Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-12-12
THE COURrs.

{. Smith Gin whose case a plea of misncmer
watches. &c, valued at sisi.5o, nom f Bsniei
NJ. Walford i'm September last, was placed ON
trial and found guilty. Tate made a lengthy
explanation, claiming that he was innocent,
and that when almost starved to death he
made a confession TO get something 10 eat
Sentence was deferred. John Wilson, lar
ceny OF 80 rom MIS-; Elixabeth Riggs by
the corner OF 9TH street and Pennsylvania
avenue, appeal case, in which the sentence
below was $50 days in JAIL was convicted,
and in view of a promise to leave the city
was sentenced to pay fine OF $50. Frank
Honesty, colored, assault and battery on
John Willis on the LIST instant, was found
| guilty.
THE CANAAN CHILD MURDER CASE
The case OF Mary Canaan, indicted for the
murder Of her infant child, July ID, 1879, in
The city OF Georgetown, was called. She was
tried on the indictment at the last term Of the
court, but the jury failed to come to an agree
ment, and were discharged. Mr. Pelham, fer
asking the dismissal OF the prisoner ON the
ground that the jury on the former trial were
discharged before they had rendered YER
dict, and that under the constitutional pro-
vision that a prisoner cannot be twice put in
jeopardy OF life or limb.
TO-DAY.
This morning the pleas filed yesterday were
tried by a jury, and a verdict was found for
the government.
THE EMPANNELLING OF JURY
was proceeded with, and resulted in the ac-
ceptance of Edmund Handiey, Robert A.
Hooe, George c. Tompkins, James F. VOL
lard, Alexander B. BOhrer, James E. Miller
6 6dmund Eekioh, Thomas Lowe, John F:
Jacob BOOl, and they were sworn.
Henry C. Windsor and John H. Butler were
challenged by defence. VIM Tucker and
John II. Bird had conscientious scruples on
the subject of capital punishment, and James
r. McGuire ha formed an opinion as a juror
on the former trial.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
VIII be remembered that ON the former
trial ii was shown that the accused had been
in the employ of Admiral Radford, in
servant in cleaning up the cellar discovered
the DO iy of an infant with its throat cut, and
that suspicion having been directed to the
a sessSe s me- was arres1ed ana made con-
accused being woman of weak mind, at
times given TO fits ofinsanity, admitting that
she committed the act charged, she was then
in one of those fits and was therefore not re-
sponsible for her acts.
THE EVIDENCE.
d. Sheckeu testified to examining the body
OF the child, and to finding wound appar-
emily made with a knife across the throat
and also to ascertaining by the lung test that
the child had lived.
Cuhernae DOnOtue and AdnsyG RDlfor1 tes-
uned TO the body being found in the cellar.
OUicer Riley testified to taking the accused
1ncusiody, and that she told him that she
In the morning before the discovery of the
body, duly 13th) a little before day; that she
thought II would die, and if it did live she
reason she had killed it; that she cut ifs
throat with dinner or table knife Witness
took her to the station house.
Sergeant ". III. If,op,ea testified to examin-
ing the room of the prisoner, and finding be-
tween the mattresses evidences of the birth
of the child, and also O her stating substan-
Tally what she had previously stated to on
This closed the evidence for the govern
ment, and the defence placed on the stand
several witnesses, who testified to her actions
were Henry Payne. W. F. G}bhnns a,erv
Whalen. w. A. Hutchins, Officer Sebastian.
One of them testified as an indication of her
i insanity tnat on one occasion she dressed
public masquerade ball, going alone
DIR. Clinton Hoover testified that while the
lung test as TO whether a child had been born
alive is accepted as the best, il was not al
ways positive, and he also testified that
when the puerpal fever sets in the mania
sometimes is towards the destruction of life.
The trial was in progress when our report
closed.
CIRCUIT CoURT-J,dge Cwtter.
To-Day, EASTWOOD agt. Lowe and Rollins;
verdict Tor defendant. Schouler agt. Nash;
on trial.
EQUITY CoURT.-J,ulge Wyie.
To-day, Coombs agt. Walsh; demurrer al
lowed and bill dismissed. Hetzel agt War
ner; bin dismissed: Hitz agt. Leary; decree
for sale, Reed agt. Tyler; special auditors
iicat;on Of sale nisf. Gately ast;. Downrnan;
order resc..'"ded. MOrren agt.
Morrell; condemnation of fun.
POLICE COURT-JtNtge Si,<R.
enticing prostitution; S5 each. Albert Little |
ton and Jefferson Chase. loud and bosterOus;
50 each. Joseph Bishop, vagrant; down. |
Handy, larceny Of a shawl and pair of draw |
ers from John Webb; Handy has bad |
record; six months in jail. Moses Sands, lar |
days. Charles Thomas, larceny of half |
peck OF COL; So, or ten days. Thomas John |
son, charged 18th larceny of net jacket |
~ store ON Ith street; $50, or sixty days.
T IT,, a"ndheime,, larceny eohIl I'M s ~;
! : atna ~ Herre,I assault Oh. Anna wa.u,
,odn c n apd loo b, nds to keep the peace.
sa1,neI eefcr assault a III battery on John
Hernert a bad case; $50 and costs, or sixty |
laws I'm Jail. John Wesley, larceny OF three
chickens from Angus. Ratenan, VINO testined
that the birds Wee taken last night at ms
place, near Gees Woods; thirty days IN Jall.
Robert Williams, larceny OF nat from los.
Somers, worth 50; six montns IN JAIL
s 81 Of
months in Jail. John Lawson, assault on
Thos. Bowie; s. and costs or thirty days in
Jail.
RETURNING BOARD CASE.
Mary Gassaway, colored, larceny OF some
boards, dressed for use in the new house of
been missing his lumber for some days, and
suspecting where it was got a search war
rant, and found the lumber cut up at con-
venient lengths between feather bed and
OF the lumber was cut up for kindllng wood.
There was about s13 worth of it. Ofhcer Sui
Ivan, who served the search warrant, gave
testimony. A small boy testified for defence
that he stole the lumber for his mother and
split il up, but the court said he could not
spread the mantle of charity broad enough
10 cover such cases as this. The mother OF
the boy must have been aware OF this theft.
She might be held for receiving stolen goods
or as the thief. Restitution was ordered to
the value of the boards, and fine OF $40 or
sixty days in Jail.
Book SALE this evening at Dowling's auc-