Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-08-06
CONVICTED
FOR WEISS MURDER
JURY REACHES VERDICT ON
FIRST BALLOT AFTER FIVE
DAYS TRIAL.

Acting on behalf of Chief of
Police Ben F. Hall, who tempo
rarily dropped his duties as chief
to investigate the Weiss case,
Attorneys Troy & Studevant
Thursday filed claims with the
county commissioners, the gov
ernor, the local Odd Fellows and
Foresters' lodges, for the total
of $1,000 in rewards offered for
the capture and conviction of the
murderer of Fred Weiss. The
county offered $500, the COVER
nor $500, the Odd Fellows $500
and the Foresters 500. 1t is
expected that Detective Geary of
Tacoma, who arrested Parrott,
and perhaps other police officials
of that city, will also claim the
rewards and that there will be
lively contest before they are
disposed of.
Five minutes after they had re-
tired late Tuesday afternoon, the jury
which heard the trial of Joe Parrot
for the murder of Fred Weiss, the
local tailor, June 8, agreed upon a
verdict of guilty of first degree mur-
der, on the first ballot, and 20 min
utes later, after the court officials
and attorneys, surprised at the rapid
itv uyith which hn vrordtnf
reached. had been rounded up, re-
ported their findings to the court.
The decision was given two months
to the day from the date OF the crime.
The conviction was a personal victory
for Prosecuting Attorney Geo. F.
Yantis, who had gathered much Of
the evidence against Parrot.
The penalty prescribed by statute
is life imprisonment. The prisoner
heard the verdict stolidly, as emo
tionless a. he had been throughout
the entire trial. His attorney, G. u.
Collier, Immediately announced that
he would file motion for new trial
and, that being denied, would seek
funds with which to appeal the case
to the state supreme court. This mo-
ton was fled by Collier Wednesday.
The verdict was reached within the
time in the record Of recent
criminal trials in the local courts. the
authorities say. The jury retired at
$500 Tuesday afternoon, after the
entire day had been given over to the
arguments Of the opposing counsel.
and the decision was reported to the
court at 5:45. On the jury were:
Lee Kegley, Harry F. Allen. A. w.
Giles. John Hedges. L. E. Young. g.
C. Winstanley, T. J. Myers, Fred H.
Wright, C. w. Littlejohn, Mitchell
Harris, H. F. Lawrence and s. H.
Bigbee.
Trial Started July %.
Trial of the case was started
Thursday afternoon, July 20. and
seven members of an extra venire Of
75 Jurors had to be called before the
Jury was finally selected Friday and
the taking Of testimony begun late
that afternoon. The prosecution,
by Prosecuting Attorney
Geo. F. Yantis, assisted at the re-
quest and expense of Mrs. Weiss by
her attorney, c. D. King, closed it's
case Saturday afternoon. the testi-
mony for the defense, with Parrott
himself on the stand, occupied Mon
day and the closing arguments in the
case were given Tuesday. The court
room was crowded throughout the
trial.
Parrott's conviction was based on
evidence, assisted by
stories he himself told as
to his actions at the time OF the
crime. Prosecuting Attorney Yantis,
the testimony of William
Brown and Roscoe Jones Of Gate,
proved that they had talked with
Parrott at Gate on the afternoon of
June 3, that he had told them he was
going up the Bordeaux trail to Camp
5, and that they had noticed particu-
larly the shoes he was wearing, iden-
tifying those later found along the
trail near Weiss body as the ones
Parrot had been wearing. Camp
officials testified Parrott did not ar
rive at either Camp or s.
Then through members OF the
Weiss family, local shoe dealers and
cobblers, the state identified the
shoes Parrot was wearing when ar
rested in Tacoma June FL as the
shoes Weiss had worn on the day he
left Olympia to 60 to Bordeaux Camp
< parrott's nresence in the vicinity