The Sentinel=record., 1911-12-16
SHOW GIRLS
 ACQUITTED
LILLIAN GRAHAM AND ETHEL CONRAD FREED OF CHARGE
 OF SHOOTING STOKES.
Girls Give Way to Emotion When the Verdict is Read--stokes Is Re ported Recovering From
 Operation.

New York. Dec. 15.-Lllliam Ora. ham and Ethel Conrad were freed late today of criminal charges on which they had been held since last June for shooting the millionaire sports man and hotel proprietor, " :. D Stokes. The jury reached It's yer. dict in 5s minutes.
 The shooting show girls" were tried on an indictment of three counts the first charging an attempt to murder Stokes. Of consideration on lhis count, however, the jurors were relieved by Justice Marcus at the re- quest of the district attorney. The court restricted the jury to the sec end and third counts, which charged respectively, assault in the second degree with intent to kill and assault in the second degree with satent to do bodily injury.
 While the jury was delibssting the two defendants were held prisA1crs in an adjoining room. Waiting was ebyseusly g severe ordeal for 6oth When summoned 10 hear the verd'c... Misa Graham appeared completely unt.acg and was assisted into the court room trembling in every limb. The more spirited Miss Conrad came unassisted but she seemed very ner- vous.
 When the foreman annouaced the words, mot guIltys' Mss Conrad cried.
 Thank God.s and went into yio- lent Mysteries. She sank to the counsel table then jumped up again, shrieking and tearing her halr and throwing her arms about wildly. It was surprise to the spectators, for Miss Conrad had kept much the bet ter nerve of the two defendants throughout the trial
 On tho other hand. Miss Graham. who continually wept during the trial and sobbed the more when she heard the verdict, recovered herself when she saw her companion so af- fected and acted as the comforter to her younger friend.
 It was at first thought Miss Con- rad had misunderstood the verdict and her companion tried to assure her that they were free.
 "Oh. Enow," she said. "Tell moth CT we are free. Tell her we are coming home" the girl's hysteria con tinued ten minutes before her friends succeeded in quieting her.
 She recovered as suddenly as she was attacked, and with Miss Ora ham ca her arm. left the court room to be greeted with cheers by a large crowd gathered outside. Many persons stepped forward to shake their hands. They stepped into a taxi and were whirled away to dim enr.
 The jurors took four ballots. Three resulted II to for acquittal, the one man dissenting being in favor of a conviction of second degree assault.
 Spectators who crowded the court room did not appear to be greatly surprised.
 No one was present representing Stokes except counsel. His young wife, who had been in the court room most of the day decided not to wait the outcome.
 1t was said at the Hotel Ansonia some hours later. that the verdict had not been announced to Stokes up to that time. He was said to be stiii dangerously Il
 The summing up arguments 9- slstant District Attorney Buckner made against the girls was a dra- matte feature of the trial. He flour ished the revolvers with which the girls. had shot Stokes and punctuat- ed his recital of the shooting e.1d his scorching denunciaton of both Stokes and the girls by frequent. snaps of the trigger.
 Law must be enforced to be en- nobled, not to be laughed at, giggied at, spat upon and danced upon, and sung over OH the vaudeville stage were some of Mir. Buekner's words.
 He referred to the contentica of counsel for the defense that Mir Stokes could not be punished and