The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-13
Jury Out Two Hours and a
Half Judgment to Be
Given Saturday.
MINIMUM TWO YEARS
Hall Receives Verdict I'm
moved-Allowed to Re-
turn to His Home.
Continued From Page One.)

SO desire and report here tomorrow
morning at $780,"
At 9:5s last evening the jury sitting
In the trial of Frank C. Hall, former
city treasurer and merchant charged
with statutory rape on the person Of
14-year-old Lucetta Pruyn, left the
courtroom and commenced its deliber-
atoms as to his guilt or innocence.
The trial will stand in the records of
Mfssoula county as one of the most
bitterly contested criminal cases ever
tried here. At $3.50 yesterday morn
ing attorneys for the prosecution and
defense commenced their arguments
on the instructions to the jury and it
was O'Clock before these had been
settled and the closing arguments of
counsel were begun.
Three brilliant speeches were the
reward of those who waited through
the weary hours to hear the last SUI
preme effort on the part of the prose-
cution to convict and on the part Of
the defense to acquit. County Attor-
ney Angevine opened for the state, At
torney E. c. Mulroney followed for the
defense and Special Prosecutor
Charles Hall closed the case.
Instructions.
1t seemed the general belief Of those
who have been following the case
closely that the defense had the better
of the instructions which placed on
the state the burden of proving beyond
a reasonable doubt the specific in
stance Of rape alleged to have taken
place in Greenough park. 1t was evil
dent also that the defense considered
this it's best bet as Attorney Null
roney devoted large part of his time
to this particular instance.
County Attorney Angevine opened
for the state with a complete and ex-
ceedingly well-delivered resume OF the
testimony. He began with the history
OF the girl and her first relations with
Hall as told on the witness stand. Re-
peatedly the prosecutor asked why
Lutte" was not taken to Halls home
If he had such a fatherly interest in
her. The fact that the girl did not
Know Mrs. Hall and that she had
never been present on any Of the
parties" was commented on at length.
He referred to Mrs. Matheson and the
influence which she exerted on the
girl and asked the jury if they thought
1t possible that this girl of ii years
had framed such a damnable plot.
Angevine's Argument.
Halls chase Of the street car during
the Stampede was defined by the
county attorney as one impeled by
lust and lust alone and that he finally
satisfied it on the body of his young
victim. The desire for variety was
alleged by him to have been the cause
Of Halls violation Of his marriage
vows. He defended the testimony of
Dad Pruyn and Henderson. The
state. he said. would not vouch for
either of them, but on the stand they
were evidently telling the truth and
that he gave credence to the testi-
mony by the girls father that Hall
told him he had had intercourse with
the girl, also that he believed Hender-
son when he said that he could not
remember his first testimony. In
closing he called attention of the jury
TO the fact that the law provided a
punishment Of from two to 80 years
for this offence and that the prose-
cution asked the limit.
Oefense's Argument.
When Attorney f. c. Mulronev
opened for the defense Mrs. Frank
HAL came into the courtroom and
took seat by her husbands side. It
was her first appearance at the trial,
but her haggard, drawn face showed
the terrific strain under which she
has been laboring since her husbands
arrest. She left Immediately after the
defense had concluded its case.
For the entire two hours and 90
minutes allotted to him the attorney
for the defense spoke elouuently and
convincingly for the acquittal of the
indicted man. He opened with an at
tack on the prosecution for falling in
any way to touch upon the incident
charged in the information and men
TONED in the instructions as the one
specific occasion on which the defense
must prove beyond a reasonable doubt
that illicit relations had existed he.
tween Hall and the Pruyn girl. He
stated that he had never been con-
fronted with such opposition in that
the common courtesies were not ex-
tended to him by the prosecution. He
referred to the fact that he had been
unable to obtain copy Of the Pruyn
girls deposition and that in many
other ways he had been de~icd in
formation which should rightly have
been volunteered him.
Flags Furnish.
The testimony offered by William
Furnish was characterized as that of
Judas who had sold himself for Is
pieces Of silver-three dollars a day
instead of for the 80 received by the
first traitor. He stated that Furnish had
come to his office and offered to tes-
tify for the defense first: that he had