The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-10-30
EDUND NOT GUILTY
BY The JURY.
M, Eaton Freed Of Charge Of
Poisoning Her Husband at
an Early Hour This
Morning.
BEvEN MONTHS IN JAIL
evidence Was All circumstantlal,
put Woman Had sympathy
u the Jurors and the
People.

IfUnited Press Leased Wire Service.1 |
PLYMOUTH, Mass, Oct. 30.-After
seYen months Imprisonment on the
charge of having murdered her hus-
band, Rear Admiral Jos. G. Eaton, by
poison, Mrs. Jennie May Eaton step-l
ped from the court house here early
today, free woman. 1t was before
daybreak when the jury which had
heard the case against Mrs. Eaton fl
ed into the court room sH.er eight
i hours of deliberation and announced
the acquittal of the accused woman.
She gripped the arms OF her attorneys
| Standing on either side of her and then
sank into a chair. The news was
flashed by telephone to the Eaton
| home at Assinippi where the accused
Roman's crippled daughter Dorothy,
and her aged mother. Mrs. Virginia
Harrison, had waited throughout the
night. Mrs. Eaton then went to a
waiting auto and sped away to them.
1t was late yesterday when the
Judge completed his charge and gave
the case to the jury. A large crowd
waited in the court room throughout
the night. Before daylighl word came
from the foreman that decision had
been reached. The judge hurried
from his room in the hotel and the
verdict was received.
The all night session Of the jury nan
led to reports of a disagreement and
considerable uneasiness showed in the
CROWD 9hich was openly il, sympathy
with the accused woman. Many Ie-
lieyed it was the record of Mrs. Eaton
as wife, mother. and daughter, as
told by herself on the witness stand
which had !. the greatest influence IN
causing her acquittal. Although the
prosecution was at no time able TO
prove direct case against Mrs. Eaton
circumstantial evidence was very
damaging. 1t had been shown that
the accused woman had hurried from
her daughters home to her own home
on March 5 on hearing June's declara'
ton that Admiral Eaton had proposed
toher putting Mrs. Eaton anI Ralph
Keyes, June's husband, out of the way
That same evening Admiral Eaton
took sick and on Saturday morning
March s, he died. With this evidence
and the testimony Of neighbors agains
her. the accused woman took the
stand and for three days was re
markabis witness.
Failing at conviction, the prosecu
ton hoped to prove Mrs. E-ton in
sane. On the Etand she Was clear
headed, calm and convincing. She de
veloped the story Of her life as a lif
of service to her husband and he
daughters and withstocd ali ettemp
by the prosecution to involve her II
contradictions. The defense prove'
the admiral to be drug user and hi
wife explained that she hurried hom
on hearing her daughters story be
cause she knew the admiral must b
under the influence Of drugs and need
ed protection"
The five physicians placed In tn
court room by the prosecution to oil
serve the prisoner for signs OF insaI
ity failed. Mrs. Eaten is today pract
cally penniless. Her aged mother wa
weakened by her ordeal on the stan
and the strain of the trial. What
left of the Eaton family. faces diff
cult future.
Mrs. Eaton had been confined In tn
Plymouth jail since March 20