Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1914-07-08
COURT FIRST TIME IMPOSES
DEATH PENALTY, THEN LIFE
IMPRISONMENT
QUARRELED OVER LETTERS
WOMAN INVOLVED WAS PRoMIN-
ENT IN coLoRADo's ExcLU-
slvE SOCIETY

|
wood, under sentence of death for tht
killing OF George Il. Copeland, was
denied third trial today by the state
supreme court. Copeland was fatally
wounded the night of May "a, 1911
when Henwood shot Sylvester l.. Won
Phul, st. Louis aeronaut, in the baI
room of local hotel.
The death sentence imposed by the
lower court is affirmed and it is or
dered to be carried out the week be.
ginning October 25, 1914
The courts decision held that Hen.
wood had not been twice put in jeop-
ardy for the same offense. Counsel
for the defendant, after securing {
dismissal of the information charging
Henwood with the murder of Won
Phul, attempted to have the case
charging the murder of Copeland also
| dismissed, on plea of former jeop-
ardy This attempt failed, and the
second trial of Henwood followed. In
his application for a third trial Hen
woods attorney renewed the argu-
ment based upon a former jeopardy
plea.
Harold F. Henwoods application
| to the supreme court of Colorado for
a third trial followed his conviction
on June Is, 1913, of murder in the
first degree, for the killing of George
| F. Copeland He was sentenced to
death. On June 29, 1911, Henwood
had been convicted of second degree
murder and later had been sentenced
to the penitentiary for life, The su-
preme court reversed this verdict and
ordered a new trial
Harold F. Henwood shot Sylvester
l.. Won Phul, St Louis aeronaut and
wine salesman, in the bar room of
a fashionable Denver hotel on the
night of May "a, 1911 Stray bullets
struck George E. Copeland of Cripple
Creek. Colo. and James w. Atkinson
lof Colorado Springs Won Publ and
Copeland died Henwood opened fire
with revolver after he had been
knock down by Won Publ. The two
had quarreled over letters written to
Won Publ by Mrs. Isabelle Patterson
Springer, then the wife of John w.
Springer, Denver stockmah and bank
er.
The tragedy created tremendous
sensation in Denver. Henwood and
Won Publ both were well known men
about town, and the Springers were
prominent in financial and exclusive
society circles. Less than two weeks
after the shooting Springer was
granted divorce.
With public interest still high on
account of past and expected revela-
tions Henwood was placed on trial
Over the defendants protest the dis
trict attorney elected to try him not
for the killing Of Won Publ but for
that of Copeland Mrs. Springer her
self took the stand for the defense
Henwood was convicted of murder in
the second degree, and on July IA
1911. Judge Greeley W. Whitford sen
tenced him to life Imprisonment, Just
before sentence was pronounced Hen
wood stood before the Judge and il
an impassioned speech accused hin
of prejudice and unfairness.
Appeal was taken to the supreme
court, which on February 8, 1918
granted a new trial. on the mali
ground that Judge Whitford erred II
refusing to include a manslaughtel
verdict in his instructions to the jury
| A feature OF the second trial wa
the appearance of John w. Springer
as witness for the defense Mrs
Springer did not testify in this trial
CONTINUED. on Page Four)