Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 115, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1904 — THE CIRCUIT COURT. [ARTICLE]

THE CIRCUIT COURT.

Jos. E. Frances, a young man, about 20 years old, whose home is a few miles southwest of town, was tried Saturday on the charge of shooting Miss Bessie Umphress, a young lady whose father lives'near Fair Oaks. The shooting occured in the evening of Aug. 4tb, while a band concert was in progress, and the particulars of which were fully related at the time. The two had beeT keeping company for quite a while, but the girl had shown a disposition to put an end to their oourtßhip.\The shooting occured on the evening of a band concert. The girl bad been keeping a revelvet belonging to -ng Frances, and b<d just returned it to him, together with a number of prebent? when he shot her ®s she sat on the stone coping on the east side of the puolic squire. The wound was a very slight flesh wound in the calf of her leg, and did not lay Miss Umpbress up at all. The evidence was substantially as here given. The young man denied that be owned the revolver, but admitted that he went to the place where the shooting occured in ord r to be away from the crowd when she returned that and the other articles to him. She also had a letter from him written some time before the shooting in which be asked her to return the gun;but this letter she did not have in in time to get in evidence. The jury got the case about two o’clock Saturday and in about 4 hours agreed on a verdict of guilty of assault with a fine of $lO and all costs remitted, The jury is understood to have at first stood & to 6, but finally agreed on the above verdict, such as it is.