New Britain herald., 1929-12-05
M'MANUS FREE 0N DIRECTED VERDICT;
 CASE INSUFFICIENT
Judge Orders Jury to Acquit Gambler in ROthStein
 Murder Trial
COURT SYMPATHIZES WITH
 STATE ON HOSTILE STORIES

STATE ON HOSTILE STORIES Evidence in Case
 Too Weak to Possibly Convict
 Jurist Says-Friends Surround
 Accused, Offering Congratulations
 on Nictory-Elashlight Boom ls
 Admirers and Hero Leave Court
 house.
 Criminal Courts Building, New York, Dec. tP)-General Sessions Judge Charles x. Mott, Jr. today dismissed the case of George A. McManus, charged with the murder of Arnold Hothstein.
 By the order Of the court. the jury,f without leaving the court room. rendered q verdict Of acquit. tai.
 Before directing the verdict Judge Nott commented severely upon what he termed "the obvious hostility' of the states witnesses and said he sympathi2cd with the district attorney.
 Evidence Too Weak
 The law of circumstautial evil- ence is clear and simple. however" he said Tt is not sufficient to prove that g man might have com- mtted a crime. it is necessary to prove that he must have done so.'' The judge added that in his opinion that had not been done in the Me. Manus case.
 Under the directed verdict Me Manus can never be brought to trial again on that charge-that he shot 10 death his gambler associate q year ago last November 4
 As soon as the jury was dismissed q and the judge had left the bench, McAlanIS rushed to his wife. who Was sitting two rows back among the spectators, and kissed her as she flung her arms around his neck, weeping,
 A crowd of his friends and his five brothers gathered around him then and inc was busy shaking hands. He did not lose his com posture. but refused 10 give any statement on the case other than tc say:
 T want to get my breakfast first l am going out 10 see my mother and probably stay in soclusion ,hc rest of the day. l will talk to you boys tomorrow"
 BoWc Oflcr> Congratulations
 Among those that surged forward 10 shake hands with McManus was Martin Uted) Bowc. western gam bier. who was a state witness in the trial but who gave the state little testimony to aid them in showing MrManus had a motive for the kill ing.
 The courtroom was quickly clear cG by attendants. and McManus and his wife the center of an admiring group. moved slowly through the corridors Of the Old Criminal Courts building and down the front stairway opened for the first time this morn ing since the trial began.
 He was greeted with q barraEc of flashlights as he stepped out of the door. the smoke from the flashes rolling down Center street past the forbidding old Tombs prison like a white snow cloud.
 The Rothstein case, a leading po- Iitical issue in this city for more than a year and which cost a police commissioner and many high rank ing police officers their jobs. at last lies buried.
 Although no official statement was forthcoming from the district attorneys oiIic2 Immediately. it Was believed from previous state ments made that the case would now be dropped, and Rothstcin' g murder will remain in police rec ords under the heading 'Unsolved.'
 Three other mon arc under in dictment for the murdcr-Hyman CGillio) Billor, pay-ot' man for Me Manus. and John Doe and Richard Roe. None of them arc in custody, however.
 The case has attracted nation wide interest, largely because of pO- Ntical charges that police and the diStrico attorneys office had no de sire to put McManus on trial for tear of the political rcpercussions which would follow. II has been charged that lines led from Nc Manus and Rothstcin into tco high political places for the true history of tho case ever to be barred.
 Nothing was brought out at the trial 10 substantiatc this hypothesis, however.
 Gun Expert to Testify
 New York. Dec. (P}-Testimony