The Washington herald., 1918-07-28
GAMBLE GUILTY
OF NUMBERING
]. P. WERRES
Rosslyn Jury Conviicts Sol.
dier Who Killed Wash
ington Jitney Driver.

Earle s. Gamble. deserter from
the service of his country. murderer
of John p. werres. the Washington
titney- driver. must pay for his crime
with his life.
Guilty as charged" was the ver-
dict yesterday afternoon in the
courthouse at Rosslyn. Va. Pun
ishment was fixed at death.
The Hot, dusty little Southern
courtroom grew deathly still as the
verdict was read by the clerk. The
curious crowd of men and women.
and even little children. waited
breathlessly as the judge ordered
the wording of the verdict changed
in one or two places.
There was no applause or outcry
that usually accompanies such
courtroom scenes. The silent crowd
seemed hardly to grasp the meaning
of the simple sentence that con-
demned a man to die,
Gamble Was Calm.
Gamble himself was calm
throughout the entire trial
Only his cheeks flushed. and the
eyes dropped that had been search
ing the faces of the jurymen.
He waited silently as the verdict
was read, and his counsel moved
for a new trial. which was over
ruled.
The defense had mad, a strong
plea that the charge be changed to
manslaughter or second degree
murder.
Attorney Grouse. associate coun-
al FAF ~ Aafn in, IaNf 10
case before the jury did not atterlpt
to deny CANDLES guilt. put insisted
he had not dealt the blow that
caused the death of the unfortunate
jHney driver.
Pleaded for Parents.
The defense insisted that tie death
blow had been given by Robert New
man. the other soldier indicted with
Gamble.
The sympathy of the court was
asked for the aged father and mother
of the defendant. 1t was stated that
they had been unable to afford the
expense of the trip TO Virginia to at
tend the trial of their son.
The attorney for the commonwealth,
Frank Ball, denounced Gamble as a
traitor to his country, and to human
ity. He spoke of the testimony given
by the defendant himself earlier in
the morning. and declared that Gam
BILE has accused himself out of hs
own mouth.
The confession signed by Gamble
and Newman at the time of their
hrrest, and which the defense had
Htried to have striken from the case
as evidence, was the chief basis for
the commonwealth's argument.
Murder verdict Demanded.
The commonwealth demanded a
verdict of murder in the first degree.
Attorney Ball stated that IL the jury
did not believe the defendant guilty
of the crime as charged in the in
dictment, they should declare him
mot guilty" 81
Testifying in his own defense earl
Ter in the day, Gamble admitted hit
ting werres over the head with the
near-beer bottle.
Calmly, almost insolently, he told
the story of the crime. insisting all
the time that the death blow had
been given Werres by his companion,
Robert Newman.
His Story.
| he tOio tne slOTy VI niS lnIdtud-
ton for the 17-year-old girl, Kath-
leen Burgess; of their trip to Wash
bington: of their stopping at Penn
sylvania avenue hotel. and OF the
plan to steal an automobile in Alex
andria to assist in their escape
When asked by the commemorative
attorney why he had not stolen the
machine in Washington, Gamble de-
clared that It was because he was
afraid Of being caught by the WASH
ington police.
Gamble claimed that neither OF the
party had planned to kill Werres.
as claimed by the commonwealth, but
the fight had been the result Of an
argument when Werres refused to
carry them farther than Bluemont
Junction. Trouble over the girl had
also arisen between the defendant
and werres. he stated.
she called me liar" Gamble de-
CONTINUED on pAGESFouR.