Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-03-14
LOCAL NEWS.

CORPORATION CoURT.-Judge E. IT, Loace,
presiding CONTINUATION OF YESTERDAY s
PROCEEDINGS. -
Com. vs. Newton Smith; court convened at
3 O'Clock p. M; examination Of Mr. Ferguson
resumed. The child was born one Sunday
night early in December; | met Newton Smith
shortly after the birth of the child and told
him he must come up to my house and take it
to my house, and on seeing the child acknowl-
edged that he was its father; I then wrapped
it up in shawl, &C., and gave it to him; he
took it away and | have never seen it since.
The prosecution then called Thomas Grove,
who testified substantially as follows Il live
near Union street; found the body of a child
last December near the lime kiln, lying in a
pond by the river side the body was under the
water when | found it; twas female child, a
mulatto, and very small; l went and reported
that | had found it; | was present at the in
quest on the body; Mr.. Wheatley took the
body out of the pond and carried it up to Mrs
Davis where the coroner's inquest was held
over it; the child had nothing on but piece Of
shirt when saw it in the water l found the
body at about ii o clock III the day; [ don't
know whose child it was
DIR. French testified: [ know Harriet Fer
guson; she gave birth last Dccembert to female
child, 4 muatto; attended her. On the sec
ond day after birth, Mrs Ferguson and the
prisoner came to my house, and Mrs +. said
that he wanted to get possession of the child
in order to raise it, and asked my permission;
told her that had nothing to do with it,
but that had no objection to his taking the
child if he would care for it properly. He ac-
to Philadelphia; on returning heard of Il mu-
latto child having been found drowned [
thought it might be Harriet Ferguson child
and so informed Mr. Latham; this lead to
Smith arrest; | was not present at the post
nOrtem examination.
Dr. Powell was then called: | am practis-
ing physician III Alexandria; | attended coro-
ner's inquest on the 10th of last December on
the body of Il female child Il mulatto made
post mortem examination of the body, partic-
ularly of the heart and lungs and found coag
ulated blood in the right ventricle OF the Heart;
this is laid down in Beck's Medical Jurisp rud-
cnce as a sign Of death by drowning; my OK
periments demonstrated the fact that the child
was alive when thrown in the water, and that
it came to its death by drowning | could not
tell how long it had been dead; it showed NO
signs of decomposition the skin was slightly
discolorcd, caused by exposure to the cold; the
child was probably three days Old; the inquest
was held at Mrs. Davis house.
Mr.. Beach: [ acted as coroner Oh the 10th
Of December 1870, in an inquest on the body Of
mulatto child that had been found drowned
in pond of water, on that day; it was female
child Dr. Powell made post mortem eXami
nation; don't know whose child it was
Mr. Latham was then called and testified as
follows know Newton Smith, the prisoner; |
House last December Dr. French came to me
one day in the month of December 1870 and
stated that he thought that the child which had
been found drowned few days before was the
child of Newton Smith and Harriet Ferguson.
One of my officers was already working up the
case and also suspected that said Smith knew
something about the drowning; sent an officer
over to the Mansion House to get Smith; he
brought him to me; this was on one "Wednesday
in said month; asked Smith what he had done
with the child of Harriet Fcrguson; nc said ne
had taken it to his mothers house, near AIT.
Vernon, and left her in charge OF it, told HIM
to 60 down the next morning on the steamer
Arrow, get the child and bring it to me; |
then let him 60 The next day hc came into my
office without the child; asked him where the
child was, and why he did not bring it to Inc as
had ordered him to DO he replied Il cannot
bring it" I then told him that the dead body
of little child had been found in i pond by
the riverside; that knew all about it; that |
suspected him to have been the author of it's
death and asked him what induced him to
drown it; he replied, Il did it, but | don't
know what induced nue. to do it; did not know
what was doing" then asked him where
he had put the clothes that the child had on
when it left Mrs. Ferguson's he told Inc that
the shawl was under Il bed in a certain room in
the Mansion House; sent for it and found it;
Mrs. Ferguson identified it as the one she had
wrapped around the child, and took it away; !
told him | would have to arrest him; did 80,
wrote out his commitment and sent Inn to JAIL
The defence then called.
Mr. W. w. Herbert Il boarder, Mr.. ThOs
Burke, the steward, and William jackson, - Ohm
Montgomery and John Dixon, colored walters at
the Mansion House, all of whom testified to the
good character borne by the accused previous
to his arrest.
Capt Smoot then commenced his argument
for the prosecution; he was followed by Colonel
Stuart for the defence The prosecution then
closed the case at half past ten clock, and the
Jury retired to their room. returning III about Il
half an hour with verdict Of guilty of murder
in the first degree. The prisoner counsel III
dicated his intention to move for IN arrest OF
Judgment or new trial, and requested the
court not to pass sentence.
TO-DAY's PROCEEDINGS The court has
been occupied all day with the case of the Com
monwealth vs.. Hugh Latham, for an assault.
This case, in which the Mayor is prosecuted for
having colored boy named Carter Brooks
whipped by policeman for minor offense,
was tried at the last term of the court, when
the evidence was published in the Gazette. As
the jury failed to agree then, proceedings had
to be commenced dc novo, but no additional
evidence has been elected.
CAMERON DIsTILLERY.-1t appears that Il
discharge by United States Commissioner,
and an acquittal by a jury in a .. S. Court,
are not considered by Mr.. Presbry, Supervisor
of Internal Revenue for Virginia, sufficient
grounds for stay of proceedings against MIR.
Peter Fegan; for, in obedience to Instructions
deputy IT, S. Marshal Garwood yesterday sum