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Show MlIMtE"" FOUND NOT GUILTY Couple Charged With Murder- of Mrs. Pet Magill Are Acquitted by Illinois Jury. Prosecution Depended Upon Declaration Declara-tion That the Conduct of the Accused Ac-cused Couple Drove Mrs. Magill to Suicide, and Therefore They Were Guilty of Murder. Decatur, III. Fred Magill and his wlfo wore found not guilty Frlda) night In tho trial for the murder of Ma-gilt's Ma-gilt's first wire. W. E. Iledmond mado the opening argument for the Btate. He read a decision de-cision of tho Supremo court ot Illinois to tho effect that If a, person knows another Intends to commit suicide, and If ho aids, abets or encourages such person In that act, ho is guilty of murder. mur-der. Ho argued that Fred Magill knew his wife was contemplating suicide and that ho encouraged her, adding to her despondency by his attentions to Fay Graham. On May 31, last, Mrs. Pet Magill was found dead In her home at Clinton, III., and a post-mortem examination, held six weeks after her death, showed that she had been suffocated by chloroform. chloro-form. On July 5, in Denver, Colo., Fred K. Magill, her husband, and Miss Fay Graham, a young woman, who hau been a closo friend of the family, were married. Four days later, in San Diego, Cal., Magill and his second wlfo were arrested ar-rested on a charge of murdering' the first Mrs. Magill. They were brought back to Clinton and secured a change of venuo to this city. In the trial tho statement that Mngitl and Miss Graham, Gra-ham, by their conduct, had driven Mrs. Magill to suicide nnd were, therefore, guilty of murder, was made. Tho defense Introduced letters written writ-ten by Mrs. Mnglll shortly before her death. In which she ciflnplalned of "unbearable "un-bearable headaches" and constant "nagging" of hor husband's relatives. Witnesses also testified that Mru. Magill Ma-gill had often talked of committing sul-cldo. sul-cldo. In n letter to her husband, written writ-ten tho day boforo her death, Mrs. Magill Ma-gill asked him to marry Fay Graham In caso anything should happen to her. Magill was employed In a bank at Clinton, Clin-ton, III., tho chief owner of which is Vespaclan Warner, Uiiltcd Statea commissioner com-missioner of pensions. Tho verdict was greeted with cheers, In splto ot tho efforts of the cqurt to maintain order. Tho crowd In tho court room hurried forward and offered congratulations con-gratulations to tho Magilln. Tho Jury afterward filed by, ond each shook hands with the defendants. |
