The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-11-08
MISS HACERTY
IS NOT. GUILTY
JURY AcoUITs HER IN THE DU-
5uoUE ACID CASE. ,.l
"STRANGE WOMAN IN BLACK"
States circumstantiaI Evidence Not
Considered Sufficient Case On
Trial Since Oct. Estate Pre-
sents Few Witnesses.

Dubuque, Nov THE verdict o
mot guilty" brought in by the jury il
the case of the state versus Miss CaI
RE Hagerty, charged with being tn,
mysterious woman in black, who call
ed at the home of Miss Ella Geary
beautiful young stenographer, on tn,
night of April s, 1915, and threw sui
phuric acid in her face, burning he
trightfully, ended one of the mos
interesting and mysterious cases il
the history of the county.
The jurymen, who were out from
IL o'clock in the morning until late IL
the evening, considered mass o.
circumstantial evidence from score.
of witnesses who took the stand IL
behalf of the prosecution. Only {
few witnesses, however, took the
stand for the defense, which conclud
ed it's side in about one days time
Final arguments by counsel for both
sides consumed about day and 9
half.
History of Case.
On the night of Thursday, April s
1915, the mysterious woman in
black" assailant of Ella Geary, made
her appearance in the upstairs apart
ment occupied by the Gearys at 1921
Jackson street, this city. According
to the girls brother, the tragedy must
have been enacted shortly after eight
o'clock although it was hours later
before the police 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 entering the downstairs
corridor and mounting the steps. He
walked into the hall and at the head
of the stairs faced "the woman in
black"
She was clothed entirely in black
and heavily veiled," said James
Geary. From her figure and the dim
outline of her face 1 could form little
idea regarding 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
sitter 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 disturbed by the two voices
murmuring in the other room. The
tones became sharper and he seemed
to detect an angry note.
81 arose and went to my door to try
and overhear some of the words" he
admitted. 81 failed to distinguish any
thing definite"
While James Geary was not 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 ar
agent for a typewriter magazine.
Mrs. Geary, her task completed
Joined the younger women in the sit
ting room. She told reporter af
forwards that the part of the CONVEX
sation she heard concerned a mar
and woman"
1.-THE woman in black" she said
seemed determined to make Ella
talk about a man who was going tt
marry some girl in whom she (tht
woman in black) protested keen in
a statement telling all she knew o
this man. Ella insisted that she haC
neither seen nor heard from him il
two years"
Throws Acid in Face.
The visitor became enraged at Mis-
Geary's refusal. Her voice rose to /;
shrill pitch and she suddenly started
for the door. Then she turned ant
faced Ella, who had risen, APPARENT.
much annoyed by the others deport
ment. From the folds of her dres
the visitor produced a small glas
and hurled its contents into the fac,
OF the unsuspecting girl.
Even as the agonized screams brok
from Elias scared lips. her assailan
fed into the darkened corridor an,
rushed down the stairs.
ELLA was already in my mother
arms when / rushed into the sittin
ROOM" said James Geary. II caugh
glimpse Of the woman in black run
ming down the stairs"
The girl was writing on the fiool
the deadly acid eating steadily int
the flesh and adding torture and dis
figurement with every moment. Ur
aware of the exact nature of the
quor. the mother and the brothe