Evening star., 1914-11-15
Calvert County Judge Holds
Sufficient Evidence Not E
Produced.
EGGLEST0N, CAN'T AND
KING ARE ACQUITTED
Were Accused of Conspiracy to Muir.
der and Rob Washington In
surance Man.
From a Stafr Correspondent.


PRINCE FREDERICK. Md. Novem-
ber 14.-Dr. ]. D. Eggleston of Takoma
Park, Thomas CAN'T and Richard King.
farmers. residing near Chesapeake
Beach. Nd, were acquitted here this
afternoon by Judge John p Briscoe
of a charge of conspiracy.
1t was charged by the prosecution
that the three defendants in June last
conspired to murder and rob Gilbert
Cave. a Washington insurance man, in
a lonely wooded spot near Chesapeake
Beach.
Following a trial. the most SEN
sational of which has ever been con-
Quoted in the little courthouse here.
Judge Briscoe. before whom the de
fense had elected to hear the case. de
clared that he could not find any evi-
dence in the case where the three men
| had formed a conspiracs- He said
further that If there was a conspiracy
| the evidence s howed that IL had
been formed in Washington. and in
| that case Ii was without the jurisdic
| tion of Calvert county. He therefore
adjudged the three defendants mot
guilty"
Drew Great Crowd.
BY the time Judge Briscoe had taken
| the. case under consideration for de-
cision it seemed as If all the farmers
| in Calvert county were at the trial or
about the courthouse.
Sheriff George Hardy of Prince
Georges county. Nd. told of the arrest
| of the three men and of conversations
| he had with CAN'T and King. He also
| told of working on the case In Cal
vert county.
| Washington was the next witness: He
testified as to having gone to Takoma
Park with Sheriff Hardy and the ar
rest of DIR. Eggleston there. He gave
testimony as to the statements. which
he said Can't and King made. and also
| Harry kober, a blacksmith of Wash
| ington.
Kober, who had been referred to in
| the testimony of Sheriff Hardy and
Detective Burlingame as the fourth man
in the case" created much surprise
| when he answered to his name when
called as a witness. States Attorney
J. Frank Parran had not received in
formation that Kober had come here
for the trial and was about to close
the case, when he said to Judge Bris-
coe, II am going to take a long shot
and see II one of my witnesses is here"
Kober Couldn't Remember.
When Kober's name was called he
responded. He said, in answer to
questions of Mr.. Parran, as to alleged
statements he had made, that lit has
been SO long ago that 1 cannot remem-
| ber." He declared that he never had
any intention of going to Chesapeake
Beach, although he stated that DR.. Eg-
gleston, whom he had known for some
| time, had invited him to come down
with his wife and stay while. Fol-
| lowing several questions by Judge
Briscoe the witness was excused.
The prosecution then closed Its case.
The defense offered no evidence. Az
torney Parran. for the prosecution, ar
eued to the court that the evidence
showed that the three men had formed
the conspiracy and declared that the
testimony showed them guilty. as
charged The attorneys for the de-
fense, on the other hand, argued that
there was no evidence to show that
conspiracy had been formed. and fur-
ther, that If there was conspiracy,
only Dr. Eggleston and CAN'T were
implicated in it, and that 1t was formed
in Washington, which took the case
out of the jurisdiction of the court
here.
The prosecution was conducted ny
States Attorney J. Frank Parran. while
the defendants were represented by
Judge Elisha B. Powell of Oswego. y.
Y; Attorney Leonard Block of Wash
in gton and Attorneys John b. Gray
and j. Briscoe Bunting of Calvert
county.