Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-07-15

little Cletis Hlggs who was killed, and
Edward Hoy and his wife, father and
mother of Perry Hoy, were also in
the court room. The case has attract
ed wide attention through the county
and there is much speculation as to
the extent of the verdict.
SATURDAY..
In the circuit court, on yesterday
morning, the jury, which had been
adjourned over until that hour from
the session the previous night, in the
case of A rcii Brown, who was being
trie I'd for the murder of Perry Hoy
and Cletis Higgs, were brought into
court in charge Of the sheriff, and
again sent to their room by the court
to further consider of their verdict.
About fifteen minutes, thereafter, the
jury filed into the court room and
took their seats. It was evident to
every one present that a verdict had
been agreed upon, but whether 1t
would prove to be a verdict for life
imprisonment, or verdict OF murder
in the first degree, could only be told
after the verdict was read. There
was deep silence in the court room.
The entire audience, which filled the
hall even at this early hour, was
impressed with the solemnity Of the
occasion, and the deep meaning OF
the words which were soon to be
spoken The prisoner Arch Brown,
who had prior to that time been
hold ing a handkerchief to his face,
removed it as the jury entered, and
again assumed his previous, stolid
composure. 1t is said that when at
supper last night i'll the Jail, he
completely broke down and wept
copiously, and that he told other
prisoners that he believed he would
be sent to the electric chair. The
foreman of the jury handed the in
dictment to tine clerk, who proceeded
to read, written upon the back there
OF, the following words: We the
jury find the prisoner, Arch Brown,
guilty Of murder in the first degree as
charged against him in the indict-
ment.' - Signed-H. H. Patterson,
foreman. Then in the stiffness that
| pervaded the court room, the clerk
in tones heard throughout the hall,
said tAnd SO say you all gentle
men, ITO Which there was responsive
nod from each and every juror, show
ing that the verdict was unanimous.
The prisoner heard the verdict with
less apparent tremor than many Of the
people who filled the room, SO that it
was evident, the verdict was expected
by him, and consequently no sur
prise. AS soon as the jury had re-
gumed their seats and quiet was re-
Istored, Mr.. II. III. Blease, of counsel
for the prisoner, arose and moved the
court to set aside the verdict as con-
trary to the law and evidence. He
further asked the court to reconsider
some of the instructions given and
some which he had declined to give.
Judge Letcher agreed to hear the
motion at some later period and set
Saturday the 18th as the day to heal
argument upon the formal motion.
| Now that the trial is over, the pub
| lie sentiment is more tree of express
ion and the public generally is dis
cussing ii e verdict in way different
Of course: from the discussions which
| took place before the trial. The gen
eral sentiment seems to be that the
verd let was entirely just and proper,
| indeed that no other verdict coul |
under the evidence have been render
| 81, unless, out of extreme mercy on
the part Of the jury, they had sub
mitted to verdict of life imprison-
neut It is the general coneensus of
opinion, that no matter what other
evidence might have been introduced,
the statement of Brown alone cut the
ground from under him, and rendered
any verdict short of murder in the
first degree, almost impossible. The
public was led to believe that it
would be shown that he was crazed
by wh1skey, OF possibly almost in
sanely drunk at the time of the com
mission of the cri ne. and that under
| these circumstances it might be pos
sible to find less punishment than
has been inflicted, but when Brown
himself came upon the stand, he de-
MED that he was in such mental and
| physical condition, and in fact show
Ell such generalization and such care
full working out of the determination
to kill Abe Hoy, as left no doubt in
the minds of the jury and of the pub
lie, that whilst he might have been
more stimulated to the act by reason
Of the fact that he had been drinking
whiskey, ne could scarcely have been
| in frame of mind to show more de-
liberation of purpose, OF better plan
ningof his designs.
| He showed that he had taken away
the gun from the house of James Ross
without any intention of using it, but
with ar intention of divesting Abe
Hoy of any means of defending him
| self with a gun, that he went to the
h ome Ct John Irvine, where there was
gun he had often used, picked it out
| from amongst other guns, filled it
| with shot of different sizes most like
| y to kill, and remembered the size
shot employed ana the manner in
which he placed the shells in the gun
with reference to the size of the SIN Ut,
the first she' bin, sasli loslAl
| with buck hot; that he then supplied
himself web six other shells, that he