The Washington times., 1921-12-11
MAUDE MOORE
ACQUITTED As
YOUTH SLAYER
Crowd Cheers Verdict Freeing
Pretty Typist-Jury Out
Six Minutes.

KNOXVILLE. Tenn. Dec. TO-
Amid great demonstration. Maude
Moore, pretty stenographer.
walked out of the courthouse here
this afternoon, freed Of a charge
Of having killed lie Roy N. Harthy.
a wealthy young automobile dealer.
on lonely country road on Septem-
Der 1s. 1919.
Ont Only Six Minutes.
The jury was out but six minutes
when 1t returned a verdict Of mot
guilty"
The crowd in the courtroom jumped
to the seats. cheering and waving
their hats. swarmed over the railing
separating the attorneys from the
jury. and crowded around the jury
congratulating them on the verdict.
When she left the courtroom, she
was followed up the street by sew
eral hundred men and women. and q
large crowd stood around on the side
walk for an hour while she was din.
ing.
Miss Moore said following the trial
that she expects to- leave Knoxville
today to rejoin her husband. William
Fl. Stubs. Tacoma, Wash, hotel
keeper. Her mother is going West
with her.
Robbery Alleged Motive.
Maude Moore was charged with
killing Harthy on a road leading out
CT kpoxville. The State claimed rob-
berry was the motive. Miss Moore
said she had to kill him or submit
70 an indecent proposal.
She said she had known Harthy for
five years. that she was first intro
duced to him while attending a local
business college. She said she met
Harthy a number of times but had not
known him intimately, nor was she
ever out with him until the night of
the killing.
The defendant referred to a meeting
she had with Harthy on the streets OF
Knoxville u few days before the trag-
edy. AT that time, she said, she had
q pistol which she was carrying home,
having loaned 1t to an acquaintance.
After Harthy insisted she loaned the
gun to him. She said that she did not
remember whether the gun was load
ed. u, .---
She had planned to go to Mary.
vile to take position az stenographer.
She described a meeting with
when she asked him for the
pistol. She said Harthy replied that
sxy,v a. \
to call him Monday and he would
return 1t. She called Harthy over
the telephone four times on Monday.
On her last call Harthy told her the
would meet her at $40 o'clock that
night. The witness said she con.
scented and told him she was going
to the theater.
The witness said that by agreement
she met Harth at the corner of
Church avenue and Walnut street.
She agreed to let Harthy drive her to
They started
Maude Moore then testified that at
! point which she estimated to be
about seven miles from Knoxville
aarth turned back the car. toward
the city. Half a mile nearer in he
stopped the car. she said. At this
point the almost perfect composure OF
he witness was broken and she
'obbed silently, and then in faltering
ones stated the act that she claimed
he slain man proposed.
II will die first" she testified was
he response she made to Harth,
whom she said then left the car and
erked her out to the ground with
him. She described the brief struggle
IN the ground and told Of the pistol
alling to the roadway where she
aid both tried to reach II.
II picked 1t up" the witness said,
md again she was sobbing.
"Harth was advancing on me, look
ng like a Demon" she continued.
Then fired"
why did you kill him7" Clements
lsked.
Because I was MORALLY afraid of
him and knew that he would make me
10 what he wanted and I would have
lied first" was the crisp answer, as
The broke into fresh sobbing. Across
he room her mother sat with her face
iod ~, hov ho vdu ond hor chrurIdarc