The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-09-29
Millionaire
Not Guilty
of Murder
Walter S. Ward, Son of Bread
King, Is Given Finest Birth
day Present of Life-At-
torney Faints.
F a mily Is Reunited
BY Universal Service.

The climax in the Ward drama
came thus at 4:30 this afternoon in
the courthouse here.
The jury presented Walter s..
Ward, son of the bread king, who
was accused of killing Clarence
Peters, q poor sailor, in cold blood.
following an alleged plot to blackmail
Ward. with his freedom.
It was the finest present the young
millionaire ever received on any of
his birthdays. He was 80 today.
The 18th day of the trial was In
deed lucky.
Two loving wifely arms around his
neck and kiss, along with plenty of
glad tears, made another present,
Spectators Cheer.
So did the cheers of the crowds Of
spectators who had watched the
drama unfold from day to day in
court. So, too, did the handshakes
and kisses from members of the
Ward family circle and congratula-
tions from the Ward counsel.
And now Walter Ward and his
pretty wife are off to Atlantic City.
There will be other birthday pres
ents there-chubby embraces and
cries of father" For Walter Ward
IL going to see his two babies-a
sturdy lad of and a winsome lassie
of S.
II am too happy to speak. I have
no plans other than to reunite my
family" said the man when he
learned OF his freedom.
Mrs. Ward, who has stood by her
husband throughout the days of the
trial, although she was called to the
stand to testify against him, could
say nothing. She was choked with
tears.
The end came after the jury had
been out three and a half hours.
The silence was intense, as the
wealthy young Westchester man rose
and stepped over to the jury box to
hear the verdict.
Then the words mot guilty" were
pronounced.
Woman Screams; Lawyer Faints.
The stiffness was pierced by a
woman's scream. Suppressed cheers
waved softly over the crowded room.
A man fainted-it was the heavy-set
Allen r. Campbell of the defense
lawyers.
All was confusion.
Ward literally fought his way to
an anteroom where members of the
family were waiting to greet him.
They had been informed of the ver-
dict.
Mrs. Ward. the frail, lovely girl.
around whom much of the human
interest of the trial had centered.
smiled joyously through wet 1ashes.
She dashed into her husbands arms
and buried her face In his coat. Rela-
tives clustered around.
1t was like the return of one from
the verge of the grave.
When Ward, with his arm around
his wife and the same confident smile
on his lips that had distinguished
months preceding the trial, rushed
out of the massive court building, he
was followed by the cheers of hun
dreds of men and women crowding
the streets.
Back to Cell.
Then>he went back to the cell he
had occupied for nearly two months.
gathered up his few belongings and
motored away with Beryl Ward and
his brother and sister.in-law 70 New
York.
Meanwhile the father, George s.
Ward, in Newark, heard over the tele-
phone that his son was free. He had
kept out of the state for fear he
would be forced to testify against his
son.
And in Haverhill, Mass, Elbrick
Peters. the victims father. was back
at his carpentry, and Mrs. Inez Peters
was about her daily household tasks.
They had not waited in White Plains
for the verdict.
When Ward and his party drove
away from the courthouse. the last
chapter was written in one of the
most noted and sensational criminal
cases in the history of the state.
Elements Of Drama.
All the elements of drama were
there-the rich clubman; the beautiful
wife; the poor sailor, whom Ward
confessed killing; wild parties on the
great White Way; evil companions;
mistakes: secrets, and the detection
of scandal by blackmail gang.
Then back to country roads in West
chester, a gun fight with the gang,
the killing of Peters and the absolute
protection of that scandal, that skele-
ton In the family closet.
Throughout the trial that followed,
that confident smile Of Wards and his
air of sheer decency had telling ef-
feet
They gave his life back to Walter
Ward. A juror afterwards admitted