The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-05-20
FACES TEN YEAR SENTENCE
None of the Women With Whom He
Had Led His Sordid Life Was in
the Court Room Wien Final Chapter
Is Written-Attorney Asks New Trial

mons Church in Kenosha, is at the end
of his rope and is facing sentence to a
long term in the federal prison at Fl.
Leavenworth. Late Thursday after
noon in the United States court in Mil
waukee jury returned verdict find
ing Darnell guilty" on all of the
eight counts of the Indictment, charg
ing him with violations of the Mann
act in his act of transporting Ruth
Soper from OWatonna, Mimi, to Keno
sha. Some time after the reading of
the verdict Atty. Cooney who represent
ed Darnell in the case, made motion
for new trial. There was no argu-
ment on the motion and Judge Geiger
continued the hearing until May goth
at which time if the motion for new
trial is denied Darnell will be sent
enced. The maximum penalty for the
crime would be ten years in the fed
eral prison.
Darnell was stunned by the verdict
of the jury and for the first time since
he had been caught in the tangle of
his many marriages or alleged MARI
ages, his nerve deserted him. Tt is de-
clared that he broke down and cried
after he had been taken back to the
jail. In the view Of the public he
maintained his composure and he was
led away to the United States mar
shall s office where he~ tarried long
enough to smoke a cigarette None of
the women who had been so closely
connected with his alleged criminal
career, were in the court room when
the verdict was read. In fact, Darnell
sat alone with his attorney. His
mother had collapsed when the verdict
was reached, Ruth Soper and the baby
after being scorned by Darnell, had
been taken from the court room by an
official and Doris Vaughn had seemingly
no interest in the final chapter.
"It's all off, /" was the comment that
Darnell made to his mother when he
met her at the Office of the marshall
after the verdict had been rendered.
He expressed no hope that he would
be given a new trial or that Judge
Geiger would show any mercy on him.
There was great crowd thronging the
little court room of Judge Geiger and
the corridors leading to it when the
verdict was brought in, but there was
no demonstration. Darnell's father
and mother, broken in health and
spirit as result of worry over the case.
planned to leave Milwaukee today and
return to their home at Elmwood, Ill.
It was declared that they might not
return to Milwaukee for the final hear
ing on the case.
People in Kenosha who had been de-
ceived by Darnell during his short ca
reer as a minister in this city, appear
ed today to be pretty well satisfied
with the verdict Of the jury.
There was but one interesting thing
in the final hours before the jury re-
turned the verdict and that was the in
structions given to the jury by Judge
Geiger. In these instructions he di-
rected the jury to determine the
status of Ruth Soper and he held that
this was the paramount issued in the
case.
"Was the defendant married to
Ruth Sopergn
This is the gist of the case, accord
ing to Judge Geiger. IF she was his
wife he did not offend the statutes I'M
der which he is indicted, he said.
Three principal facts had been estab-
ished by the evidence, Judge Geiger
asserted. They were: That Ruth Soper
was transported from Owatonna to Chi
cago and from there to Kenosha; that
the defendant accompanied the woman,
and that he lived with the woman af-
ter they arrived in Kenosha
The judge explained, however, that
these statements were not binding on
the jurors; that they were to use their
own judgment in the matter.
Other facts established were, he said,
that the defendant sustained some sort
of relation with Ethel Sturgeon; that
prior to the arrival of Darnell and
Ruth Soper at Kenosha they had sus-
tanned some relations, and that the de-
PENDANT entered a marriage relation
with Doris Vaughn on November 8,
1914 and continued in this relation I'm
til she obtained divorce.
The question in the case is, What
was the relation of the defendant to
the various womeng and ultimately,
what was his relation to Ruth Soper?
the judge said. IF he was married to
Ethel Sturgeon, either by rite or COM
mon law, then he never was married to
Ruth Soper, but if he was married to
Ruth Soper, then that ends the case,
he said
After reading the federal statutes
covering cases Of this nature, Judge
Geiger explained that the law IS not
confined to cases where the accused
(. -. l. Il. ~