The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-07
AN EXCITING TRIAL.
STRONG CLROUMSTANTIALE EVIDENCE
REJECTED By Il JURY.

her Daughter-The Trial and Verdict
LEEsBURG, Va, October 80.
The trial of Mrs. Emily e. Lloyd for the
murder of her daughter Maud, child of ten.
der years, which has created an enormous
amount of discussion and feeling Throughout.
the State, was concluded to-day, when the
jury brought in a verdict of mot guilty." Of
course there are various opinions as to the
justice of this acqulttal, some holding that It
was caused by. the general repugnance to
hanging anybody on merely circumstantiai
evidence, others saying that If the whilom
accused had been man she would now be
under sentence of death, while yet others
hold that the verdict was entirely warranted
by the facts as ellclted at the trial. There is
also much feeling among chemists In regard
to some phases of the proceedings which had
direct bearing on the testimony of experts
as to poisoning by arsenic. 1t is said, more
over. that at least one of the Jurors was pre-
| Indeed in favor OF the prisoner, and had said
that abe was an old sweetheart Of his whom he
would not hang under any circumstances, and
that therefore the trial was but farce. See
inc that one obstinate man on jury can con-
troll the action of all the Others. But what
overland however 80 many tne different opin-
ions may be, the fact remains that Mrs. Lloyd
is now free to 20 and come when aud where
The circumstances of the case and the ante
oedents of the accused were somewhat pecu-
liar. She is a widow of about thlrty-1Ve or
forty years OF age, and quite communicative.
Her trade Ia that of q talloress, and she, having
been acquitted, says that she Intends to work
at 1t, though not here, Wnere sne ID afraid OF
annoyance, and thinks she would be generally
shnnned and avoided. In appearance she is
not prepossessing. nor yet positively ugly.
She Ia somewhat below the medium height,
slender. and not ungraceful; she weighs prob
ably about 100 pounds. In complexion she is
dark, and has small gray eyes; her nose Is
slightly turned up her mouth not particularly
large, and her full lips give her sensuous
and possibly cruel look; her hair is dark and
seanty. At the trial she looked and acted
we'll, though her confinement 10 prison during
the summer months has had perceptible
effect on her general health. Generally speak
inp. the new snaper press of The State has dealt
yery fairly with her case, although In some
quarters there has been slight though
marked aDImus against her,
The brlet history OF her case, WltR its ante=
cedsnts, may be thus toldi not long ago enc
had a husband, an aunt, (who lived at her
house.) two sons and two daughters, all OF
whom died suddenly within lew months of
each other. The last child who died was
Maud, deicate-looking but healthy girl three
wears old, who, on the 2lst OF March last, sick
ened, aud two days afterwards died. It was
for the murder of this ohild that she was tried.
Suspicion OF foul play arose Immediately, and
then 1t was remembered that gil her relatives
who were known here had died with symp-
toms very much like those which appeared il
MaIdIs case. To these Suspicious Mrs. Lloyd
mSds reply that 'sall the Lloyds died that
Wky,n implying that there was some heredl-
tary disease In the family. She could not,
however, although she endeavored to do 80,
prevent the holding Of o postmortem exani-
nation OF the ohlld's body, the result OF Thioh
was such as caused her to bs arrested and held
for trial on the charge OF poisoning the little
In the Circuit Court oil Loudon County, Judge
Keith, a young man about thlrty-two years
old, on the bench, on the, 23i Of last month, ].
NJ. Kligour, commOnWsatti:RI assiaeed
By John NJ. Orr, appearing for the State, and
NJ. & P. Harrison, assisted by Hunton d Foster,
tor The defence. Mrs. Lloyd made her appear
,ance In court, leaning on the arm of Mr.. Wm.
Nixon, and dressed in ueep black; althouh quite
nervous she showed determination, and stood
calmly In the prisoners box during the
reading OF the indictment, which took up
about hftesn minutes. When asked If she
was guilty or not guilty she firmly replied,
s.Not guilty." sat down, and then Lhe court
proceeded to empanel Jurors; from the drst
panel of twepty-elsht men only four were se-
leoted, the remaining eight oelng taSen IRON
the second panel of fifty five names. Oa Inc
next day the jurymen were sworn, aud the
prisoner, apparently ln good health and ex-
oellent spirlIs, mLde her appearance 10 tne
box. After some preliminary talk OF qlashiHg
the Indictment and excluding certain counsel,
the CASE was opened by the commonwealth
attorney, Mr. Kilgour, who showed WhaC was
to be the line Of The prosecution 10 spee9n
of some length, 10 when lae hlssoey !,,os oi tae
was aroused to the arrest and imprisonment
of the prisoner at the bar. While he was
speaking and drawing an appalling picture OF
the crIme-such q picture as prosecuting at
torneys generally draw-ars. Lloyd was seen
to be weeping, as If 1t was Impossible Tor her
to restrain her feelings. Her slight frame
quivered with ewetio9, and ner s0os were
Captain ]. W. Foster, who opened the case for
the defence. The following witnesses were
then called and sworn: DR.. A. 3. Mott, DR..
william Gross, B. r. Atwell, John W. Ham
merly. William Forsyth, Nicholas Purcell, DR..
J, F. Fauntleroy, Samuel OrriSon, James Head,
Julian A. Hutchinson, DR.. B. b. Edwards, Jo-
seph Abbott, Delphi Lazenoury, all of Lees.
burg; also, Professor Mallett, OF the University
of Virginia, and Professor Tonry, of Baltl-
more, Maryland,
Delphi Laaenbury ia mulstto girl employ
ed In Mrs. Lloyd's house at and previous to the
time OF Mauds death, and she was the hrst
witness called by the prosecution. Before
abe testified, however, the prosecuting attor-
new asked that Mr.. R. G. Glove be excluded
from the jury as person prejudiced and
therefore unfit to serve 10 aucn capacity, ne
having on the foregoing day asserted that Mrs.
Lloyd was an old love OF his. and tnat he would
not hang her If she we're to murder every
friend he had In the world; but this motion
was oyerruled by the court, and Delphi Lazen-
hnrv;s teslImony was proceeded with. II was
mainly to the effect that Maud, apparently
we'll had eaten cake and soon become III
and yomited. diving two days afterwards.
Dnr,ng Mauds illness she had taken nothing
bnt milk and lime water, and what the child
had vomited had been thrown into the yard
nv her mother, The doctor had been sent tor
OF, Saturday night shortly a(ter the child be-
came sIck. Delphi knew nothing of the pur-
chase of the arsenic or OF any being In the
house. Mrs. Lloyd had had four children, whose
names were George, Henry, AnDie and Maud.
AtthIs polnt the Jury we're sent from the
room pending the discussion OF point Of law
raised by the defence against the proprlety of
the admission of evidence calculated to i'm
plIcate the prisoner ip the death OF her other
chIldren. The court reserved its decision
and Delphi was recalled to give the i'm
portant testimony that she mad never smelt
snvthing burning about the house. DR.. A. r.
Mott was then called and testified that he had
heen MRS. LIoyd's family physlcian since 1865;
had attended Maud In her last Illness; she