ed to the shoulders Of friends and
carried out of the court room, amid
handshaking and cheering.
stu Under Indictment.
Browne appeared as greatly pleas
ed as If he had been completely alb
solved of further trouble I'm relation
to the vexing subject of Senator Lor-
liners election. Apparently he had
forgotten that he is under indict-
ment on the same charge and will
have to face trial at Springfield in
Sangamon county. When this sub
ject was mentioned TO Attorney Erb-
stein, the lawyer said:
Don't worry about Springfield
we'll take care of that when It comes
up"
II owe my life to the lawyers that
defended me-" Browne exclaimed
when he caught his breath. 1T is
all due to their answering and alb
solute devotion to me. l owe every
thing to them. / thank them from
my heart"
Wayman silent.
States Attorney Wayman was
plainly put out by the verdict. At
a - al L..
his private office he made the fol-
lowing statement:
"The verdict speaks for itself; the
public knows the evidence. / pre-
sented the evidence and did every
thing that a public prosecutor could
do. The state of Illinois will reap
the benefit of the prosecution regard
less of the verdict have nothing
further to say"
The verdict in the Browne case
came as a dramatic aftermath to
Thursdays sensational incident be-
tween Colonel Roosevelt and Sena-
tor Lorimer regarding the Hamilton
club banquet. The Roosevelt-Lori-
mer incident was frequently men-'l
toned by people discussing the
Browne verdict.
LOrfmer UncOncerned.
Senator Lorimer was attending a
meeting of directors of the La Sale
Street National bank when he heard
of the verdict. A telephone girl at
the bank received the message. Leav-
ing her switch board she hastened
to the directors room where she
handed a paper with the words mot
guilty" to John 1. Hughes, director
He read the terse message and then
handed it to Lorimer. He read It.
tore it up carefully and continued
his remarks to the directors. Not
until the meeting adjourned did the
other directors learn of the verdict.
The senator left the bank for home
without discussing the matter and
refused to make any statement re-
garding it. He was as calm and taci-