Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-04
14-YEAR SENTENCE
IS GIVEN BROTHERS
LingIe Killer to Seek New
TriaI-Chicago Civic Heads
Hail Verdict.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, April 4.-The responsible
ity for the murder of Alfred Lingle was
placed today on the broad shoulders Of
Leo v. Brothers through his conviction
by jury, which decided on IA years
imprisonment as his punishment.
Breaking what appeared to be hope
less deadlock, the jury in Judge Joseph
Sabaths court found the tall, blond
st. Louis gangster guilty of the crime
late yesterday afternoon and gave him
the highest sentence possible under IL
linoiS law Twenty-seven hours of
stormy elaboration preceded the verdict.
Thus ended the first big gangland
case to reach a jury in Chicago, but
there were indications that the legal
fight to save Brothers was not over, as
defense counsel announced they would
ask for a new trial and said they felt
confident a rehearing would be granted.
They described the result as a compro-
mise. April II was fixed as the date
for hearing their arguments.
I'VE have by no means given up hope
of proving that Brothers had nothing
to do with the Lingle murder" said
Louis Piquett, one Of Brothers attorneys.
Civic Leaders Hail Verdict.
Civic leaders. on the other hand.
hailed the result as blow to Chicago
gangs and the prosecuting attorneys
said they were satisfied that the YER
dict was just. Patrick Roche, chief
investigator for the States attorneys
office, was also pleased.
The verdict" said Roche, should
stand as a rebuke to the hostile inter-
ests Of Chicago, which have continually
attempted to impede and obstruct our
investigation. Throughout the long in
vestigation we have been assailed and
embarrassed by those who wished us
Ill, and their efforts, marked by the
spreading Of much false propaganda,
have been defeated only because we
had firm foundation in truth and
justice"
Brothers himself took the verdict
calmly. He paled a little when it was
read. but otherwise remained as much
unperturbed as he did during all the
while the prosecution was piling up
the testimony Of witnesses who said
they recognized him as the man they
saw near or fleeing from the scene Of
the Tribune reporters Staying last June
g. His mother, Mrs. Rose lessen, how
ever, became hysterical, and his sweet
heart, Miss Betty Cook, cried bitterly.
Let's duck" was all that Brothers
said, as he turned to his baliff lodged
photographers and started back to jail.
Twenty -four Ballots Taken.
Twenty-four ballots in all were taken
by the jury, whose members said they
started out to for acquittal, gradu-
ally reaching IL to for conviction. H.
w. CrotZer said that at no time was the
electric chair, demanded by the prose-
cution, given any consideration. The
maximum considered was life impriSon-
ment.
Philip Hagerman. who held out for
26 hours for acquittal, was quoted by
the Herald and Examiner as saying he
still believed Brothers innocent"
The trial, lasting nearly three weeks,
resolved into a question of the identi-
flcation Of the man seen fleeing from
the vicinity Of the Michigan avenue
pedestrian tunnel in which Lingle was
shot in the back Of the head while en-
route to a race course. No attempt to
prove an alibi for Brothers was made
by the defense, which described the case
as a "frame-up," nor did the prosecu-
ton try to prove motive as an answer
to the oft-repeated question:
Why was Lingle killed."
There have been lots of unofficial YER
Sions. however. assigned as reasons why
! the S65-a-week reporter with an income
of 100000 or more a year was killed.
One was that he NAV have double
crossed his friend, Alphonse Capone
! the gangster chief, while another was
that his death was decreed by the
North Side Moran-Zuta combine be-
cause he presumably ordered the clos
| ing Of a North Side gambling house
| operated by Potatoes" kaufman. No
mention of these or any other theories
was made during the trial.