Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-09
POSITION GIVEN
AN AlCQU||T|TIA||IL||. Al:
JURYAFTERDE LIBERATiNGsFRoM
NOON UNTIL $3.50 p. Nj
CLEARS DEFENDANT,
NOTHING TO SAY.
Walter Rankin Stated That He Had
No Comment to Make on the Yer.
dict Beyond That He Did Not
See How it Was Reached. :.

After adeliberating from 11:45 a. M,
until $3.50 o. M, yesterday the jury in
I the case OF the state against Joe Pos.
| ton charged with forging the name OF
! W. w. Rankin to receipt for $l25
alleged to have been paid by the Lelsy
| brewing interests through Poston 70
Rankin, returned a verdict 'of not
| guilty. Thus after trial that Ill cnar-
| acter of the testimony brought out
| was most sensational, heard for a long
time in the county, Joe Poston steps
down and out without the charge or
! forgery being made to stick, and MS
I chief accuser has not been substan-
tiated in his position as regards varl-
GUS parts of his testimony, especially
that of his denial Of the signing OF the
receipt. While the case was not one
in which Mr.. Rankin was on trial for
accepting money from saloons to dis
miss cases he had brought for the Law
and Order league, the chief interest
in the case centered around a receipt
acknowledging the acceptance OF $l2o
for dismissing three saloon cases.
The possibilities of disbarment pro-
ceedings being brought as the result OF
the iurys verdict do not seem likely
REGARDLESS of the inference that many
draw from the jurys verdict. Mem
bers of the bar today said they did not
believe any action would be taken.
Juror Held Out Long.
There was great speculation as to
the probable outcome of the jury's
action after that body had retired to
deliberate yesterday. Most of the
opinion early in the afternoon favored
Poston, but as the hours grew and no
verdict was reported, the guesses be-
gan to change and the prospect of a
hung jury was discussed at large. The
action of the jury as has leaked out
since the rendering of it's verdict Is to
the effect that it stood one to eleven
almost throughout the deliberations.
The first informal ballot is said to
have shown two for conviction and ten
for acquittal. One of those voting for
conviction is said to have stated that
he voted for a conviction because he
thought they were going to free Pos
ton on the informal ballot and he
wanted to discuss the evidence lit
tie before deciding. He then cast his
ballot for acquittal at all of the follow;
ing ballots which are said to have
stood eleven to one until the last and
w.
THAT the man who held out stated that
he could not satisfy himself that the
defendant was innocent. ~"
The verdict was reached at $3.50
O'Clock last night and the court was
called to the court house to receive
the verdict, after which he dismiss
the jury '''r
40 Made No Comment.
Mr.. Rankin when sought this morn
ing to ascertain what his views were
regarding the verdict was found on
his Davis county farm near Ash Grove
where heshad gone early today. The
telephone was made the means of COM
munication and when he was asked his
opinion Of the verdict he said that
he did not see how such a verdict was
reached. He stated that he was ma
turally not pleased with it, but coulG
not appeal and felt that there was
nothing to say or do regarding it. He
has no inclination to take the matter
any further and inasmuch as the court
has acted upon it, he felt that nothing
more was left to do.