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After just two hours of de liberation an Athens County jury Saturday returned a verdict of innocent for all three de fendants in the county’s bitterly fought and prolonged pig larceny trial. Receiving its charge from Judge O. F. Rowland at 2:05 p. m., the jury returned at exactly 4:05 with its foreman, Harry Spaulding, Athens, pronouncing the favorable findings individually for George G. Gaul, 56; his nephew, Nial Koehler, 39; and son-in-law, Arthur Hines, 33. All three were indicted in Oc tober, 1946 for the loss of 37 pigs oy a Canaan neighbor, J. G. Hope. Their trial, which began March 10 and was described by Judge Row land as the longest in his 16 years on the bench, has included two weekend and two mid-week re cesses during its three weeks’ duration. Court costs, which it was be lieved would reach an unprece dented amount, had not been of ficially released Saturday. With acquittal of the defendants the county must stand the costs, it was explained by Judge Row land. Included in the mounting total were to be fees for a record breaking total of 83 witnesses, in addition to 13 days of actual time in court spent by the jurors and assistant prosecutor, R. D. Wil liams. More than 50 of the “faithful spectators” who have daily crowded into the courtroom remained seat ed Saturday while the jury was out and were present when the verdict was returned. Many others left following clos ing arguments by the attorneys, Prosecutor Gordon B. Gray and R. D. Williams for the state and Foster B. Cornwell, R. W. Finster wald and Charles D. Fogle, for the defense, the latter a Marietta law yer. The five-hour closing state ments began late Friday and con tinued again Saturday, court room walls reverberating with voices of the five attorneys as they re traced for the jury the events prior and subsequent to the disappear ance of probably the most dis cussed pigs in the county's his tory. Williams, last to speak, accused the defense of “muddling the tes timony” after the jury heard Fogle charge breach of the Ninth Com mandment and Finsterwald say he would “rather lose this case de fending George Gaul than win it for Garr Hope.” Cornwell also spoke for the de fense after the court heard Gray declare there would be “a desert around the Gaul farm unless some thing is done about his depredations on livestock from neighbors.” (Continued on Page 18)
Newspaper Details
Athens Sunday Messenger
Athens, Ohio, US
Sun, Mar 30, 1947
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 24 Jun 2026
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