The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-10-28
HUNGRY JURYMEN
OUT ALL NIGHT
Mrs. Beutinger Loses Her
Calm Confidence When
Verdict is Not Forth
coming.
PECULIAR JERSEY LAW
jurors Arc Not Permitted to Eat
Anything Until They Have
Come to An Agree
ment.
PECULIAR JERSEY LAW
By Carl D. Groat, United Pres
Staff CorreSnondent.l

l.
Staff Correspondent
NEWARK, N. j., Oct. 28.-After a
night of anxiety in the Essex county
jail, Mrs. Margaret Claire Beutinger
was taken to court today to await the
verdict OF the jury, out all night,
which she hoped would free her on
the charge of numbering her husband.
Christopher Beutinger.
She had lost some Of the calm con-
fidence of yesterday. The length of
the jury deliberation has been a sur
prise to prosecution and defense alike.
On every hand the word was that
quick acquittal would result. But as
the hours dragged up to midnight, a
fear of something else crept into the
minds of the defense group. Short
ly before midnight the jurors were
locked up for the night-supperless
And they were to come into court at ~
o'clock today, breakfastless. for the
Jersey law says they shall have no
food until their deliberations are
ended It was haTried..w woman wEo
awaited their findings. Her face
was pale and there were shadows he
meath her usua1fy ~ lll1ll black
eyes. Her babies, too, seemed to
have absorbed something OF the
spirit of dread that haunted the de
fense. Last night 1t had been all
lark to them as they scrambled all
over the court room and played upon
the judges bench after he had re-
tired to his ante chamber.
The defense had made its plans to
fight anew for the accused woman.
long list of exceptions to charge re
garded as favorable to the state was
entered and these will be the basis OF
demand for new trial. The defense
holds that self-defense is self-eyi-
dent proposition in this Casa wom
ans defense of herself from a brute
built like Jack Johnson"
Unable to Agree.
IBy Carl D. Groat, United Press Staff
Correspondent
NEWARK, N. j., Oct. 2S.-After
Eighteen hours deliberation, the jury
trying Mrs. Margaret Beutinger for
the murder of her wealthy husband,
Christopher Beutinger, reported to
Judge Martin at 9:23 today that 1t
had been unable to agree and sub
mitted to the court two questions.
After the questions had been an
swered, the jury retired again.
The questions submitted ~ tne
iurv were: Does the law impose
upon the defendant the necessity OF
taking all reasonable steps to avert
tragedy when she wishes to establish
a plea of self defense?"
"Please define again the differences
of degrees of homicide"
The first question evidently arose
from that portion Of the judges in
structions to the jurors yesterday IN
which he declared that to establish
self defense, the defense must show
that Mrs. Beltinger retreated before
her husbands threats in her bedroom,
If she had an opportunity to retreat.
Her counsel took exception to that
portion of the charge on the ground
that she was lying in bed when her
husband made his advances and was
unable to retreat. Judge Martin went
into more detailed technical expla.
nation in response to the jurors
question, citing court decisions.
The second question asked by the
iury tended to confirm reports that
several of the jurors had refused to