The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-10-30
OAzED WHEN VERDICT IS REilI
Jurors Argue Case for Nearly Twenty
four Hours Before Reaching Ver-
dict-Jurors Talk Like Fathers with
Defendant after Verdict Is announced

Peter Javaltos, charged with the
murder of Otto Langenbaeh, walked
out OF the circuit court room a free
man just before four o'clock Sunday
afternoon and later in the day he lett
Kenosha probably never to return.
The jury which heard the evidence
against JaValtos reached a verdict
aequitting him only after nearly twenty
four hours of consideration OF the evil
dence in the case, The vefdics was
reached just after one o'clock Sunday
afternoon and it was two hours later
that Judge Belden reached the city
from Racine and had the verdict read
to the defendant and the small company
Of people who had gathered i'll the
court room.
Javaltos had sat waiting for the
court hoping against hope that he
might be freed and when Clerk De
Deimar read the verdict of the jury he
seemed to be dazed, In second his
attorney was on his feet thanking the
jury but Javaltos still looked straight
ahead of him seemingly not knowing
the import of the verdict. Later when
the court began to discharge the jurors
aud they left their seats and started
for the coat room Javaltos seemed to
realize just what had happened and he
rushed out and grasped the hands OF
the jurors one at time. The jurors
seemed to take personal interest in
the man they had freed. One OF them
said, "Come along with me Pete and
I'll give you Job on the farm. An
other took the happy boy to one side.
"Now Peter he said, don't let
them get any Of that stuff into your
throat again Peter declared i'll the
presence of all of them that hts life
in the future would be such that they
would never regret that they had fread
hnn from the charges made againat
Aim
The jury had one of the hardest
fights reaching verdict ever known
in the circuit court. The case was sub,
mitted to them just before three o. clock
Saturday afternoon and it is declared
that for four hours the jurors were
equally divided between conviction and
acquittal. At nine clock Saturday
night the Jurors came into court and
asked that portions of the instructions
and portions of tho evidence he reread
to them. At that time there was an
indication that the feeling of the
jurors was favorable to the boy de-
PENDANT. After the evidence had been
read the balance shifted to the side of
the defendant and an early ballot
showed ten for aequittai and two for
conviction, All through the night the
jurors argued. Not once did any of
them start to sleep and at morning and
at noon two jurors still held out for
conviction. They were willing to con-
Wet on a n1incr charge, but they in
sisted OF conviction, These two men
came over just after dinner Sunday af-
ternoon 1t was coincidence that the
Jurors knocked and announced that
they had arrived at a verdict Just as
Judge Belden called from Racine to ask
in regard to the nature of their 1eliber-
atoms. The judge took the first train
out of Racine for Kenosha. District
Attorney Drury, after the verdict had
been read, insisted that the jurors be
polled aud every man answered that the
verdict of not guilty was ana had been
his verdict in the case,
After the jurors had heen discharged
the district attorney threw a little
scare into the defendant by announcing
that he might have a motion to make
Pror'ding for an appeal to the supreme
court as provided in a law passed at
the 1911 session of the legislature, but
after examining the law he declared
that he would not seek to further de,
tain the prisoner and that lnder the
law he saw no reason for an appeal,
The district attorney turned and laval
tos warmly grasped him b. the hand
In the argument of the case the dis
triet attorney had not strongly urged
the extreme charge of the indictment.
Javaltos smiled when he was called
before the bench for the last act in the
ease, Judge Belden made the formal
announcement OF his discharge and
then he took Javaltos into his private
room and for half an hour the two