Denver labor bulletin., 1915-02-20
JURY IS ACCEPTED
{ AFTER SIX WEEKS
Trial Of La Veta ssMurdererS"
Now on In Pueblo
During Processof Securing Twelve Men
the DeienSeA Afreedto Selected Names
Nine Tines: Loo Were Sumnoned

Trial of the Ia Veta murder cases
growing out of the southern coal strike
began~in Pueblo this week, to which
place a change of venue was taken from
Walsenburg upon petitionrof the defend
ants. Impaneling of a jury has covered
period of six weeks. during which ! ,020
veniremen were summoned into court,
most of whom were excused for having
fixed convictions as to the guilt or in
nocence of the accused In the process
of obtaining jury the prosecution used
lis and the defense no of the 20 challeDg
es allowed each side. 1t is estimated that
the cost to the taxpayers of Huerfano
county. where the charges originated and
the crime is alleged to have been COM
mitted. was 100000 just to secure a
jury, and that the total expense of these
trials Will probably exceed 100000
Array of Legal Talent.
The eight men on trial are Charles
Sheppard, Frank kroupa, Daniel Rich
ards, Edward Richards. Charles Richards,
Peter Rich, George Zemble and Marcus
Martinolich. who are charged with the
murder of Luke Terry, a mine guard, at
La Veta mine in Huerfano county, on
Nov. S. 1918. All the defendants are
members of the United Mine Workers
Union District Attorney Jack Hen
bricks is the nominal prosecutor, but the
mine operators have hired able corpora
tion lawyers to actively conduct the
case. They are Judge Jesse Northcutt
of Trinidad. Thomas H. Devine of Pueb-
10 and George Manley of Denver. The
defendants attorneys provided by the
limited Mine Workers are Horace n
Hawkins OF Denver. former Congressman
John A Martin of Pueblo and Charles
Mahoney of Denver. More than 100 wit
nesses have been subpoenaed by the
prosecution and an equal number by the
defense.
Judge Burke Presiding.
The United Mine Workers having at
against Judge McHendrie OF the Las
Animas and Huerfano district sitting in
this or any other case where indicted
miners are heard. Judge Burke of Logan
county was called in and is the presid-
ing judge at the present trial
Nine times during the six weeks was
jury in the box accepted by attorneys
for the defendants, but in each case the
prosecuting attorney challenged and the
work began over again. This has led to
the suspicion that the coal operators,
who are prosecuting the case, were afraid
the men could not be railroaded to the
pen. More than ordinary interest CEN
tiers in the outcome OF this trial. and
may determine prosecutions in four or
five hundred other indictments in the
coal mining counties
Sheriffs Let Up ON Arrests
Since the arrest and release on bail of
Secretary W. I. Hickey, Vice President
Eli NJ Gross and ten others of nearly
200 indicted by the Huerfano grand jury,
no additional arrests have been made.
Taxpayers of Las Animas and Huerfano
are protesting vigorously the expense of
these murder prosecutions
The twelve jurymen selected In the
La veta cases are as follows: Stephen
Weir, railroad engineer; Leslie Sands,
steel worker; Jacob Walk. railroad en-
gineer. c. H. Merchant, laborer; George
II. Sullivan, gas filter; Benton W. Len
fest. landscape gardener; o. c. Pyle,
Santa Fe supply clerk; Charles B.
Crawford, real estate and Investment
agent; Boston Coffey, rancher; H. L.
York. photographer; c. d. Hillabold, real
estate dealer; Jacob Wurth. baker.
Juror Refused to Take Oath.
Charles b. Crawford, one of the jurors,
refused to take the oath, saying that he
had told the court in the beginning that
he had formed an opinion in the case and
that he was prejudiced. 1t developed
that the state had challenged him the
day upon which he was examined but
later ad withdrawn the challenge. At
\ torneys for the defense objected to the
| Juror being allowed to remain. but the
objection was overruled by the court. on
the ground that he had promised to try
the case according to the evidence and
would do the best OF his ability to render