Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-02-28
JURY SENDS KEITH
UP FOR FOUR YEARS
Compromise Reached After Sew
eral Hours Deliberation-
New Trial To Be Asked

Tom Keith, of Lexington, wa.
given four years in the pentiten-
tiary on a charge OF confederat-
ing and conspiring with Law
renee Picrcy and Monk Wilson
To abduct and assault Peter w
Wells, OH the night OF last Dec
ember End.
After several hours OF consul
tation the jury in the Madison
circuit court brought i'll a verdict
Tuesday afternoon. The YER
DICT was said to have been in the
nature OF a compromise. Three
or four OF the jurynen were said
To have favored acquittal OF
Keith on the ground that he
alone of the three men confessed
To the deed. and that without his
confession nothing might ever
have been known of the cause OF
the mysterious attack on Wells.
Ii Is understood that motion
and grounds for a new trial will
be offered by Kcith's attorneys
Wednesday morning, and il IS
probable that an appeal will be
taken 10 the Court OF Appeals.
in the event these motions are
ovcTrulCd.
Attorncy, Tor Tom Keith scor-
cd heavily in his behalf .;i,I-in.
the final hours OF the tc tiirony
in his trial MONDAY afternoon.
when they put four witnesses ou
the stand who fatty contradicied
Peter ". Wells statement that.
he had told no ono that Keith
had tried 10 keep Picrcy from
killing him. These Witnesses
were Viii khorcr. Clarence Hall.
Assistant Chief oi Police Ernest
Thompson. of Lcxiugtcn and c.
Sheriff J.. :. Whitluck All said
that Wells had told them that
there was one OF the three men
who kidnapped him who WA,
good TO him. or who had tried
10 prevent them from killing him.
In concluding his testimony.
Keith declared that Inc had beg
geh Picrcy not 10 kill Wells. Ne
said that Picrcy called him a.
chicken hearted - --" and told
him to get OH up the road.
Keith declared that Inc replied
We'll. maybc am. but | cam
stand for that Keith SAID that
in tho office of the Sheriff whcr /
hc was brought over here aftcrl
III, arrest. Wells shook hand, I
with him and said something /
about thanking him
.Nill RhurCr. TO whose store
at the top of the hill on The Fay |
cttc side of the river Wells !
crawlcd after he was shot. tcsti- /
fed he heard two shots. Clar-
cncc Hall was in the store with
him at tho time. In about l5l
minutes man came in. bloody !
and badly hurt. The man was
Wells. Rhorer said he askcIl
him if he knew who had shot
him and he said he didn't. Wells
said there were three men in a
machine; they had come To hi~
home BEYOND Richmond and kid
mapped him and tried to kill him /
They had tried to kill him for a !
diamond ring. Rhorcr said Well, |
told him. Asked il they had got
the ring. 1Rhorer said Wells said
that he had left ii at home. Rho /
rcr testified that Wells told him
that one Of the men tried To keep
the man with the pistol from
killing him. He said this man
told him he could get what hcI
wanted without that. Rhorcr al F!
80 testified that Wells had sail
urc OF the men was good Ia him
that he had given him hand
kcrchicf to wipe the blood from
his face.
, Clarcncc Hall. in the store
when Wells came in. corroborat-
ed Rhorcr's testimony. He said
that Wells told him and Rhorcr
That one OF the three men beg
"ed off" for HIM. He said ono
gave him handkerchief and was,
kinder good to him all the way
through" " /
After Wells had been recalled
and had denied telling Chief
Thompson anything along this
line. Mr. Thompson was put on
the stand and testified that Wells
had told him that one Of the I
three kidnappers had said to the
others: Don't do that; you can
get by without that.
Fred Buchignani and Startling
Johnson. of Lexington. to whose
places Keith went after the re-
turn TO Lexington on the night !
of Dec. I'd. were not allowed To ,
tell the jury what Keith told