After being out for several days, never allowed to separate or talk to any one during the whole time, the jury in the case of the state vs. W.P. Newton, charged by indictment with murder, yesterday morning returned a verdict. The verdict found the defendant guilty of murder in the second degree and assessed his punishment at five years in the penitentiary.

Newton was convicted for the killing of James Peel near the Kaufman county line. George Hammil [Hamill], jointly indicted with Newton for this murder, was convicted eight or ten days ago and given the same sentence, five years in the penitentiary.

The defendant's counsel had the jury polled, and as each juror answered to his name he declared the verdict handed in by the foreman, Mr. Cornett Wheat, to be his verdict.

Judge Clint announced that hereafter there would be no more mistrials if he could prevent it, and that he would in future not be so lenient as in the past in discharging juries that found it difficult to arrive at conclusions.