Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-18
Verdict Comes as Shock

Verdict Comes as Shock
The verdict of guilty. as charged in
the indictment. but with a recommends :
ton TO the court for mercy came rs
shock TO the spectators and the men
themselves.
Evans and Yeaklc seemed bit be-
wildrrcd for a moment by the verdict.
which they said aftcrward they had
however. not even visiblv flinching.
! The Judge thanked the Jury briefly
for their patience and efforts to find q
: verdict and dismissed them. The
jurors seemed glad that the long strain
was over.
! The two men were surrounded by
their friends as soon as the formal no
tice Of appeal had been served by MI
Bean and court dismissed.
y Our Careers Ended
''When the jury came in the last time
! for instructions. said Yeakle. I'VE
thought that it meant favorable YER
! Dict
! Evans. speaking for himself and his
! companion. said their great regret was
that this verdict would end their days
Of usefulness a. railroaders.
eve will never get jobs again tax
ing ont train he said. IF We had
been acquitted II might have been DIFF
frrrnt, but with this conviction oyer
us cur DAYS on the railroad are over.
II the road eyer employs Us again it
probably viii he on some roundhousc
berth.
Hope for Final NindicatiOn
The two men did not seem to be bit
ter over their conviction. and expressed
the hope that their attorneys efforts
: to- get them new trial would result
finally in vindication.
The TWO women members of the jury
told how the twelve had toiled all
through the night in an effort to rcacl
an agreement. :, .
. Bcchtel. 1--WE began to ballot ns soon
as We went out YESTERDAY afternoon. On
'hc first ballot it stocd six to six. Dur
ing The night I don't believe there was
a minutes let down. Certainly no one
ioked or smiled. II was grim work,
and We all fec! it. We took more than
600 ballots during the night. but cvt,
tlen we could not reach az agree
ment.
Women for Conviction
This morning." added Miss Custer
the other woman member of the jury.
the bsllot!ng stood nine to three TO,
conviction. We women were for con-
v,ction from tho first ballot. Three
mcn on the jury held out for acquittal
They exhausted every argument to show
that the defendants should be acquitted
1--WE argued with them, :oing over
,lo case time and again. When they
yielded ut last. not b'carse we had
worn them down. bIt because we had
convinced them that the evidence was
W plain no other verdict but con-
N!ctiun Was possible.
"Whcn VIC went In for instructions
it did net seem that We could reach a
verdict, especially tho second time,
However, VIC tr!e,l again. On the ballot
just before the last one the jury stood
ten to two for conviction. Then VT
argued somc more. and tho last two
men We're won over. The final ballo'
stood twelve for conviction
Train Order Crux in Deliberations
The train order was crucial par
OF the prosecutions case, District At
tnrney Renninger contcnding Evans an(
Ycaklc disrcgarded written commant
70 hold their train on siding unit
train No. LOG, Philadelphia bound
passed them.
SO graphically did the defense al.
torncy, Mr.. Bean, in his closing al
dress. picture the sorrow and grief o
the defendants and their families tina
one of the women jurors was moved t.
tears.
Evans. n railroad man for twenty
two years. conceded in the cl0sini
hours OF the trial yesterday, tcstifyinl
in his own defense. that he forgot nbou
the train that his own train. No. lol
met head-on
He testified he had not mistaken "r'
ders given him on December 8, tn
morning Of the disaster. but had gor'
out Of the block at Bryn Athyn, a.
was the custom for years. because N
knew that according TO the rules OF tn'
railroad there was no other train al
lowed in the block
He acknowledged having receive,
train orders holding him to tile swit"i
at Bryn Athyn and said that the liz
ures were so plain that hc could no
have mistaken them; that he silnpl.
did as he and others had done man,
times before--ignored the printed rule
and used his own discretion.
He admitted he had testified differ