Evening star., 1948-12-16
PerreII Leaves
For Carolina
After Acq'uitta|
Attack Case Decision
Reached by Jury
After 3H Hours

ATTeI S/2 nOufS
Elvid Perrell, 26, was on his
way back to his North Carolina
farm today, after he was freed
last night by a District Court
jury OF the charge of raping a
park policeman's 81 year old
wife.
The jury of II men and one
woman deliberated for three hours
and IS minutes before returning the
verdict at pm.
Perrell, whose expression did
not change as he heard William
T. Oest, 1884 Tunlaw road NV, an
employe of the City Bank, say, mot
guilty" burst into tears as he folded
his 25-year-old wife in his arms.
She was sitting in the front bench
when the verdict was announced.
Relatives, Friends Weep.
A dozen people. men and women,
who had been sitting near her,
burst into tears. They were rela-
tives and friends of the defendant
from Bear Creek in Chatham
County.
Someone brought in Perrells
two little boys, Jerry, 4, and Mel
vim, 2, who had been playing in the
courthouse corridors while the jury
was out. The boys were held up to
their father.
The slender complainant and her
husband were not in court. Judge
Henry Schweinhaut, apparently
fearing an incident that might
cause a mistrial had asked them not
to attend the final arguments, al
though he told them they had a
right to be there. if they insisted.
shocked" at Verdict.
Later, however, the complainant s
husband issued the following state
ment:
I'VE were shocked at the verdict
and feel that a gross miscarriage of
justice has been perpetrated.
I'VE were informed of the verdict
by Mr.. Conliff John Conliff, jr.
prosecutor, and he said he was at
loss to understand it, !
The husband, who said he is now
on sick leave, expressed disillusion-
ment about his work today in a
conversation with a reporter, dis
cussing the verdict.
Il cannot honestly arrest anybody
at this time if the courts are going
to let him CO." he said.
He said he has been on the force
six years, on the II pm. to 7 am.
shift, likes his work and until now
has felt equipped for the job, men
tally as well as physically. The
6-foot 3-inch. 220-pound officer said
his parents had asked him to return
to Danbury, Conn, but he had not
yet decided what to do.
Says Wife Has Resigned.
The officer added that ANY wom-
an will think twice before she reports
such . a thing If it happens here
again"
He said he thought the verdict
may have been influenced by the
fact that Il am a policeman" but
asked, Why take 1t out on my
wife?"
His wife. he added, has resigned
her job. He quoted her as saying
she was sorry she ever had reported
the incident.
The verdict was received, late yes
terday, by Judge Richmond B
Keech in Judge Schweinhauts ab-
sence from the court house.
An hour before the verdict, the
foreman sent a note to Judge
SchWeinhaut, asking if the jurors
might examine the exhibits (photo-
graphs and map of the Southeast
area and also the defendants car
Judge Schweinhaut granted the re-
quest to examine the exhibits but
denied the one about the car. The
complainant had testified she was
unable to escape from the Defend
ants car because she could not
make the handle work.
Statements In Agreement.
Statements made by the park
policeman's wife and by Perrell
on the day of the offense alleged
were not inconsistent as to the prin-
cipal facts. According to their
stories, Perrell accosted the woman
in front of her home on the night
Of September 6. He silenced her
screams, struck her in the mouth
and forced her into his car. He
drove to another place about two
and half miles away, where she
submitted to him.
Assistant United States Attorney
Cpnliff argued that she acted from
fear. Defense Attorney Charles E.
Ford contended Perrell was guilty
of simple assault in front of the
woman's home but that her failure
to resist him later amounted to
consent.