The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-01-10
5 ACQUITTED IN
SPOKANE CASE
Jury Dlsagrees on 8 De-
PENDANTS in Perjury Trial

SPOKANE, Jan, l0.-Th~ jury
hearing the trial Of ~ defend.
ants In the subrnation Of per.
jury charge growing out Of the
Codd murder ease reported iast
night aequiitai Of five Of the 10
defendants and disagreement on
the fate Of the other eight in.
VOWED. Those acquitted are
Attorney Fred G. Robertson. ).
l.. Cook. Ruth Fryett. James
Fryett and w. u. stauffer.
The eight ON whom the jury
disagreed are: Attorney LesferP.
Edge. Attorney George ". Gran.
dali. Maurice Codd. James Codd.
Ambrose Codd. Joseph Godd. Mrs.
James Fryett and Fred Bolts.
The jury deliberated i2i hours be.
fore reaching the verdict.
II all started on February 1. year
ago.
Maurice Codd. former prize stu.
dent Of 0onzagn university. had gone
TO the Granite hotel 20 .en Mae Mer.
Ger. whose mother. Mrs. Green. was
an old friend OF the Colds and had
lived partly on their support
Several soldiers from Fort
Wright were Ia the corridor.
srrgt Lrxau was IN Macs room.
Frank Brinion wns before her
door. lie barred Codd's way.
''you cant 20 In" he said. A
violent quarrel started. Codd
had been drinking.
There was scnffle. Doors opened.
Witnesses on three floors aaw the
fight thru one Of the three light wells
which extend from second floor sky.
lights Of the Granite block.
codd left and came back. Eyinton
was stiil there.
A tight started And Brinton's
body went hurting over the railing.
Witnesses disputed rs 10 whether
codd threw him over or he missed
his footing and fell.
Brlnton Gied few days later In
Fort Wright hospital. and codd was
charged with murder. first degree.
Prosecutor Meyer refused To
entertain suggestion. that the
young man be accused Of man.
slaughter. The Jury had the AL
ternsti,e--guiity Of murder or
innocent.
Codsi was acquitted.
Then citizens committee said TO
have ku hiux Khan backing. sltho
this n denied. conducted an unoffi.
ciai investigation.
A grand jury took no action.
The spokane Pres. discovered that
Mrs. Nellie Fryett. employed as
detective by the stauffer Detective
agency. WAS daughter OF John W
Bolts. member Of the jury tina,
acquitted Codd.
A few days later Bolts rec~iv.
ed a threatening note signed TX.
X. X" but not wiiten ON Khan
stationery. A day after that he
died suddenly.
Autopsy showed no traces VI
poison. Death was laid To heart
disease. perhaps accelerated by
fear OF worry.
Again there was talk Of an invest.
CATION.
But nothing happened until after
election.
Harry cohn was defeated for
prosecutor. partly thru IN. efforts Of
a former prosecutor. George II. Gran.
deli. who was one OF the codd attor.
neys.
cohn. attorney for Beatrice SAINT.
who had testified for the Gold de.
Tense. laid before Prosecutor Meyer a
confession In which Beatrice said she
had testified falsely at the request OF
Lester Edge. another codd attorney.
She mentioned presents which
Colds lawyers had given her. includ.
ing money, clothing. copy Of Capt. |
Hilly's whIE. Bang" and a pink silk
nightie.
Then Is persons were accused
OF conspiracy and subornafion Of
perjury.
Two cases were thrown out after
the trial started. Those on which |
the jury debated wer.
Three Codd iawyern--crandali. |
Edge and Fred c. Robertson.
Maurice Codd and hts three broth. |
Joseph and James Y. |
I'd stanffer. detective. and hts op.
eratlves--John l.. Cook and Mrs |
Nellie Fryett. mentioned before
j. W. Fryeif. Neilie's husband:
Ruth Fryett. her daughter, and Fred |
Bolts. her brother. son Of the juror |
who died
Bolts mother included in the first I
charge was freed by the court.
The charge was that the de-
PENDANTS suborned the perjurcd
testimony Of Beatrice STUNT: that
Beatrice did not sec the tragedy.
A. she testified nj the murder
trial. and that other defense
witnesses also testified falsely:
that Codd deliberately threw the
soldier over the railing.
Policeman wagner's story that he .
saw tho whole fight. and the stories
of Mrs. Lillian Bergland. Granite |
andiady. and others who said Codd |
picked the boy up bodily. were the
,nly true accounts OF tho murder.
The state maintained in the trial
lust closed. The defense maintains
Wagner didn't see the fight at all 4
until he saw Brinton's body falling
Is he entered the second floor: and
hat the Bcrglands testified to avoid
payment Of damages for which they
night be liable II II should appear
hat Brinton's death was accidental.
Prosecutor Meyer. who might
have gotten conviction for man
daughter In the first trial. but who
insisted on straight murder
,harge. hired Walter Fulton OF Sc.
title for $4,000 to act as special
prosecutor In the case against the
3 defendants. over $4,000 county
money was spent.
Judge w. ID. Askren OF Tacoma
vas imported 10 conduct the trial.
The defense used 10 attorneys. in
'luding the three lawyers among tho
Some OF these attor.