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Show IJURORS ACQUIT RICE OF MURDER Court So Instructs tiie - Talesmen. ' Mrs Elizabeth Muncey Fails to Appear to Give Important Import-ant Testimony. Charge Against Abe Hunter Is Dismissed, Dis-missed, and Muncey Itay Be Prosecuted for Perjury. yKDER rather sensational circum-Wl! circum-Wl! 1 I stances a verdict of not guilty was wmt IJ rendered yesterday In the caw- of the Siato vs. John Rice, on trial im for the murder of Fred Beutler In this tm city nearly eight years ago. The case .W against Abraham Hunter, also charged with murder In the first degree for ijWUf-utler'o death, was dismissed by the fflficourt immediately after the Rice case tin had been disposed of. Both prisoners, who have been confined in the county Jail since January 29, were ordered re-l re-l , leased. I Unexpected and sensational were the - circumstances that led up to this de-' de-' noucment in the case. Mrs. Elizabeth - llunccy, wife of George A. Muncey, f who confessed to the crime and lmpll-J lmpll-J cated the others In the murder of J3eut- - ler, was not to be found when called f by the prosecution to testifj' about 2:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. District ' Attorney Benner X. Smith insinuated I that the witness had been spirited away by the defense. The insinuation was . instantly resented by Attorney J. AL : Hamilton, who, with A. J. "Webber, represented rep-resented the defendant. Upon appllca-; appllca-; lion of the District Attorney Judge f Morse issued a bench warrant for the I attachment of Mrs. Muncey and Deputy Dep-uty Sheriffs Cowan and Smith" went In search of the missing witness. Was Important "Witness. This witness was considered all important im-portant by the State In making out Its case against Rice. She had been notified noti-fied by Deputy Sheriff Booth in the morning to be on hand In the afternoon. after-noon. Mrs. Muncey had asked the officer of-ficer to be permitted to remain away during the forenoon, saying she had a large washing to attend to. With the understanding that she --ould be at home all day, she was told that she need not appear until 2 o'clock. To make sure of the woman sheriffs were sent to her home at noon, but she was not there, nor could she be found. The officers said It looked very much like a put-up job. Efforts to locate Mrs. Muncey proved unavailing, District Attornpy Smith secured se-cured permission to Introduce her evidence evi-dence as contained In the transcript of the preliminary hearing. After this ' testimony had been read the District Attorney asked the court for an opinion opin-ion on whether the tesimony thus far introduced was sufficiently corroborative corrobora-tive of the testimony to be given by George Muncey to connect the defendant defend-ant with the crime. Attorney Webber moved, in behalf of the defendant, that the court instruct the Jury to return a verdict of not guilty, on the ground that, aside from the testimony of the confessed accomplice, accom-plice, there was nothing connecting Rice with the crime. Verdict Is "Not Guilty." Judge Morse ruled that under the etatutes the evidence- was not sufficiently sufficient-ly corroborative and instructed Forc- ; man W. H. Attwood of the jury to sign a verdict of not guilty. The de-i de-i fendant was then ordered discharged ffrom custod. The evidence being practically prac-tically the same In the case against Abe Hunter, District Attorney Smith moved r for a dismissal of the . Information. ? which motion was granted and the de- fendant ordered released. , Rice and his attorneys stated after i the acfmlttal that a complaint would be . sworn to against Muncey and that they , would prosecute- him dn the charge of ; perjury. They believe that he Is guilty of Beutler's murder and that he concocted con-cocted the story Implicating Rice mere- ly to escape punishment himself. The ; Sheriffs office Is much put out over . the result of the cose. The deputies , worked for months In tracing the m crime to Muncey and In securing a con-m. con-m. fesslon from him. Judge Morse said tPfttnat under the statutes no other dlspo-ldJUion. dlspo-ldJUion. could have been made of the m Court Notes. M In tho case oC c M Freed vs. Samuel m-. McDougall et al., Judge Hall rendered a decree yesterday quieting titlo In the A Plaintiff to the property In dispute. jK Gilbert Eradfield Is charged with neg- m lect in an action for divorce begun In m e District court yesterday by Annie M E. Brodfleld. Tho couple intermarried W ln M?1" city February 19, 1894 and have K one child, the custody of which s asked M by the plaintiff. She also prays for m general relief. . Marj' J. Strlngham. aged 65 years, & tellB a sad tale of neglect ln a suit for jf separate maintenance filed yesterday in ' ?he,Dlstrict court. She charces her m husband, Gcorgo Strlngham. with hav- m mg failed to provide for her for more W than two years, notwithstanding that W ' Cre wcl1 able to tete carc ot her. m Jars. Strlngham asks that her husband m be compelled to pay her 540 a month, H,, and that the payment of the sum be M secured upon certain real estate owned ft by the defendant. m Total Judgment in favor of defend- ants for 53G.1G0 was the verdict returned -.erday mi"nlng by the Jury In the T cnde,naUn suit of the Oregon Short 1" "Gftallroad company against Harry H J?',, 111,1 1131(1 e Citizens' Coal company. ine property condemned Ib all of lot m, z. block 80. plat A, Salt Lake City sur- V???n(:(l by the defendant Hill. The M vera ct of the jury places the value of V iot nt 530.G00. and tho Improve- V wnS ,made hy Mr- H1 at $1200. A ii!llold Interest of the Citizens' Coal If rf?y' together with improvements, f I Vucd at 5445- The 'ot, which la ff !tePattfurh TOt on First South til,' Vs. to be U8ed ln the proposed m I1' provementa of the railroad m company. |