Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-05
VERDICT or AcQulTTAL RE-
TURNED IN ACID THROWING
CASE At DUBUQUE.
WAITING CROWDS IN
COURT ROOM TILL END
States Circumstantial Evidence Not
Considered Sufficient by Jury - Case
on Trial Since Oct. 23-Statc Pre-
sents Few Witnesses - Review Of
Case.

Dubuque, Nov. 5.-The verdict OF
mot guilty" brought in by the jury in
the case of the state versus Miss Car
rie Hagerty, charged with being the
mysterious woman in black, who called
at the home of Miss Ella ,Geary, beau
tiful young stenographer on the night
of April s. 1915, and threw sulphuric
acid in her face, burning her fright
fully, ended one Of the most interesting
and mysterious cases in the history OF
the county.
The jurymen, who were out from IL
o'clock in the morning until late in the
evening, considered mass Of circum-
stantial evidence from scores Of wit
nesses who took the stand in behalf
of the prosecution. Only few wit
nesses, however, took the stand for the
defense, which concluded it's side in
about one days time. Final argu-
ments by counsel for both sides con-
sumed about day and a half.
Many Women in Crowds.
The case which opened Tuesday
morning, Oct. % attracted widespread
attention from the start. From the
first day of the trial until the last,
throngs crowded into the court room
to hear the witnesses testify. Women
predominated at all times and swelled
the crowd until even standing room
was at a premium. Scores, and in
some cases, hundreds Of curious peo-
pie. anxious to view and hear the pro-
ceedings, were turned away long be-
fore the the sessions opened.
Saturday, the final day of the trial
probably saw the biggest crowd. Again
the women far outnumbered the men
spectators, each eager to gain a posi-
ton of vantage to listen with rapt at
tention to the closing argument for
the state and the instructions to the
jury, delivered by Judge Kintzinger
who sat in the case.
Interested to the Last.
When the jury retired there was an
apparent reluctance, on the part OF
many to leave. Scores waited about
in the court house while many others
waited in the nearby vicinity for in
dications of the jury's action.
WuSu "OIu ChIuo Iudt Liz july was
ready to report Its findings, the wait
ing crowd surged into the court room
while tbailiffs scurried here gand there
in efforts to locate the principals. II
was a half hour at least before the
court was ready to receive the YER
dict.
The verdict of mot guilty was then
read in the presence Of the defendant
her brothers and members of the
Geary family. Miss Ella Geary, vic
tim Of the alleged acid assault and
prosecuting witness In the case, was
not present in the court room when
thes foreman, NJ. j. Mccarthy. read the
5ury's decision.
History Of Case.
On the night Of Thursday, April 8,
1915, the mysterious woman in black
assailant Of Ella Geary, made her ap-
pearance in the upstairs apartment oc-
cupied by the Gearys at 1897 Jackson
street this city. According to the
girls brother, the tragedy must have
been enacted shortly after 8 o'clock
altho it was hours later before the po-
lice were notified.
Ella Geary, her older brother James.
and her widowed mother were in the
apartment. James was about to retire,
his mother was busy In the kitchen and
ella was helping her According to the
brothers story he was attracted to the
door by the noise of some one enter
ing the downstairs corridor and mount
'ng the steps. He walked into the hall
md at the head Of the stairs faced
the woman in black"
''She was clothed entirely in black
md heavily Yelled" said James Geary
r.v.. ...1 i.au.o AMI the dim outline
/; garding her age. She asked for Miss
Ella Geary, stating that she was a book
agent and wished to see my sister,
Geary related that he called to his
sister and that when Ella came. the
woman spoke to her briefly but there
was no sign Of recognition between
them. The two entered the sitting
room and Geary went to bed He lay
awake for several minutes, vaguely dis
turbed by the two voices murmuring in
the other room. The tones became
sharper and he seemed to detect an
angry note.
II arose and went to my door to try
and overhear some OF the words" he
adj tied. u failed to distinguish any
thing definite"
While James Geary was not a wit
ness of the crime, his mother was in
the room when the acid was thrown.
She had remained in the kitchen when
Ella told her the visitor was an agent
for typewriter magazine.