| OCR Text |
Show II0PT OX THE HOME STRETCH. The Fourth Verdict of Onilty Without With-out Any Recommendation to Mercy. Shortly after 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, after-noon, Mr. Varian brought his argument to a close and Judge Zane proceeded to read his charge to the jury. The Court consumed about ten minutes in rendering render-ing the charge which his predecessors usually took an hour in doing. After the solemn charge had been heard, the jurors filed out of the Court-room to decide on a verdict. Thirty minutes was thought the amount of time they would be absent, but it was nearly an hour and a half before be-fore the tread of the twelve men was heard, which caused a general turning around of the large audience to see the faces of those who held Hopt's life in their hands. After the jurors had taken their seats, Clerk McMillan asked if they had agreed upon a verdict, and they replied in the affirmative. The foreman fore-man handed the following verdict to the clerk: "We, the jurors iN the above entitled case, find the defendant Frederick Hopt," alias Fred Welcome, guilty of murder in the first I degree, as. charged in the indictment." . All e3'es were turned on the doomed man during that all-trying moment, but he moved not a muscle nor snowed a single working of his innermost feelings, whatever they were. Messrs. Sheeks and Williams, the defendant's de-fendant's counsel, did as able work for the convicted man as was possible under the circumstances. Mr. Sheeks asked for fifteen days' stay of proceedings in order or-der to prepare a motion for a new trial. The Court then adjourned until 10 o'clock, this morning, and the deputies escorted the noted criminal back to the Penitentiary. |
