National Republican., 1878-07-01
MISCELLANEOUS.
KATE sOTBERH.
A Matter-of-fact Account Of Her Crime.

A Matter-of-fact Account Of Her Crime.
We give in this paper the evidence elected
In tho much. .talked-of tria. Of Kate sothern.
1t differs as much rs light and darkness from
the sensational accounts we have been reading
in certain correspondence. There is nothing
IL the scenes, the surroundings, nor the incl
d .nts to CLEAN title Of romance. The whole
was fight between two women, while tho
gallant Bob Sothern and the rest looked on.
They were all very ignorant people, Kate and
her sister both centcred on "Sisr Cowart.
There Is no evidence that the men present
tried to part the combatants, nor does there
appear TO have been such scene as the scnti-
mental writers picture of Bob, with pistol in
hind, forcing Kate's way through q crowd.
All that was the Imagination Of q fancy
sketcher. Kate Sothem Is not pretty even.
She Is Of medium height, about twenty years
Of age, and has dark.brown hair, and the
twang Of North Georgia cracker. She Is very
ignorant, can hardly read and write and
Bob Is worse educated than she. Kate Is pass
ably good looking, and wears imitation let.
She says the witnesses swore lies against her
that she acted In selfdofense that she cannot
dance, and that night at her fathers was the
"fust time she ever seed q reel run" She is
now on the plantation Of Colonel Smith, in
Washington County, and will be employed In
the household, cooking, aud washing for the
convicts who work on the plantation. Tho
six-month baby" Is sick-teething-an that
now requires most Of her time. She says no
money has been sent her from the North.
Her health Is bad.
Her sixteen-year-old sister, sentenced to
two years as an accessory to kate's crime, has
been In Colonel Smiths house as servant.
She Is handsome, and has been taught TO read
and write by her kind mistress. On her
fathers farm she worked In the field and
drove an OK to the plow' Her sentence has
proved blessing.
Bob sothern is nothing but strong, good.
looking animal-a common, ignorant boor.
He Is now q guard to convicts on the same
plantation. The woman Kate killed was on
par with the rest
On reading this evidence one feels utterly
disgusted with the amount Of sentimental
twaddle that has been expended on this case.
Not scintilla can be obtained to excite sim
gle expression Of admiration. Why, the part.
les surrendered themselves to get the reward,
and the understanding was that Kates mother
was to get $50 Of the money. Where even 4
fertile fancy could extract anything Of a ro-
nance from such an atrocious crime we cannot
Imagine.
We do not believe there Ia single woman,
| no matter how warm and sympathetic beI
heart may be, who, after reading this sworn
| testimony, will sign petition for Kate Soth-
| crn's pardon. Governor Colquitt did right,
He weighed the evidence carefully, aud dis
played both justice aud humanity In his deci-
sion. A crime has been committed woman
killed another In her fathers house after she
had been reCei' ed kindly by her pareuts-and
then to demand Of the authorities that she
shall 20 free is preposterous. If such an act
were rardoned, the doing so would be .
mockery Of law. Crime already has too muck
license because the statutes are not enforced.
ColaI.Jus (Gd) Enquirer.