Evening star., 1935-06-16
Judge Woodward Acts in
Murder Plot Case After
Summoning Jury and
Learning of Deadlock.
PROSECUTOR REFUSES
TO REVEAL NEXT STEP
Has Said Previously, However,
He Would Nolle Prose- Re-
naming Indictments Against
Rockville Woman If Convic.
tion Was Not Obtained.
BY w. Fl. SHIPPEN. JR.,
ntad correspon6ent of The Star.

ROCKVILLE, Md, June 15.-
The Jury trying the fair haired
Anne Lyddane on charges OF
conspiracy to murder her huS-
band. Francis (Slom) Lyddane,
was discharged at midnight to-
night after it debated for more
than nine hours in a futile effort
to agree upon a verdict.
Judge Charles w. woodward
summoned the IL middle-aged
men into the court room at the
stroke of IL. He asked them:
Gentlemen of the jury. have
you agreed on a verdict? ?"
The foreman shook his head.
"Then, gentlemen" Jud g e
Woodward said, Il hereby dis
charge you from further duty in
this case. l Irealize it has been a
trying one and I wish to thank
you for your efforts in behalf OF
Justice. Good night, gentlemen" ."
States Attorney Silent.
The adverse result of the bitterly
fought trial seemed to anger States S
Attorney James H. Pugh. The prose-
cutor retired to his Office and ordered
assistants to bar newspaper men from
the door. Several who walked in
later to inquire of the States attor-
news plans we're ordered from the
premises.
Thus. whether the State will press
further It's case against Mrs. Lyddane
and her alleged confederates remained
a question. A number Of indictments
remain. but Pugh had said unofh-
cially he would nohe PROSE- these
should the jury fail to convict in the
Lyddane case.
State Senator Stedman Prescott,
chief of defense counsel, expressed the
hope the hung jury would be the end
of attempts at prosecution in the
Lyddane case.
Mrs. Lyddane, her two sisters and
members of the family obviously were
relieved when the jury was discharged.
They smiled and chatted happily as
they left the court room shortly after
the verdict. The relief from the strain
of the four-day trial was tonic to
their spirit.
Large Crowd Waits.
During the long hours while the
fury deliberated, large crowd lin
eered within easy call An armed po-
liceman had taken his seat under
q tree on the lawn Immediately be-
low the windows of the jury room.
opened wide because of the heat. He
sat there for hours in an attitude
of watchful waiting.
The court apparently was taking
no chances on snoopers after its
secret" verdict in the John Martin
Boland case was revealed as an al
legged conviction in advance of the
official announcement.
The almost deserted court room
was filled from time to time by
crowds hastily assembled from the
lawn and streets outside. Rumors of
an impending verdict had brought
them in from cooler spots outdoors.
Mrs. Lyddane smilingly told re-
porters, as she left the court house,
that she did not care to discuss the
result of the trial Her sister, how
ever, Miss Mae Mclaughlin, laughed
and said:
I'VE are very happy!"
The five counts in the indictment
on which Mrs. Lyddane was tried are
conspiracy to murder Francis Lyd-
dane: conspiring to procure Harry
Thomas to murder Lyddane; conspir-
ing to procure William Carley, alias
(See LYDDANE, Page 81