The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-02-03
NO VERDICT GIVEN
IN SCHEhk TRIAL.;
JURY DISMISSED
RETURN STATEMENT THAT THEY
ARE HoPELEssLY DIVIDED
OVER CASE.
MAJORITY WERE FOR ACOUITTAL
Woman Accused of Poisoning Her
Husband in an Attempt to Murder
Him is Remanded to Jail Until
Bond Is Agreed Upon.


WHEELING, w. Va. Jan. 27.. Al
ter struggling for more than twenty.
four hous with a mass of technical
and sensational testimony, the Jury
In the case of Mrs. Laura Farnsworth
Schenk, charged with poisoning her
husband John o. Schenk, announced
that they were hopelnssly divided and
could not reach a verdict. Judge L.
). Jordan importuned them to fur
Their efforts, but at 5:04 .. m. dis
charged them from the case. Tonight
Mrs. Schenk is again in jail, despite
her hopes that she would be a free
woman upon the verdict of the Jury.
The final vote taken by the jury at
ter the long session stood eleven for
acquittal and one for conviction. On
the first ballot, taken within five min.
utes after the jury retired Wednes-
day evening, eight voted Cor acouit-
tai, three for conviction and one iu.
ror refused to vote.
On the second ballot there were
nine votes for acquittal and three for
conviction. From this status those
standing by an acquittal verdict was
gradually worked up to eleven.
The juror who held hopes of yer.
dict was Isaac Heyman salesman for
local provision company. From the
start he held that the accused was
guilty of the crime with which she
was charged, and 1t was finally recog-
nized that there was absolutely no
chance for changing the result.
When the jury was brought into
court at o'clock tonight Judge Jor.
dan asked:
Have you arrived at a verdict"
I'VE have not" replied Foreman
Phillip Burke.
rs there any possibility of arriving
1t an agreement" the Judge asked.
There is not was the emphatic an
,wef.
The jurymen were polled separately
each giving as their opinion that q
could not be arrived at,
Ind they were discharged.
The failure to arrive at a verdict
opens world of possibilities. While
! new trial will be necessary it is
conceded that the task of
selecting a jury will be most difficult.
all the evidence in posses
lion of either side has been brought
'ut and there are few who have not
ormed an opinion.
There was rumor tonight that
10Th the State and the defense will
SIX for certification of the second
earring before Judge H. G. Heryy, of
he Circuit Court.
There was also rumor that charg-
8 of bribery and attempted bribery
ad been made by members of the
ury following their discharge, but
eyeral of the jurors denied the ru-
nors emphatically.
Mrs. Schenk was remanded to jail
the disagreement. The
mount of bond required to secure her
berty, pending second trial, has
OF been determined upon, but will be
xed at once. After her arres. ana
allotment bond was fred at $4,000,
ut 1t Is expected that this will be
educed before second trial 10 held.
No motions were made before ad-
ournment OF court and details o. fu-
ire procedure will be determined
-ithin the next few days.
J. ]. O'Brien, chief counsel for Mrs.
chenk, said tonight:
Tomorrow, before Judge Jordan,
q will ask that Mrs. Schenk be
'eed on her own recognizance. Fail
lg in that, we will ask for reduc-
on in the bond from $4,000 to 5000
nd we shall then invite ten citizens
, go on the bond for $500 each. First
N applying will be allowed to go on
ia bond {"