The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-06-13
HARVEY GUNION
is NOT GUILTY
WAS ACCUSED OF SHERWOOD
MURDER AT WELlsBURc.
Took the Jury Just Forty-t~o Min
utes to Declare Prisoner
Was Innocent.

The case OF the State vs.. Harvey
Gunion. which has been going on for
the past two days in the Brooke
county circuit court at Wellsburg,
went TO the jury yesterday afternoon
at EOS O'Clock. and a verdict of not
guilty was found. The closing ad-
dresses were made by Prosecutor
Ramsey for the state and John J.
Coniff for the defense.
But few witnesses were heard yes
terday. as most OF the witnesses for
the defense were heard at the after
noon session OF the day before. The
first witnesses called were character
witnesses, who testified as to the
previous good character of the &C
cused. Among these witnesses were
NJ. l. Wells. F. II. Caldwell and
Henry Stengle. Then the defendant
himself was put on the stand in his
own behalf His testimony consisted
of a complete denial OF the confes-
sion OF Cheney as to how the crime
was committed. Ramsey. for the
state. put the accused through a hard
cross examination. and but few ad-
ditional facts were brought out. The
accused was the last witness for the
defense. and the state had no evil
dence TO offer in rebuttal.
Closing Arguments.
Prosecutor Ramsey opened the ar
Gument for the state by summing up
the evidence and pointing out the
connecting links in Cheney's confess
sion with the testimony of the other
Witnesses for the state. His opening
statement was short.
took up the story told by Cheney. and
in his usual oratorical way, summed
up the evidence for the defense. lie
pictured Gunion as a chicken-hearted
man. who would not harm a mosquito
let alone strike a man. He said that
Cheney's story was contradicted nj
every point. and that Cheney and not
Gunion was the real murderer He
ended his argument with a strong
plea for his client. stating he was
well known as a peaceful, law abiding
citizen.
Ramsey concluded the argument
for the state I'm an excellent manner
ard said that Gunion was not the
boy that Coniff had pictured. but that
he was a man thirty-nine years OF
age. and that the looks would not por-
- ae Inv AeAA q AAAaN AAt was a u lllAudl
He concluded by saying that the evil
dence was sufficient for the jury TO
return a verdict Of murder in the
first degree.
The Jury was then conducted to
the jury room to consider their YER
dict and at 200 returned a verdict
OF not guilty.
Engle Trial.
Immediately at the conclusion Of
the Gunion murder trial. the case Of
George Engle was taken up. This
case was one Of unusual interest in
that Mrs. Rose Cooper. a prominent
nlilliner OF this city. was held up one
Saturday night. a few weeks ago. by
some man. who approached her from
behind and struck her over the head
with a baseball bat Blood hounds
we're put on the track OF the hold
! up man. and as a result George Engle.
who lived in a houseboat below town,
was arrested for the crime. and Dave
Lindsay. friend OF the accused man,
was arrested on the some night in
connection with the crime. as IL was
said that he periured himself in tell
I ing of the whereabouts OF Engle.
Attorney Ramsey. prosecutor Of
/ Brooke county. represented the state
and Attorney :. y. Cochrane OF this
/ city appeared for the defendant.