Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 143, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1903 — My Jury Disagrees. [ARTICLE]

My Jury Disagrees.

The trial of ' John F. Judy, at Lafayette, ended Saturd y afternoon, with a disagreement of the jury, after they had been out 23 hours, and reported no prospect of an agreement. It has been a rare occurence that a man of the wealth of Judy has had so close an escape from a penitentiary sentence, m as the jury is stated to have stood eight for conviction to four for acquittal. The trial had lasted 11 days and was one of the greatest and most strenuously contested in the history of the state. Probably the greatert criminal trial when the charge was for a no more serious crime than grand larceny.

Judy was not on trial for his supposed connection with the stealing of a whole livery, from Clark's Hill, as was erroniously published, but for the stealing of a horse in Lafayette. The horse was one on which Judy had had a big mortgage for a little money, and which mortgage, as was proven at the trial had been fully paid and satisfied,; but never turned over to the mortgagor. Tbe horse was taken in the dead of night by some of Judy’s men, was kept seoreted for months and finally sold at Judy’s town, Judyville, for Judy’s benefit. It was a clear case of stealing on Someone’s part, and the evidence was certainly very strong that Judy knew all about it, and ordered it to be done.

The defense was mainly an attack on the characters of the principal witnesses for the prosecution, with claims of conspiracy against Judy, for revenge, and eloquent appeals for sympathy. The ablest attorneys money would hire were enlisted in Judy’s behalf, led by J. Frank Hanly, who made the effort of his life in his defense. The prosecuting attorney says the case will be tried again, but just how soon is not yet known.