, 1873-02-01
Closing Arguments Of tie
Counsel on Both Sides.
An Earnest Appeal by the States
Attorney for Conviction.
The Jury Bring in Verdict Of "Guilty
Of ofanVoluntary Manslaughter."
And Fix tho Torn OF Imprisonment at
Fire Years In tho Pcnitcntiary,


Tho fifth and last day OF tho trial Of Louisa
A. Boyco for tho alleged murder Of Calvert A.
johnson, began in tho Criminal Court yeatotday
morning at tho unusually carly hour Of O'Clock,
1t being the ovtdont dcsro Of tho Court to finish
the cnao before night, Tile july camo into thoir
coats with a1acrity, the moro 80 That thoy saw IN
Immediate prospect Of relief from tho wearying
work OF listening to and trying TO understand
one Of the most curious and puzzllng murder
trials OIL record. Mrs. Boyce mndo hor appear
nnco looking much as usual, and aa usual spent
most Of her time in doing, Which she succeeded
In doing In spite Of the Btentorian efforts Of hor
counsel to persuade the jury Of her innoconce.
It is said that the prisoners peculiar tendency to
nomnolenoy under circumstances go provocative
Of wakofulness Us trial involving her lifo, Ia
tho result Of tho habitua1 and excessive use Of
morphine, to which eho Lis become lopolossly
addicted,
ARGUMENT OF MIR. ADAMS.
Tho proceedings yesterday morning worc
opened by MIR. Francis Adams, who, for over
thres hours, wrestlod with the Jury In behalf Of
the prisoner. He devoted his attention more
particularly to the medical testimony on both
eides, maintaining that tho exports summoned
for tho prosecution, though unmistakably honest
and competent witnessed. utterly failed to oBtab-
tlBh death by violence beyond reasonable
doubt. In tho absence Of any other testimony
save that OF Professors Thaycr and Gum, the
Jury, would still be left in doubt as to tho cause
Of death, and 80 would tlndIi It impossible to ro-
turn a verdict OF murder. But, throwing into
the balance tho evidence Of Doctors Parks, Dax-
tor, and Lyman, together with the result Of Dr.,
11ller's examination, tho theory Of death by OK
formal violence was, Il, not completely de-
stroyed' M at least . SO badly ehakon as to create
as to whether any murder had been committed.
Council hero proposed to read certain medical
authorities to show that tho excessive use OF
nlcohol frequently resulted in acute CONGESTION
Ho was interrupted by States Attorney Reod,
who objected to tho roading Of any books to the
jury, which the Supreme Court Ind decided to DO
improper:
aud Mr.. Adann6 WAS obliged to proceed without
tho aid OF tho vast pi1o Of works on e Cellular
Pathology" "Aitkene Science and Practico,'
Pathology and Morbid Anatomy" etc. He ex-
out them, aud then went on to roviow the phase
Of tho case presented by tho fact that tUo
$500 bonds belonging to deceased wero subso-
quently found IN tho prisoners possession. It
s4 a nS hsraaEg aasgh o a'sFtM sh M o a%s ia1s to in
dor, go far from being tho most natural
and inevitable deduction, was the most violent
and unreasonable conclusion which could be
reached by the iury-tho very last conclusion,
were found In the possession OF the prisoner
would DO explained by the Jury upon the readiest
and most natural hypothesis that, while
under the influence Of liquor, johnson, who had
known this woman for eoycral years, and had
enjoyed hcr embraces for several days just
preceding his death, in fit Of drunken
generosity gave her those bonds. It was
,hsurd to suppose E| that sho murdered tho
poa ao5 his hs psrson e9s nad M a %n
Ind chain, his diamond studs, slooyo buttons
ind $500 in money-al untouched; all this pro-
1erty, 30 much moro easily used without exciting
suspicion, and loading to detection than register
by tho woman who murdered tho man for his
money and va1uableH Tho idea was absurd
utterly unworthy Of entertainment by an intolli-
gem, jury. There we're many other hypothesis
tho murder theory-that she stole tho bonds be-
fore the man died that aho stole them after he
died, for tho body laid in her houso all day. II
she had an accomplico, Whit did ho gat : 'Coun-
that Justice would DO done By the Jury, and That
the prisoner would be acquitted.
ARGUMENT OF Mr. REED.
States Attorney Rood, in closing the cnse for
the prosecution, said that this about the tlt-
teonth caso Of murder prosecuted by him during
his term Of Office. In aoyeral Of tllese cases hs
had succeeded In securing conviction, and tho
gu5 9noa Rad e5paatod 5ppa their crimes the
srisea Sus he DID not isSn ssas ho had nsa l
bored for their conviction and punishment, Ho
pitied, from tho bottom Of his heart, tho unfor-
tunate woman rho Was charged with the awful
malice toward her. Ho was heartily sorry for
her. He should not make long speech, and &c
weary the jury, hut Ahould simply recapitulatc
tho eyldeneo, and leave # thore. He
o read Which aG aas that eH' Ct eosssa es '0aRs
klllcd in some way to the jury unknown. This
clause, he explained, was inserted for aafety-to
operate in case tho exaes mode Of killing could
not be clearly shown. Upon precisely such an
in this country-Dr: Wobater, Of Doston-vaa
trlel5 convicted, and hung for tho murder oi
Parkp1an In 1861, though it was mover aacertain-
ed just how he killed him.
the death Of Calvert II. Johnson, tho staten's At.
torney called the attention to tho fact that il
was recognized fact all over the world-in fact,
an aphoriBm-that 'dootora disagree" They
60 until the end of ti1no. Dr.. Miller did not
pretend to know much about the case. He had
held five inquesta that day was tired and Weary;
he found 81 800 in money, aud had no cauBe to
suspect foul play, and 50 did not make . very
he had seen tho black spot on the side, and tho
marks on the neck, his opinion would have boon
altered. Professor Thayos, who had no superior
u this country as surgeon, and who wsa not
violence, aud did not know that thoro woro any
suspicious Of foul play, found tho largo blacl
apot with clots Of blood beneath, md says, with
his twenty-five yoars' experience and his world,
wide reputation, that "that wound could not
same Of the marks on the neck, which he ex'
aminod carefully, while DR., Miller did not. He