Hide Article Text (OCR)
✓9da-ataledLIFE TERM DEGREED FOR SLAYERFormer Carthage ManeConvicted of Hisinadrift.Wife's Murder. ; J«-■- - 1BRIGHTON, CoL, May 22.-^ (Special)—After less than six! hours’ deliberation the jury inj the district court here, in the* Virgil A. Massie case, returned!r| a verdict of guilty with the I penalty of life imprisonment at hard labor. The verdict was returned at 11:45.Massie received the verdict calm* ly, and when asked if he wished to make a statement, said, “No, but I might make one tomororw.”Verdict Reached at 11:12.The jury received the case at 5:25 yesterday afternoon. Only three ballots were taken, the first at SiOS standing: 10 to 2 for conviction. The vote stood 11 to 1 for conviction on the second ballot, taken at 9:04, and on the final test, at 11:12, the jury decided upon Massie's guilt.The verdict was read in court at anf 11:45 with only the defendant, attor* neys, court attaches and newspaper reporters present.District Attorney Joel E. Stone, who has personally prosecuted the case, was not present when the verdict was read, and neither were Carl Cline and Bryan Whitehead, chiefs of Massie’s counsel. The state was} represented by Paul Hill, deputy district attoreny, and H. A. Gamble* of the district attorney’s office, Ths defense was represented by Attor- \ ney E. P. Hunter, associated with |SI Attorneys Cline and Whitehead li^I the case.| Attoreny SJunter asked for 40 day 1 in which to file a motive for a new trial. He was granted 15 days b#I Judge Johnson. V;-jThe state charged Massie oned his wife. Mrs. Rene Divelbess formerly of Holbrook, Arts., and friend of Massie, was named as co** defendant with Massie. Mrs. Dive!-’ bess has not yet been tried. She* and Massie admitted on the wit-1 ness stand that their relations had been intimate. Both denied plotting •mdMrs. Massie's death, nst j Blamed liquor.Massie maintained his wife died from the effects of liquor which {: they drank. It made them both 111* * he said, and he lay unconscious In bed for 12 hours with his wife’s : body beside him, after the liquor sent him into a stupor. Other wit* nesses testified that he tried to get into the house during the time he claimed he was unconscious.Mrs. Massie’s body was exhumed several weeks ago at Carthage, 111., .their former home. Examination of the viscera revealed traces of poison, state witnesses said.Formerly of Carthage.The Massies formerly lived In Carthage, 111. Among those who testified at the trial was Herman Rosenbaum, brother of the dead woman, who said that Massie’s actions when in Carthage for his wife’s funeral “made us think there was something wrong.”Defense attorneys in arguing that the state had failed to prove guilty said they did not know how Catherine Massie came to herdeath but we know her husband did* not kill her.Investigation into the death of? Mrs. Massie was started at the re* * quest of two of Mrs. Massie’s broth-? ers, and the woman’s body was ex* t burned at Carthage and found to, contain poison.• Massie maintained that both he and his wife drank poisoned liquor-and that she had died as a result ofthis.Mrs. Rene Divelbess, an alleged: friend of Massie, also was held in j connection with the death and will go on trial later.ms:hen’auc-raltictkeforled94.ithlatbyiildnd*LVSSOys-■si-oficeoison:edtnefc-or,ur-er,rs.im-bs,ts.?o,rk-ST. LOUIS—The proprietor and clerk of a hotel have been indicted for manslaughter as a result of the death of two guests from hydrocyanic gas with which their room had been fumigated. Two officers of the fumigating company also wereIndicted on manslaughter charges.
Newspaper Details
Quincy Morning Whig Journal
Quincy, Illinois, US
Sat, May 22, 1926
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 21 Sep 2021
Other Publications Near Quincy, Illinois
Quincy Whig Journal
Quincy Daily Quincy Whig
Quincy Daily Whig
Quincy Daily Whig and Republican
Quincy Morning Whig
