The Hays Free Press

OSCAR M'DANIEL GOES FREE

St. Joseph Jury Finds Prosecuting Attorney Not Guilty of Wife Murder Charge.

St. Joseph, Mo., Dec. 6. - Oscar D. McDaniel, prosecuting attorney of Buchanan county, was acquitted last night of the murder of his wife. With the return by the jury of the verdict of not guilty the slaying of Harriet Moss McDaniel in the bedroom of her beautiful home here the night of July 14 took its place at the foot of the long list of the country's unsolved murder mysteries.

The jury was out one hour and thirty-five minutes. It took five ballots before reaching an agreement. The first three attempts to reach a verdict resulted in a vote of ten to two for acquittal; the next was eleven to one for acquittal; the next was unanimous and sent Oscar D. McDaniel to his home and three motherless babies a free man.

The young prosecutor, the object of a fierce yet eloquent onslaught of accusations and charges throughout the greater part of the afternoon by John T. Barker, attorney general of the state, sat at 4:35 o'clock, smiling, unmoved, the same cool expression on his face that he had worn ever since the night three months ago when he was arrested, charged with the fatal attack upon his wife.

At 5:40 o'clock the attorney general, his collar wilted, coat sleeves pulled up to his elbows, his face shining under the perspiration that had been brought by his vigorous four hours' argument to the jury, dropped into his chair beside the counsel table.

McDaniel, sitting there inside the bar inclosure, little Helen, his 8-year-old daughter, asleep in his lap, his son, O. D. L., on one side, and Marion, the youngest daughter, on the other, looked up into the faces of the twelve men of the jury as they arose to go to their room and deliberate as to his fate. There was no smile. He looked at them calmly, as he has from the beginning, and stroked Helen's hair while she slept.