State v. Gwyther

The defendant, Gwyther, was convicted by a jury of the crime of third-degree arson. The relevant portion of the indictment read:

“The said DAVID GEORGE GWYTHER on or about the 22nd day of January, 1969, in the county aforesaid, did then and there wilfully, maliciously and wantonly set fire to, burn and cause to be burned a U.S. Navy table cover, the property of the United States of America * *

On January 22, 1969, United States Navy personnel visited the University of Oregon campus to engage in recruiting. To further this activity they placed Navy literature on a table covered ‘with a cloth…