Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 128, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1917 — STOCKTON IS ACQUITTED [ARTICLE]

STOCKTON IS ACQUITTED

NEWTON COUNTY JURY BRINGS IN VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY. The jury in the case of the State vs Stockton, venued from this to Newton county, brought in a verdict of not guilty Thursday afternoon. This case was begun May 29th and has had the undivided attention of the court at Kentland since that time. In February, 1916, Jay W. Stockton in his testimony before the board of accounts here, charged that he had seen D. S. Makeever’s teams * hauling corn from the county farm in the years of 1914 and 1915. Similar testimony was given by others, and among them, Ernest Morlan, who was tried in the Jasper circuit court in September, 1916, on the charge of perjury and convicted. , The case against Stockton was taken to Monticello on change of venue, but was dismissed by the court on the point that the affidavit was bad. Stockton was ordered to report to the Jasper circuit court. A new affidavit was filed here against him and on his motion the case was sent to Newton county and came up for trial May 29th. Attorney Charles Snyder was selected to act as judge, and the following were selected as jurymen: James P. Baldin, Philip Wiest, Albert Verrill, F. W. Heathie, John McCartney, Orrin B. Doty, Ray Hershman, H. S. Geard, Fred Miller, Samuel Meade, John Alta and Thomas Dixon. The attorneys for the state were Prosecuting Attorney Reuben Hess, of Kenland; Deputy Prosecutor Chas. M. Sands, of Rensselaer; also attorneys Moses Leopold, George A. Williams and W. H. Parkison, of Rensselaer, and Hume Sammons, of Kentland. Stockion was defended by Abraham Halleck, of Rensselaer; Attorney W. W. Lowry, of Indianapolis, Palmer & Carr, of Monticello, and Ray Cummings, of Kentland. Over one hundred witnesses were used and the case was fought with all the skill and power it was possible to bring to bear on both sides. The attorneys finished their arguments at ten minutes after three Thursday afternoon and after about twenty minutes of deliberation the jury brought in a verdict of not guilty. It is understood that the first vote stood eleven for acquittal and one for conviction and that two ballots were taken. Thus ends one of the hardest fought and most expensive trials ever held in this circuit.