Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1919-08-09
d. Worth Stanton Freed on
Charge of Shooting and
Killing Jesse Rolph
JURY OUT SO MINUTES
Case Submitted Without Argument
and Courtroom Cleared of Specta-
tors Fefore Jury Comes In.

Cd. Worth Stanton, charged with
shooting to death Jesse Rolph on
May IL. was acquitted by a jury in
the Corporation Court last night
The jury was out exactly thirty
eight minutes.
The verdict given by the jury fol-
lows: "We the jury in the case Of
the commonwealth of Virginia
against D. Worth Stanton, charged
with the killing of Jesse Rolph on
the 18th day of May, 1919, find the
defendant D. Worth Stanton, not
guilty"
Immediately after the verdict was
announced Carl Budwesky, junior
counsel for the accused, moved that
the defendant be discharged and
Judge L. C. Barley granted this
thus ending a four days sensational
trial.
Stanton shook the hands Of the
jurors as they slowly filed out of
the court room and his wife who
was in an ante room when the YER
diet was announced wept when she
heard the verdict and assisted to the
court room by relatives she also
thanked the jurors and counsel for
her husband.
The scene was rather dramatic
one as the jurors marched into the
room. Probably ten minutes before
they knocked to announce to the
baliff that they were ready to re-
port, Judge Barley directed that the
courtroom, which was packed to suf-
Vocation, be cleared Of all spectators.
The big crowd which had come to
hear arguments and the verdict was
doomed to disappointment, for there
were no. arguments and they were
ccmplelled to leave the room, the
court fearing there might be dem
onstration on the part Of the spec
rators
As P. E. Cliff, foreman of the
Jury, read the verdict giving STAN
bon his freedom Of the charge made
against him there was suppressed
thrill among the relatives of the ac-
pused man who sat in the little court
room which was given way to when
bne woman, relative of Stanton,
calculated, "Thank God"
Soon after the verdict had been
announced the defendant was sur
rounded by relatives who congratu-
ated him on the verdict and in q
short time Mr.. and Mrs. Stanton
we're driven to their home in Rose-
mont. A small sized crowd fingered
around the courtroom on the sidei
walk and saw the defendan. leave.
The trial Of Stanton lasted four
lays and his wife, Mrs. Martha V.
Stanton, was one of the principal
Witnesses in. the case. She told of
meetings in a Washington hotel
With Jesse Rolph and Stanton took
The stand and outlined events lead-
ng up to the killing of Roiph which
occurred on the streets in Rosemont
after he had asked Rrlph the where
htonts Of his wife. Words and 3
ceasf.e ensued which ended in the
panoting.
The accused was reo 'esentec hy
Attorney Edmund Burke assisted
by Attorney Carl Budwesky. The
81 os,cution was conducted by Com
n:naweaitlrs Attorney Howard W..
Smith.
The big crowd that gathered in the
courtroom was anxious to hear the
closing arguments in this case. The
urors. however, told the attorneys
hoy were not anxious 30 rear argu-
nents and the attorneys on both
sides contended themselves with
simply reading the courts instruc-
lions.
Their jury was composed of the
following: P. e. Cliff, foreman;
Virgil c. Davis, George R. Brawne:
Harry E. Hinken, Edward L. Crum
baugh, Louis Rosenblot. Scott
Grimm, Charles W. King. Louis P,
Woodward, William E. Latham, Jr.
Cecil Hufty and Clarence Johnson.
AS previously told in the Gazette
Rolph. who was employed as foreman
of the anglesmith shop at the pian'
of theVirginia Shipbuilding Corpora