Show BLAZER IS URNE FREE IN MERCY TRIAl ury iry Discharged After Deadlock Motion to Dismiss Charge Passed TATE STATE LAWYER IS SATISFIED ily Iy One Man Holds Out for Conviction Dis Dis- charge harge Held Mistake LITTLETON Colo Nov 12 By Byh h Associated d Press Press Dr Harold Imer mer Blazer today was cleared of ot 11 charges In connection with the thed d death th of ot his year old Imbecile and nd crippled daughter Hazel on 24 Jast last I l L The action came less than an anI I o Our r after atter the jury trying Jury trying him on onh the h he charge of o murdering the child V man announced it had not r reached ched a a. verdict and was vas vas' discharged dis dis- charged barged by Judge Samuel Samul l Johnson 1 Summoned hastily from his home P Jo Joel l E E. E S Stone one appeared before the presiding Judge and andade matte ade de a motion for dismissal of all charges harges and the release of ot Dr hazer Blazer z r. r who was tale taken n Into custody immediately atter after the Jury was dis- dis ch charged VH LITTLETON Colo Cob NOV 12 By hSi heL ho Associated Press The Press The legal taus tatus of murd murder f committed for tor foroe I Jove ve oe still sun remains remaina undetermined ed in C Colorado Jurisprudence i Hopelessly deadlocked ked the Jury I eJ to try Dr Harold Elmer Elmer j I on a charge chargo of ot murdering his i i Hazel the year 34 34 year I Ild woman was discharged by 1 Samuel Johnson Jphnson at 12 clo clock o'clock oo OOl today S SATISFIED r I am satisfied Prosecuting Atney At At- ney Joel E. E Stone declared red It t is s unlikely that I r shall bring Ion Ion on against Blazer again We Ve are satisfied satisfied- was th decla ton on of ot Lewis Mowry of dens dense des de- de ns nse s counsel At least est a a. vision pinion indicates th there te were some ds on the Jury who considered a the tie cold facts fact of ot law should be ered with Justifiable mercy I I rr t e Jurors refused to intimate ow iw they stood in their balloting I n i tn file filed l out of ot the court court- courtOn 00 On the their discharge B D ll izer zer was taken info ino custody f Roy Haynes to be held ni he furnished bail bait while Dis- Dis Attorney Stone reached a de- de Islon isbn on what further action may I de I EW TRIAL UNLIKELY be district attorney indicated wever that it was vas most unlikely ht t Blazer would be brought to rial lal again I x shall probably ask for tor ball bail of ot the same as he was held uner un un- er r r previously Stone said Honl Ide for love was the way Blaz Blazers Blazer's rs r's Set Set- ct was characterized by defense luring the trial We grant that he plow lew ew the girl but we deny that he heId heid Id Ud It with malice aforethought or hat he was sane when he did it It ra a as the burden of ot the defense The slaying was prompted by the I ear ar ai that he would be taken and II F Continued on page 4 I Ie- Ie FREE REE MAN AGAIN AGAIN J r Tr 7 i I 9 I I Two camera studies of Dr Or Harold E. E Blazer Bazer Littleton Colo Cob I I physician tried for the murder of his daughter Hazel Hazer a hopeless i C. C cripple ripple Charges against him were dismissed Wednesday when wien the I I jury failed to agree t e e n JURYMEN FAIL FAlL FAlLIN IN AGREEMENT OVER MURDER Continued from page 1 that Hazel would become a burden on someone else Dr Blazer declared in letters which he wrote to explain his act After the slaying sTaying the old doctor made two unsuccessful at atI attempts attempts at- at tempts to end This his life life once once with and th the ether time by slash- slash I ng hg his throat with a razor WIDE INTEREST I The case gained nation wide at attention attention attention at- at when defense announced that it would contend the homicide was no crime because Hazel Blazer a s horribly malformed imbecile helpless helpless helpless help help- less since birth was not a human being and therefore had no soul This contention however was re removed removed removed re- re moved during the closing hours of ot the trial when Judge Samuel Johnson Johnson Johnson John John- son overruled a a. defense motion for fora a d directed verdict declaring that a a. being born of woman Is legal inthe In Inthe Inthe the eyes eyed of the laws Reports from c court urt officials as asserted asserted asserted as- as that t a a. lane juror held out for forthe forthe forthe the conviction of Dr Blazer The I vote as re reported ort d was 11 to 1 However However However How How- ever Stone said that his information was that the vote was 9 0 to 3 for acquittal The Jurors would not reveal how many ballots were cast and their stand on the verdict Judge Johnson said no report as asto asto asto to the Jurys Jury's procedure had beeh been given to to him DECLINES COMMENT 1 L. L E. E Marshall foreman of ot the jury would not make public any statement to the newspaper men Judge Johnson said that he would probably place Dr Blaser Blazer In jail I while negotiations for a new bond were being m made de pending a a. decision decision decision ion on future action in the case Prosecutor Stone In a statement to newspaper men outlined his ht's views in the caseI case I received no notice of ot this murder murder murder mur mur- der for three days daysi after the deed was done said he Immediately I 1 Interviewed the defendant and I found him to be in a sane and normal mind His answers were I evasive and he was suffering from froma I Ia a slight wound wound the the gashes in his throat I should have sent him to jail b but t Instead ad sent him to to the county hospital A few days later contrary to the custom of the law of this county county county coun coun- ty and Colorado I 1 let him go free pit In bond and let him set his own bond TRIED TO BE FAIR I have tried to be most Host fair I Idid Idid Idid did an unprecedented thing when I allowed his friends and relatives to make bond I 1 am going a a. step I further too In this matter I am going to request that his old bond be allowed to standI stand I want to say that this was a victory for law and order In this state The fact that the jury failed to acquit th the defendant should be bea a warning that crime of this sort is not sanctioned In Colorado I It is my opinion that I shall not bring trial again although I must await developments and official sanction before r. r can move for a dismissal of charges One of the jurors the parent of ot otan an invalid daughter declared that it was a mistake to discharge the Jury I believe that we would have tI reached a a verdict with further de de- de liberation ONE MAN HOLDS OUT Only one man held out for convIction conviction conviction con con- and the rest of us believe that he could have been dissuaded from his opinion with longer discussion discussion discussion dis dis- dis- dis and deliberation It was a mistake he reiterated to discharge the jury unless the authorities do not plan to press further action In the case Defense Attorney H H. H W W. Spangler Spang- Spang ler declared he understood the lone juror who held out against acquittal was William Olson a farmer of ot Fort Logan Colo GREAT QUESTION INVOLVED One of ot the st strangest angest murde in the history of American criminal jurisprudence jurIsprudence Involving Involving the question question question ques ques- tion of ot an Imbeciles Imbecile's right imbeciles right to live live live- was enacted in Littletons Littleton's plainly appointed little courtroom The lifeless body of Hazel Blazer year old daughter of Dr Harold Elmer Blazer retired country country country coun coun- try p physician was discovered In Inthe the Blazer home on the evening ot of I February 24 1925 when Blazers Blazer's married daughter Mrs I Frances rances Bishop and her husband returned from a short business trip In Denver Den Den- ver The elderly physician was found lying on a bed in tho the same room with the body of ot his daughter daughter-a. child woman hopeless Imbecile and cripple from childhood childhood In In an apparent stupor Later Latec that night he attempted to end his life ute by slashing his throat with a razor Ills His self inflicted wound although serious did not prove fatal and he ho was released from the hospital within several weeks DOCTOR NOTIFIES CORONER The death of the girl did not come cometo cometo to 16 light until two days later when Coroner J. J J J. J Mackin of Arapahoe county was notified by Dr H H. II of Englewood who first was called in to attend Blazer after his attempted suicide A coroners coroner's Jury held Dr Blazer responsible for his daughters daughter's death and he was taken to the tho Arapahoe county Jail and Incarcerated for nearly two months before he was released on bail ball furnished by friends from his old home In Monte MonteVIsta MonteVista MonteVista Vista Coio These same friends raised a defense fund with which to employ counsel to defend their former former for tor- mer family practitioner When the tho case finally came to trial on November 4 the little courtrOom courtroom courtroom court court- room at Littleton became the center center center cen cen- ter of ot K a nation wide Interest aroused bv by the unusualness of the crime and and the announcement of ot defense counsel that they would plead not only Insanity for Cor their client but would hold that taking the life Ife of ot a hopeless Invalid and Imbecile was justified They re referred referred referred re- re to the girl as the human husk and the thing that had no soul SIXTY EXAMINED Three days were consumed in the selection cf ct a Jury fr from m nearly sixty t that were examined Th The state rested its case less than two days later after calling but ut six witnesses including Roy Bishop son-in-law son of the defendant defend defend- ant It sought to prove through these that Blazer was not insane and that he only feigned insanity as is he did two abortive suicide attempts attempts at- at tempts in an effort to cover up his deed In his opening statement to the Jury Prosecuting Attorney Joel JoelE E E. E Stone announced th that t the state would not ask the death penalty The defense summoned several lay witnesses former witnesses former friends of the accused man who man who testified as to his good character and the queer actions they noted noell In his conduct during the last few y years ars Mrs Frances Bishop came to her fathers father's defense testifying he al always always always al- al ways treated her helpless sister elster with the utmost kindness Her re recital recital ro- ro cital of Hazels Hazel's physical and mental condition and of her fathers father's devotion devotion devotion devo devo- tion to his firstborn brought tears to the eyes of the Jury and the courtroom spectators DESCRIBES SPELLS The defendant occupied the stand for nearly one whole court day He declared he became subject to spells that made him uncertain of ot his arrived at after study and caused his retirement as asa asa asa a practicing doctor for fear he would prescribe incorrectly for some of his patients Confronted with several statements made at atthe atthe atthe the time of ot the coroners coroner's Inquest an and apparently In conflict with those made on the witness stand Blazer declared he did dm not remember remember remember ber and that he could not differentiate differentiate differ dUfer between what he knew and what had been told me Contrary to announced defense plans he testified testified tes tes- to his belief in Immortality and asserted that he never thought of ot slaying his daughter and that if it he made the statement that he vas was satisfied with her fate he did not know what he was saying at the time The defense closed its testimony with the presentation of ot three alienists alienists alien alien- who declared they firmly be believed believed believed be- be Dr Blazer was unable to distinguish between right and wrong at the time of ot the homicide homi homI- cide Dr Blazer is 61 years old He Hewa wa was born near Steubenville 0 o. o and practiced medicine in Ohio for many years be before re coming west In 1900 He is a graduate of Wooster college Dr Blazer settled In 1910 at Mont Monto Vista Colo and later moved with his family to to Englewood Englewood Engle Engle- wood near Littleton where Hazels Hazel's death occurred I Engle-I |