The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-06-14
JURY DECLARES
 BAILEY GUILTY Given Twenty-on Years For
 Crime Charged CASE LASTED A WEEK .yury Announced Verdict Was Ready About 10 O'clock Last Night and
 Judge Fort Was Summoned
 From Bessemer {
CASE LASTED A WEEK

At t1.15 o'clock last night the jury in the William NJ Bailey case reported it's verdict to Judge William E. Fort. the decision being guilty" with sentence of 2l years.
 The case went to the jury at O'CLOCK l yesterday afternoon. The arguments com- menced Saturday and did not concluos until after o'clock yesterday. $. M. l Allen and R. N. Bell represented the de- | fendant while Solicitor H. P. Heflin ana | Assistant Solicitor Frank Cahalan prose- cuted the case.
 l It was tired body of jurymen that were discharged by Judge William E. Fort after the reading of the verdict. The case was started last Tuesday after noon although the jurors reported Mon~ day moaning and this was the first case on last weeks docket. The juries were formed Monday morning after which court adjourned until Tuesday afternoon out Of respect for the death of Judge A. A. Cole man.
 There were a great number of witnesses examined, the number summoned by the defense being in the neighborhod of l5o. Great trouble and many clashes between counsel arose in the forming Of the jury The hearing was held behind closed doors, only the attorneys and members of the defendants family being allowed within the courtroom. Penalty for the crime with which Bailey was charged ranged from ten years to hanging, the charges being in connection with little 9-year-od girl, at whose home Bailey boarded. The defense en- deavored to established the fact that a common law marriage existed, or that the
 defendant was insane. Hl.Hr.
 Bailey was wonderfully cool when the jury announced ready, the only nervous- ness exhibited by him being in the twitch- ing of his fingers. He stood with a half smile upon his face the jury filed in and Foreman William S. Bell read the verdict, We, the jury. fined the de- | fendant guilty as charged. and fix his sentence at 21 years imprisonment" Baileys face was slightly pale, but con- sidering the large number of months | he has been confined in the Jefferson county jail. the paleness was probably 1 attributable more to this than to any | nervous condition.
 
 advised that 1t was ready to report. Judge | Fort was in Bessemer and was com- | municated with and at once started foy 1 Birmingham. Solicitor Hefln and Assist, | ant Solicitor Cahalan were present De- | fendant's attorneys. Allen & Bell, vert communicated with. but as 1t would have | been an extremely late hour before each could arrive at the courthouse, they re-i | quested Deputy Clerk Dave Williams tq | poll the jury after the reading of thS verdict, which was done, each juror sig nifying his assent to the verdict.
 Bailey an attorney and had exx tremely large acquaintance in Birming- ham. having resided here for a number of years His arrest created quite a sen- sation. Neighbors reported their sus- | picions to Chief of Police Bodeker, who | assigned detectives to the case, and the | arrest followed. The little girl was the chief witness. relating how Bailey had | threatened her with sword. which he | kept in his closet Her parents were ig- norant of the affair until after Baileys arrest had been affected.
 On a former trial Bailey received a sentence of 25 years. He was granted a new trial however. when Judge Fort held l the jury law which existed at the time to be unconstitutional this decision be- ing unheld by the supreme court. This | decision was first rendered in the appeal for new trial by former Policeman w. l P. Reynolds on a murder charge. 1 It Is said that number of ballots were | taken by the jury last night before a | final verdict was arrived at. Every jury | man was for a verdict of guilty One man wanted to give the lowest sentence-ten years-whie one remained solid for quite a while for life Imprisonment. The others | ranged between 15 and 30 years
 One person who stuck by the defend- ant during the trial was his mother. who came to Birmingham from Washington.