Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1903 — The Jury Disagreed. [ARTICLE]

The Jury Disagreed.

The trial of Edward Wempe, for obtaining money under false pretences, ended late Friday night. Wempe, a man of 52 or 53 years of age, came to Renseelaer a few months ago, representing himself as traveling for Bonney & Co., a Louisville liquor house. He visited G. A. Strickfaden, having known his parents in the southern part of the state, and aleoolaiming that he had just seen the old people, and they had sent messages through him to Mr. Strickfaden. Wempe was treated very generously by George and his brother Tony and finally, when he asked the former to go to tfle bank and help him to get some money, George very readily did so. They went to McCoy’s bank, Wempe made a sight draft on Bonney & Co, for #SO, Strick endorsed it and the bank padd it. Later the draft “came back protested, and Strick had to put up the SSO. It was shown at the trial that though Wempe had

asked Strick to help him get some money, yet he did not directly ask him to endorse the sight draft, that request having been made, by Mr. White, the bank cashier. It was further shown that Wempe had had a contract to travel for Bonney & Co and it was also in evidence that the firm had dismissed him by telegraph. It was also shown that Wempe’s story, of having recently visited Strick’s parents was false. The jury got the case at 9 p. m. and at 2 a. m., after five hours’ consideration they reported that it was impossible to agree, and they were discharged from further consideration of the case by the court. The jurors stood 7 for acquittal, to five for conviction, from first to last.

The state announces that the caso will be tried again, and intimates that evidence will be on hand next time that this time they were unable to get, __ There demand for Wempe from about half a dozen places in this state and Ohio, to answer to similar charges if he goes free here. There was a great crowd at the trial, and many waited until long after midnight, hoping to hear the verdict.