The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-02-07
PIMA COUNTY JURY RENDERS VERDICT
 NOT GUILTY
After Being Out Eight Minutes Jury
 In Tucson Who Tried Supervis-
 ors From This County Declare Officials are Innocent.

1
 the jury in Pima county, sworn to
 try Supervisors Webster, Cosper and
 Billingsley, on a charge of destruction 1 of public records in this county, re-
 turned into court Tuesday afternoon
 and pronounced the, defendants not
 guilty.
 The case went to trial on Monday
 morning and was concluded on Tues day afternoon.
 Supervisor Cosper, Webster and Bill kingsley returned home Wednesday af- ternoon and upon their arrival were the recipients of congratulations of their friends on the speedy termina- tion of the case against them.
 The charges upon which the Super visors of Greenlee County were tried in Pima county, on a change of venue, alleged that Geo. Webster, one of the former Supervisors of this county, threw away the map of the Duncan Clifton road while he and his fellow members were riding along the road in hack on an inspection trip.
 s. F. Await, county road superin- tendent, who was riding in the rear of the hack, testified that Webster threw the map out of the hack and that he (Awalt) picked it up from the side of the road and kept it until the next grand jury met, when the mem bers of the Board were. indicted for destruction of public records.
 l,,,x @f +I4 he saw Await stoop and pick up something from the side of the road and that later Await told him it was the map which Webser had thrown away
 The Tucson Citizen of Tuesday af- ternoon contains the following ac-~ count of the trial:
 Many citizens of Greenlee county testified late Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in defense of Geo. Webster, J. H. T. Cosper and B. F. Billingsley, former supervisors of that county, who are on trial in the Pima county superior court on l charge of abstracting a road map from their office and secreting it. Judge Cooper Monday afternoon overruled the motion of the defense to dismiss because of the failure of the prosecution to make case.
 J. B. Holman the contractor who built the road and who was in the hack at the time Webster is said to have thrown away the map, tes- tified that he did no see him throw i away. Billingsley and Cosper both testified that they did not see it thrown away. Cosper was sitting on the second seat with Webster. Hol- man and Billingsley were in the front seat. s. F. Await, who testified that Webster threw away he map, sat in the rear, facing backwards and dangled his legs, it was asserted. This drive was taken over the Dun- can-Clifton road, on January 1G, 1912, for it's inspection.
 There was no corroborative evil dence that Webster threw away the map.
 All of the men had been looking at the map and passing it back and forth.
 Await was recalled to the stand and admitted that 'he had no particular love for Webster"
 NO motive for the alleged act has been shown by ihe prosecution, it is declared.
 Tn his argument, l.. EearneY Clifton, for the defense, declared | that Await was trying to get clear 'f tho law himself by giving the pap er to the grand jury. He admitted it in his pocket from Janu- ary Is until the grand jury met il May
 Tt was brought out by the defense hat a blueprint of the map was on ile in the county surveyors office md that there never hal been any leed for the original until County Attorney E. V. Horton inquired for t.
 Charles F. Solomon recently elect d president of the Arizona National ank, testified as to the good reputa- ion of the defendants ''
 Henry Hill, W. J. Riley and James I I. Kirby and Nick Cole were witness , S as to the good character of the de , endants.
 Eugene s. Ives appeared as special ! rosecutor in the case He stated that f
 had been retained by telegraph by t