The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-12-16
Lillian Graham and Ethel
Conrad Declared Not
Guilty
TAKES JURY JUST So MINUTES
Four Ballots Taken-on
Three it Stood IL to l For
Acquittal
Ethel Conrad Breaks Down
When Verdict is
Announced.

New York, Dec. 16-Thc verdict of
not guilty was returned late yester-
| day freeing lillian Graham and Ethel
Conrad of criminal charges on which
they had been held since last June,
for shooting the millionaire sportsman
and hotel proprietor, w. IL. ID. Stokes.
The jury reached It's verdict in slight
| lS less than an hours elaboration
5S minutes to be exact
"Tho shooting show girls" were tried
on an indictment of three counts, the
FIRST charging an attempt to murder
Stokes. OF consideration of this count
however, the jurors were relieved by
Justice Marcus, at the request of tae
district attorney Tho court restricted
the jury TO the second and third
counts, which charged, respectively as
sault in the first degree with intent to
MIL and assault in the second degree
with intent to do bodily injury.
WAITING A SEVERE ORDEAL.
While the jury was dclibcrating the
two defendants were held prisoners Ia
an adjoining room. Waiting was OBJ
viously severe ordeal for bota. When
summoned to hear the verdict Miss
Graham appeared completely unstrung
and was assisted into the courtroom
trembling in every limb. The moro
spirited Miss Conrad came unassisted.
but she seemed highly nervous.
When the girls faced the foreman
and he announced the words mot
guilty" Miss Conrad cried; THANK
God" and went into violent Mysteries
She sank 10 the counsel table. then
jumped up again. shleking and tear
ing her hair und throwing her arms
about wildly. II was a surprise To- the
spectators, for Miss Conrad had kept
much the better nerve of the two de-
PENDANTS throughout the trial.
TELL MOTHER WE ARE FREE
II was al FIRST thought that Miss
Conrad had misunderstood the verdict
and her companion tried to pssuro her
that they were free,
"Oh, | know" she said. "Tcll mother
We are free. Tell her we are coming
home"
The girls hysteria continued fully 10
minutes, before her friends succeeded
IN quieting her.
she recovered as suddenly as she
was attacked, ana with Miss Graham
on her arm, issued from the courtroom
TO he greeted with cheers by n large
I crowd gathered outside. Many per-
sans stepped forward to shake their
hands. They stepped into taxicab and
were whirled away to dinner,
The jury arrived at its verdict after
taking four ballots. on three of them
ljurymen voted each time II to / for
lacqulttal, the one man dissenting be-
ing in favor of conviction on second
degree assault
| NEWS NOT BROKEN TO STOKES.
The spectators who crowded the
courtroom did not appear to be greatly
surprised. No one WAS present repre-
sentlng Stokes except counsel His
young wife, who had been In the court
roo mmost of the day, decided not to
wait the outcome, 1t was said at the
Hotel Ansonla, some hours later, that
the verdict had not been announced to
Stokes uD TO that time. He was said
to be still dangerously III and in con-
siderable pain, following the recent
operation for the removal Of an abs.
cess Of his kidneys,
Judge Marcus said in his charge to
the jury that the only theory of the
defense was self-defense. He declared
that all the other matters brought out
lr the case were relevant only to show
the relations of the parties He eau
toned the jurors not to let their emo
tions overrun their reason simply be-
cause the defendants were women.
Stokes was shot when he called al
the apartments of the show girls on