Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1916-06-02
DICKENS FOUND GUILTY
Bankers SON FACES PEN TERM
AS FATHERS SLAYER.
Attorneys Given as Days 20 Make
Application for New Trial-case
May Go to Supreme Court.

ond degree murder of his father, VII.
liam II. Dickens, wealthy Longmont
banker and pioneer builder. The YER
dict carries with 1t a sentence Of from
ten years to life imprisonment in the
penitentiary. The jury retired late
Monday night and began balloting on
Rienzi's fate. Attorneys for Rienzi
Dickens were granted as days in
which to file a motion for a new trial,
and IL this is denied are expected to
appeal to the Supreme Court in the
bitter fight to free Rienzi.
When the verdict was read, the de-
fsndant's wife, who had been at his
side constantly during the trial,
shrieked and went into Mysteries.
Within fifteen minutes after the YER
dict, Mrs. Dickens collapsed COM
pletely and was carried to her hotel.
Foremost in the efforts to stop the
cries Of the little woman was Rienzi
Dickens himself. He received the
verdict with utter calm-almost ap
parent Indifference. Then, without
f%linching, he arose and began to COM
fort his wife. Mrs. William II. Dick
ems, wife of the murdered man and
active in her sons defense, was not
in the room when the verdict was
read. Mrs. Walter c. Coulehan, sister
of the defendant, and Mrs. Jack Dick
ems, sister-inlaw, broke down as did
his wife.
The defendant will retain his lib
erty on a new $4,000 bond until the
motion for a new trial is decided.
The Story Of the Murder.
The murder Of William H. Dickens
occurred the night of Nov. 80, last.
He sat resting, alternately doing and
reading. in the library of his luxuri-
u home in LOngmont. It was about
8 o'clock. His wife, who came west
with him thirty years ago and fought
the fight with him from poverty to
wealth, had Just entered the room and
taken a seat across from him at the
reading table when a bullet came
crashing through the window. It
plowed its way through the aged
bankers body, and buried itself in the
wall. A fragment strayed from the
copper jacket and cut open the cheek
of Mrs. Dickens. Mr.. Dickens fell to
the floor unconscious and died in his
wife's arms four minutes later.
There were many theories advanced
and many clews followed in the sue.
ceeding days. Officers racing to
Longmont in an automobile from
Colorado Springs with bloodhounds
eight hours after the murder passed
a man driving an exhausted horse
toward Denver and he was traced by
he officers until they became con
vinced that he could not have been
he assassin.
Gang Theory Advanced.
A number of the men who, through
business association with the banker,
had become his enemies, were inves.
tigated. A theory was offered that
one of a gang known as the Bill Du.
Bots gang i'm the early days of Long
mont, practically wiped out by a vigil
ance committee commanded by vii.
liam H.. Dickens, had killed the
banker in keeping with an oath of
vengeance made at that time.
All northern Colorado was aroused.
Rewards were offered by the Dickens
family. William H. Dickens. scorn-
full of formalities, rough in speech and
dress, was one of the most prominent
citizens of the section, and the bust
ness n social qualifications of the
nicLane fan,f1v avtnndad 10 ayary Dort
OF Boulder county.
Learn of Rienzi's Purchase.
The day of Dec. 2. two days after
the murder, Patrolman McKinnon in
Denver learned by accident that Rien-
ri Dickens had purchased a high
power rifle and a box Of shells from
the Tritch Hardware Company Nov.
3. He ordered a Maxim ~silencer,
which the store did not have in stock.
1t came to him In Longmont Nov. 10.
The next day he was out at Empson's
hill, five miles from his home, shoot
ing at a target.
Tho officers called Rienzi to the
home of b. o. Smith, deputy sheriff
the night Of Dec. 2 and questioned
him. Denials of the purchase of the
rifle and Of his automobile having
been taken from his garage the night
of the murder led to the investiga-
ton that uncovered the chain of cir
cumstances Oh which a charge of muir
der was based. He was arrested the
following morning and after being al
lowed to attend his fathers funeral
was taken to jail at Boulder. He was
a prisoner thirty days and her was
released on bonds Of S37,50O furnish
cd by his mother.
His arrest split Boulder county In
two fact!ons-those who arrayed
themselves with the Dickens family
in declaring Rienzi Dickens incapabls
of the crime of parricide and those
who refused to declare a faith in his
80