The Cordova daily times., 1917-07-26
MRS, MOONEY IS. NOT GUILTY IF
 MURDER
s (By Associated Press)

SAN FRANCISCO. July 26 = The jury in the trial of Mrs. Rena Mooney, for murder resulting from a bomb ex- plosion here last July, yesterday af- ternoon rendered verdict of not guilty.
 Demand by the prosecution for the infliction Of the death penalty, rare ly before asked in California in the case Of woman; widespread interest of labor unions, public controversy involving credibility of states wit nesses and charges by the defense that important evidence had been fab ricated, were features which marked the trial.
 Mrs. Mooney, music teacher, wife of Thomas J. Mooney. was arrested occurring at 2:06 p. m, in the course of preparedness day parade, July 1 22, killed ten persons and wounded more than forty men, women and children. At about the same time the Mooneys' were arrested, Warren K. Billings, Israel Weinberg and Ed ward D. Nolan were taken into GUS tody by detectives.
 The state contended that the ex- plosion was conspiracy plot of wide qualifications, with the five bomb murder defendants as ringleaders.
 Billings was tried. convicted Of murder and sentenced to life impris- onment Mooney was sentenced to death on verdict of murder in the first degree without recommendation for mercy. Both sentences have been held up pending appeals to the state supreme court. The others are now l.
 awaiting trial. Nolan is at liberty on bail.
 Dissatisfied with the verdict in the case Of Thomas J. Mooney, union labor organizations, which contributed largely to the defense fund through the International Workers Defense League, caused the appointment of a silent jury" composed of labor men, to hear evidence adduced at Mrs. Moo ney's trial and render an independent verdict to organized labor.
 | The specific charge against Mrs. I Mooney was the murder of Mrs. Myrtle Irene Van Loo, one of the ten victims of the explosion. In addition l the defendant was charged with hav- ing been a member Of .'murderous conspiracy" to overthrow the govern ment and bring about a state of an archy.. Much testimony and many ex- hibits intended to support this theory were ruled out by Judge Seawell. | Various letters written to and by Mooney. extracts from an anarchist publication called the Blast" edited 
 here about the time of the explosion by Alexander Berkman, associate of Emma Goldman, and other documents which the state contended showed de signs of the alleged group of eonspir ators, were admitted.
 Alibi was the defense which the de
 fendant's attorneys sought to estab
 fish by score of witnesses, who de
 clared Mrs. Mooney and her husband ] had been on the roof the building ir which they made their home more than mile from the scene of the explosion, throughout the afternoon Mrs. Mooney and the four other de fendants told of their movements fl detail on the afternoon of the boml murders. The defense sought to prov' r that others rather than the defend ants were the persons who had beel seen in the vicinity of the explosion 3 by the state witnesses.
 D ' The states contention was -tha ! Mooney and others sought to proven
 the parade because 1t was militar
 preparedness measure, which migh l. interfere with their alleged plot t overthrow the government, and tha
 Billings, accompanied D three of tn