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CHRISTOPHER GUILTYVERDICT OF JURYTWELVE MEN REQUIRED BUT FORTY-FIVE MINUTES TOCUR EAGREEMENTMEANS A LIFE SENTENCEJudge Bonton Grant* Ten Day* in Which Motion for New Trial§i J May Be MadeThe jury, it I* understood, took twc ballot* on the Christopher case. The first one. »t is understood, stood nine for conviction.two for acquittal and one for attempted assault. The second ballot resulted in ; n unanimousverdict of - guiltyMl“Guilty a* charged.” was the ver-A.returned by the jury which heard the evidence of the State of Iowaagainst Louis (Dud* * Christopher lt;colored) who was charged with crim-Iinal intimacy with Marcella Fuhr* mann. white girl under fifteen yearsmed of afeThe case was given into the bands ■, cf the jury at 10:50 Wednesday morning. After a deliberation of but fortv-iEfive minuten the jnr indicated that it had arrived at a verdict, but it was afew- minutes before the defendant and \e3 all attorneys interested in the case an could be brought into the court room, ofWhen the jury finally filed in. Juror de P. B. Lacy, who had been selected as *eforeman, stepped to th* front and ?rchanded the verdict to Judge Bonson. ^Judge Bonson then read the finding, the gist of which was that the defend- ^0lt; ant was found guilty as charged. |Jury t* PolledJudge M. C Matthews, principal to] 01 * council for the defendant, asked th*f, thithe jury he polled. As the juror’s tc*names were called they arose from n c ^ their chairs and each was asked the a , question, 'Was this and is this toutyeverdict?” In each of the twelve in- §tistances the answer was ‘ Yes.”* Judge Matthews asked for and wn*Vn eranred by Judee Bonson ten da - 8 ir. Ul, low a to a motion for a new trial1 When the case was given Into thereidiet ehands of the jury at 10 h*. the prisoner w as taken back to the county1 b}I” jail. As soon as the jury announced t. ’ fhat it. had arrived at a ve-dict hewas brought back Into the court room, iniv 2 ngwiir being a rule of the courts of lowsthat a person accused of crime mus* be in court when the finding in the case is ar.nounced.sa I dEyed Assistant Attorney raibed When he was brought in. the de- 0riaed fendant at onoe cast his eyes at As-iqu* sistant County Attorney MaguireWhen the jury was brought in he nev-,-er turned an eye toward that body,tified buf kept his eve* on the assistant at-fauque torney. \Vh*n he was being lead out tract of court, he eyed the attornev and *beexpression was such as to lead spec tators to believe a wish for personaldainnchviolence was in his minda thcilr 21, Acoompanving the prisoner back tocourt, in addition to the regular bailiffwere the chief of police and a detected ive.C’oi g Argum«?*tCounty Attorney Nelson resumed »d at his closing argument when court con-until vened soon after 9 o'clock, Wednea-d# 5, day morning. He went over the testi-rand- monr In the case quite carefully.I*t to pointing out how the defense had faillance ed to produce evidences of his char-pre- acter prior to the commission of the now crime charged, that the attorneys in Re their argument* had avoided the Imprice portant feature* in the case and lude contented themselves with oratory, com- Christopher, a colored man. about 25.00 53 years old. n resident of the city aran- for thirty-five years, was charged with in- a criminal offense against a white=»rves girl under fifteen years old. Several ds. other girls testified and the conditions r 21. surrounding the Christopher home on1Rock street were shown to be any-*er. thing but good.SIXThe Penalty. ^ _____ Bnnsor’s instructions to Thent jury required about tweotv minutes!-5-:i to read and were regarded by attor-J• neys and spectators as fair to all coner it rerned. He provided in his instruc-that three verdicts might be returned: ‘ guilty as charged” lt;rape); i“guilty of assault with attempt to n® I commit rape” and “not guilty.” ^The crime of which Christopherhas been found guilty carries with it Bl1a penalty of life imprisonment in the astate penitentiary at Fort Madison.IowathTRIAL TUESDAY AFTERNOON ycPrIJudge M C. Matthew* Occupies Several Hour* With ArgumentsCounty Attorney P. J, Nelson, at 4 r’ hi:Tuesday afternoon, commenced hie closing amrumlt;*nt for the state In. V e trial tvs and took Judge Matthews to task forquoting from “Uncle Tom's Uabin ’*. and cilother such works In his argument for the defendant. The county had madetsARPI... .....e more than his opening statement f5 HI when court was adjourned to WednesdaymorningJudge M. C. Matthews, chief council forthe defendant, occupied the greater part P[ cf Tuesday afternoon with his argument for the defendant, following Attorn** arOj aimers, also representing the 1fendant.Judge Matthew*, an orator of no mean ability, wm at his best and probably did his best He attacked, from almost every angle, the testimony of the state tending to incrlmirate the defendant. Christopher PI He charged that the state * witnesses, thelittle girls, are not credible, that t irstories were framed with the express purpose of doing injury to the de^ndant la He made an ardent plea for the acquittal of the defendant, “because there hasbeen no corroboratory evidence and because It has not been shown beyond ail-B!mdoubt that the defendant Is guilty**.c ar D FfCOA DIFihC rim TV *t
Newspaper Details
Dubuque Telegraph Herald
Dubuque, Iowa, US
Wed, May 21, 1913
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Ricki K.
IA, USA 06 Jun 2023
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