UNWRITTEN LAW TRIAL

Southland Times, Issue 17469, 25 March 1915, Page 6

UNWRITTEN LAW TRIAL

ACQUITTAL AFTER EMOTIONAL SCENES IN COURT. Once again the doctrine of the “unwritten Jaw” received spectacular confirmation at the hands of a New York State jury, when William V. Cleary, a ricii, powerful Republican •boss,” of Rockland County, was acquitted on a charge of murdering Eugeno M. Newman, son of a local newspaper proprietor, who had secretly married his daughter. Acting on the advice of Mrs Clearj, Newman, a young man in the early twenties, last July walked into the office of Mr Cleary, who was town clerk of Haverstraw, and. holding out his hand, said: “1 hope you'll be friends, Anna and I have Just returned from New York, where we were married," Mr Cleary's reply was to whip out a revolver from his desk and riddle the young man with bullets. 'At the trial the widowed daughter of Mr Cleary was allowed to embrace her father before the jury, while tho prisoner weepingly exclaimed : “You're more than my life.” Tho young woman then testified that she had secretly married Newman to escape the con. sequences of her shame, which had become known to her father. The defence was that after learning of liis daughter’s undoing Mr Cleary, maddened with grief, gave way to drink, and was in the twilight state of consciousness when Newman entered Ids office in 1 lie town hall and announced the marriage. The court was crowded with Mr Cleary s political friends, who hurst into loud cheering when a verdict of “Not guilty” was returned. Mr Cleary fell on his wife's shoulder and exclaimed : “it is a. just and merciful verdict,” to which the Pubitc Prosecutor responded, "It is a merciful but not a just verdict."