| 225BOTH GIVEN THEIR LIBERTY.
Mrs. Sheedy and Monday McFarland Found
Not Guilty.
VERDICT WAS REC IVED WITH CHEERS.
Some Hisscs, However, Were Mingled
with the Shouts-The Court
in an Uproar for a
Few Minutes.
LINCOLN, Neb, May 29. ----[Special Telegram to THE BEE.]---At 3:25 this afternoon the jury in the great Sheedy murder case filed into the court room and it was then known that they had agrreed upon a verdict.
All day an eager crowd of pepole had been in waiting expecting a verdict and they were not disappointed. The sealed document containing the fates of Mrs. Sheedy and Monday McFarland were handed to Mr. Sizer and as he opend it the result was awaited breath- leasly.
The clerk then read the papers through and annonced the verdict for both, " Not guilty. "
A wild cheer went up at this and it was some time before the court could rusume its operation.
A number of hissos wore mingled with the cheers.
Mrs. Sheedy's sisters grasped her hands and cried for joy, while Monday McFarland showed more emotion than he has displayed throughout the trail.
The judge then asked the jurymen one by one if this was their verdict and each ponded in the affirmative. The judge then declared that Monday McFarland and Mrs. Sheedy were relased from custody. The two were immediately surrounded by their friends and tendred something of an oration.
The verdict was as follows:
" We, the jury, duly impanelled and sworn in the cause of the State versus Mary Sheedy and Monday McFarland find the defendants not gully as they stand charged in the information. JOHN ROBERTON, Foreman."
Three of the jours were seen immediately afferward and they said that all but two were in favor of acqulting both defendants, and those two were Roberstson and Cadwarlader. The major portion of the morining was spent in reading the instructions of the judge, and in the discussion over them the two dissenting jury men were won over to the majority. Robertson was seen and he said:
"There was no evidence to convict the woman, and if she escaped the darkey should also, Outside of the confessions of McFarland there was nothing to convict. The judge instructed us not to consider the confession so far as it affected Mrs. Sheedy, consequently as there was scarcely any other evidence against her we had to acquit her, according to out oaths.
The judge futher insturcted us that unless we could believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the confession had not been exterted from Monday McFarland through threats or promises that we must bring in an acquital.
So whatever out suspicions might have been, we had to act according to instrictions.
Until yesterday I had suspicions that Mrs. Sheedy was guitly, but when that hair was produced I began to behave that there was a plot against the women. I don't believe now that even the hair alleged to have been taken from her body is that kind of hair. "
The acquital of Mrs. Sheedy was expected by most citizen who have watched the trial, but the acquital of the negro was a suprise.
It is generally conceded by many persons who have been seen that the negro should be acquited since Mrs. Sheedy, the alleged instigator of the crime, was forced. The jury men give as their reason for acquitting the negro the fact that the confession was the stumbling block. The were not convinced that the confession was obtained righfully, and consequently they could not convict the negro, because the other evidence was not suffcient to convict Mrs. Sheedy.
Mrs. Sheedy is stopping with her uncle, Colonel Biggerstaff at Fourteenth and P streets.
It is needless to say that Messrs. Strode, Stearus, Billingsley, Woodward and Philpot, who have championed the defense, are delighted. Detective Pinneo and Crowe aslo simile.
Mrs. Sheedy will leave in a day or two for Iowa to visit her mother.
Monday McFarland was seen this evening and he declared that he was confident all the time of acquittal. He asserted that as far as he knew Mrs. Sheedy she was a pure woman.
When asked about the confession, he said:
" Supporting that the officers should tell you that a mob was after you and you could take your choise of confessing who had prompted the crime or be hung in fifteen mintues, what would you do!"
Monday showed a great fluency and readiness in talking. This was the first time that a reporter has had a chance to talk with him since his arrest. Monday says he will go to White Cloud, Kan to visit his mother in a few days.
Mr. Strode, the attorney for Mrs. Sheedy. is to get a 12,500 fee for his services. He first was to receive $ 15,000, but Colonel Weir of Boise City strongly opposed such a fee and $ 2,500 was lopped off.
| 225BOTH GIVEN THEIR LIBERTY.
Mrs. Sheedy and Monday McFarland Found
Not Guilty.
VERDICT WAS REC IVED WITH CHEERS.
Some Hisscs, However, Were Mingled
with the Shouts-The Court
in an Uproar for a
Few Minutes.
LINCOLN, Neb, May 29. ----[Special Telegram to THE BEE.]---At 3:25 this afternoon the jury in the great Sheedy murder case filed into the court room and it was then known that they had agrreed upon a verdict.
All day an eager crowd of pepole had been in waiting expecting a verdict and they were not disappointed. The sealed document containing the fates of Mrs. Sheedy and Monday McFarland were handed to Mr. Sizer and as he opend it the result was awaited breath- leasly.
The clerk then read the papers through and annonced the verdict for both, " Not guilty. "
A wild cheer went up at this and it was some time before the court could rusume its operation.
A number of hissos wore mingled with the cheers.
Mrs. Sheedy's sisters grasped her hands and cried for joy, while Monday McFarland showed more emotion than he has displayed throughout the trail.
The judge then asked the jurymen one by one if this was their verdict and each ponded in the affirmative. The judge then declared that Monday McFarland and Mrs. Sheedy were relased from custody. The two were immediately surrounded by their friends and tendred something of an oration.
The verdict was as follows:
" We, the jury, duly impanelled and sworn in the cause of the State versus Mary Sheedy and Monday McFarland find the defendants not gully as they stand charged in the information. JOHN ROBERTON, Foreman."
Three of the jours were seen immediately afferward and they said that all but two were in favor of acqulting both defendants, and those two were Roberstson and Cadwarlader. The major portion of the morining was spent in reading the instructions of the judge, and in the discussion over them the two dissenting jury men were won over to the majority. Robertson was seen and he said:
"There was no evidence to convict the woman, and if she escaped the darkey should also, Outside of the confessions of McFarland there was nothing to convict. The judge instructed us not to consider the confession so far as it affected Mrs. Sheedy, consequently as there was scarcely any other evidence against her we had to acquit her, according to out oaths.
The judge futher insturcted us that unless we could believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the confession had not been exterted from Monday McFarland through threats or promises that we must bring in an acquital.
So whatever out suspicions might have been, we had to act according to instrictions.
Until yesterday I had suspicions that Mrs. Sheedy was guitly, but when that hair was produced I began to behave that there was a plot against the women. I don't believe now that even the hair alleged to have been taken from her body is that kind of hair. "
The acquital of Mrs. Sheedy was expected by most citizen who have watched the trial, but the acquital of the negro was a suprise.
It is generally conceded by many persons who have been seen that the negro should be acquited since Mrs. Sheedy, the alleged instigator of the crime, was forced. The jury men give as their reason for acquitting the negro the fact that the confession was the stumbling block. The were not convinced that the confession was obtained righfully, and consequently they could not convict the negro, because the other evidence was not suffcient to convict Mrs. Sheedy.
Mrs. Sheedy is stopping with her uncle, Colonel Biggerstaff at Fourteenth and P streets.
It is needless to say that Messrs. Strode, Stearus, Billingsley, Woodward and Philpot, who have championed the defense, are delighted. Detective Pinneo and Crowe aslo simile.
Mrs. Sheedy will leave in a day or two for Iowa to visit her mother.
Monday McFarland was seen this evening and he declared that he was confident all the time of acquittal. He asserted that as far as he knew Mrs. Sheedy she was a pure woman.
When asked about the confession, he said:
" Supporting that the officers should tell you that a mob was after you and you could take your choise of confessing who had prompted the crime or be hung in fifteen mintues, what would you do!"
Monday showed a great fluency and readiness in talking. This was the first time that a reporter has had a chance to talk with him since his arrest. Monday says he will go to White Cloud, Kan to visit his mother in a few days.
Mr. Strode, the attorney for Mrs. Sheedy. is to get a 12,500 fee for his services. He first was to receive $ 15,000, but Colonel Weir of Boise City strongly opposed such a fee and $ 2,500 was lopped off.
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