Evening star., 1947-10-06
'OvereN Heiress and GoI|um,
Acquitted Go Separate Ways
By the Assoeioted Press


By the Associated Press
SANTA ANA. Calf, Oct. g.
Louise Overell and George (Bud)
Gollum are not guilty of charges
that they murdered her parents,
jury has decided. but their love for
one another cooled.
No sooner had a six-man, six
woman jury decided late yesterday
that the young college sweethearts
were inocent of killing Mr.. and Mrs.
Walter E. Overell, wealthy Pasadena
socialite leaders, than the resolute
Louise declared she was through
with Gollum
Il can assure you there will be no
marriage" she said.
Her statement. given to reporters
without hesitation, came after the
weary jurors returned their verdict
of acquittal; a verdict that climaxed
two days of deliberation and 10
weeks of trial and brought wild
demonstration of cheering and
whistling from the crowded court
room and thousands of others in
the streets below.
Unable to Keep Order.
Sheriff's deputies and Judge Ken
meth E. Morrison were unable to
keep order when spectators milled
around and pounded each other on
the back in the courtroom as the
longest murder trial in American
court history came to an end.
The prosecution had charged that
the 18-year -eld Louise and 21-year-
old Gollum were responsible for the
deaths of Mr.. and Mrs. Overell,
whose bodies were found aboard the
yacht Mary E., which was blasted by
dynamite on the murky night of last
March Is.
Now Miss Overell and Gollum are
free to, 60 their ways, and they ap-
parently will be separate She is the
sole heir to the half-million- dollar
estate left by her father, who was
head of Los Angeles loan company,
and her mother.
The two had professed undying
love for each other in letters they
exchanged in Jail after their arrest.
They had planned a wedding for last
April 80, her 18th birthday ami
versary. Miss Overell was asked
why she had changed her mind
about the romance. She replied:
We'll. I'll let you decide that Tor
yourself"
Going on Long Auto Trip.
Gollum was gallant in acquittal.
He said he was going on long auto
trip. With Louise? Well. he would
go with her if she wanted to go
along, but if she didn't, he was
going anyhow.
An estimated $4,000 persons, al
most one third of the population of
Santa Ana, capital of Southern
California's rich orange empire,
was within shouting distance of the
magnolia-l Lined block surrounding
the sandstone courthouse when the
jury returned its verdict.
Two of the six women on the jury
wept as Judge Morrison compli-
lnented the jurors for their service.
Some had forfeited more than four
months wages to discharge their
public obligation. They received $12
week as jurors.
When the court clerk read the
verdict of innocent for Gollum- the
word spread like wildflre and be-
fore the clerk read the decision as
to Miss Overell there was. a tre-,
mendous cheer from the. thousands
in the street.
There we're wild cheers again as
Gollum walked from the courtroom
to the Jail across the street to
gather up his possessions and drive
away with his mother and sister in
his automobile for Los Angeles.
Still another roar went up when
Miss Overell was accompanied to her
cell by her lawyer, Otto Jacobs, to
bid farewell to the cellmate friends
she had made since she was Jailed
March 10.
Later, at Mr.. Jacobs home, she
seemed somewhat at ease and talked
freely She said she would start life
anew right now and from scratch
ana my plans don't include Bud"
She also said she was planning
long trip ito get away from every
thing
Williams Refuses Comment.
But Miss Overell disclosed she has
a date next Saturday night and had
made it week ago. She would not
disclose the identity of her squire,
Wouldn't you like to know!" she
her questioners.
Eugene Williams, veteran prose-
cutor who tried the Jap war Grim
inals and handled the case for the
States attorney general, had been
confident of a conviction. But when
the verdict went against him he
had nothing more to say.
The jurors disclosed that the first
vote was to for acquittal, the
next to 3, then another 8 to 3,
then II to / and finally the unan-
imous ballot for innocent on all
tour counts.
Foreman J. A. Porter, Orange
County farmer, said THE main
argument was whether they (the
Overells) were dead at the time of
the blast. We also had lot OF
on the testimony
Walter E. Overell, 81, Flintridge
dnancier, and his socialite wife
ST, died aboard their yacht.
the Mary E, which a dynamite blast
sank in Newport Harbor the night
Of March Is.
Four days later. their 18-year-old
daughter Louise, sole heir to their
half million dollar estate, and her
college sweetheart, George Gollum.
81. were arrested and indicted fol-
The State claimed the young
couple killed the Overells for their
money and because of the latter'1