Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1916-12-05
JURY CLEARS
]. v. STANLEY
TRIAL LAST FRIDAY AND SAT-
URDAY HELD IN BONNER
COUNTY COURT
JURY OUT OVER FIVE HOURS
Majority Said to Have Been for
Acquittal From the Start.

turned Saturday night by the jury
in the case of the State of Idaho
against j. V. Stanley in which the
defendant was charged with the
crime of statutory rape. The jury
returned its verdict after being out
a little over five hours and it is re-
ported that from the first but two
of the jurymen were for conviction.
The acquittal of Mr.. Stanley
brings to an end a criminal action
which has caused more comment
than any other case which has been
in the courts in Northern Idaho for
a quarter of a century past, this
largely due to the fact that the de-
PENDANT stands high in social, re-
ligious and political circles in Boun-
Diary county and that at the time
the warrant for his arrest was is
sued he was candidate on the
democratic ticket for election as con-
gresham.
The trial was held at Standpoint,
District Judge Dunn presiding, a
change of venue having been grant
ed by District Judge Flynn a few
weeks ago on the showing of the
defendant that a fair and impartial
trial could not be secured in Boun-
Diary county.
The case opened shortly after II
o'clock Friday morning and shortly
Il Of 40
jury had been secured. With one
or two exceptions the jury was COM
posed of the oldest residents of
Bonner county and were men with
families. Their names follow: W..
A. McMurray, J. c. Carnegie, Aug
ust Fox, Charles P. Murphey, T. A.
Hepner, C. E. Ames, J. G. Ferguson,
F. B. Wood, NJ E. Murray, S. w.
Happtonstel, S. H. Lafoe, Dan Dun
nigan.
The complaining witness, Louise
Aldrich, was the first to testify.
She told that she was 16 years old
last June and that she had lived in
Bonners Ferry four years. Her full
story was substantially as follows:
at first saw Mr.. Stanley when he
preached at the Methodist church in
Bonners Ferry. l saw him several
times afterwards at the Union
church. l met him in the postoffice
in the summer of 1914. He wanted
someone to work at his ranch and
had asked Celia Miller to go but
she couldn't and she introduced me
to Mr.. Stanley. l worked for them
that summer. l was to help with
the housework and care for the
children. In the summer of 1915
worked for them until shortly be-
fore time for school in the fall"
The witness told that the last time
the defendant had had improper re-
lations with her was the last night
of the Chautauqua which was held
in Bonners Ferry the summer OF
1915 and she thought that the date
was July 31st. She told that she
had finished her work and was sit
ting in a large Morris chair in the
front room of the Stanley house
when the defendant came in, sat or
the arm of the chair, put his arms
around her, kissed her and accomp-
lished the crime Of which he haC
been accused. The witness told that
she and the defendant were together
about five minutes and that the de
PENDANTS children were playing in al
adjoining bedroom at the time anC
that the defendant left her wher
the baby started to cry and the oldel
child came to the door and called he
father. Witness told that she go
up and went out of the room anC
started to cry and had a fit of hys
terra and that the defendant mad
her walk until she quit crying, thel
he took the car and went to tow
and she took the baby and went t.
sleep on the porch and when the de
PENDANT and his wife came home sh
was awake and went into the hous
and upstairs to bed.
The complaining witness told tina
the first time she had had imprope
relations with the defendant was tn
latter part of July or the first o
August in the year 1914. The &C
was committed in a COW barn o
the Stanley ranch. She told tha
the defendant had approached he
several times one of the times be
ing in her bedroom. She didn't re
member exactly when but it was
August, she said. The witness tol
that her room upstairs was acros
the hall from that of the defendal