Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-04-30
EVANS ACQUITTED
OF MURDER CHARGE
IN District COURT
Trial Lasted all Last Week.
Jury Out 80 Minutes. Re
view of Testimony in
Case.

The case of the State against W
H. Evans, charged with murder o
Claud Yeats, after trial lasting
six days, was submitted to the jur.
in district court Saturday Afternoon
and verdict of mot guilty." wa
brought in within thirty minutes
The states case, as reviewed las
week, was before the jury Thursday
loon, when the defense began it
offerings. Mr.. and Mrs. Evans
we're the principal witnesses anC
they told in detail of, the troubles
that lead up ITO the fatal shooting
The defense offered expert testimony
by General D. A. Utter tending tt
prove that Evans could not have
stood in the position claimed by the
state when the fatal shot was fired
and also a long list of character
witnesses, in an effort to 1mpeacf
the testimony of Mrs. Yeats anG
her two young sons.
Saturday morning at 9:35 Prose
cutting Attorney Taylor submitted
his plea to the jury, in which ne
made an eloquent appeal that the
evidence of the state had proven be-
yond a reasonable doubt that Yeats
was murdered.
At 1925 Daniel Mclaughlin, at.
torney for the defense, began his
address. We are reviewing the
statements of the defendants coun-
Gil at some length as it outlines the
testimony presented more briefly
than is possible by reciting the
testimony of each witness separate
ly, and the claims of the defense
have not been published before at
length.
Mr.. Daniel Mclaughlin, in an
eloquent manner pictured to the
jury the quiet and unassuming LIE
of the defendant, and that he was
a peaceful and law abiding citizen
At different times Yeats had had
Evans arrested for minor troubles
about the water and each time ne
was released. Witnesses were pro-
duced by the defense to show that
Yeats was a quarrelsome person and
had no friends, and that the act
committed by Evans was done to
defend his wife from the abuse OF
Mrs. Yeats and the two boys.
Trouble had been brewing fol-
some time over the fact that the
Yeats cattle. destroyed the evans
fence by grazing through IT, anu
on this morning, the 9Th of June
1920, Mr.. Evans had left for his
field where he had some sneep
grazing. and had taken revolver
to frighten away the coyotes that
had been killing his lambs, as nc
left he noticed Mrs, Yeats quarrel
ing with his wife and he said tc
bor "tdo on hack into tn house
and have nothing to do with'thest
people" But Mrs. Evans attemp
ted TO drive the cattle away from
her fence when Mrs. Yeats begun
calling her names and the battle be
grn Mr.. Yeats was irrigating il
the field and had instructed the boys
m take the rife and use. it as hi
had told them to. On returning
Prom the field Mr.. Evans noticed
the battle raging out on the knoll
between% his wife and Mrs. Yeats
and the two boys, and went to the
scene Of action. He pulled the
boys off and broke the rife, ant
told his wife to get up, and about
that time he saw Yeats coming to.
ward him with a pitchfork in hi.
hands. Evans told him that thu
trobule was about over but Yeats
continued to come and as he was
within a few feet of him the defen,
dant fred, and in his testimon,
stated that he intended to fire onl,
to stop him, but as was shown b,
expert witnesses the shot hit a but.
ton and was directed upward. strik
ing few inches above the navel
The implements of warfare were or
display on table during the en-
tire trial, they were the pitchforl
the rife and the revolver with wbie,
the Homicide was committed an,
the clothes worn by the deceasot
showing the button and the bol,
where the bullet entered.