The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-05-16
A MOrHER'S LAMENT.
Kate Douglass Convicted OF Murder in the
Criminal Court-A Jury Assesses the
Highest Punishment Against the

Kate Douglass Convicted OF Murder in the
Criminal Court-A Jury Assesses the
Highest Punishment Against the
Woman.
With visible disgust the crowd of loung.
ers in the criminal court yesterday evening
received verdict of murder in the first
degree against Kate Douglas, the colored
womaA who killed Joseph Miller. The de.
PENDANT herself, sat beside her counsel, Mr..
U. o. Bishop, and as the clerk read the find.
ing, which put her in the shadow Of the
gallows. she looked at her twelve Judges
with defiant leer, born of .oregone con
cluslon that there was no hope. She was
deeply Impressed with the injustice of the
verdict, but little surprised. As she walk
ed back to the dock reporter engaged her
in conversation. As the key was turned
in the cage door she began to
walk up and down. A moment later n
Leatly dressed colored woman entered The
vesllbule leading three-y ear old child by
the hand, She lifted the little fellow in her
arms and as she pressed his chubby face
against the corrugated screen his mother
kissed him through the wire. As the child
was lowered again to the a0or he rolled mis-
little eyes about in an intent and close in.
spection of the surroundings. The woman
took chair beside the screen and looked
out into the courtroom in quiet contem.
plation. She Is woman of about thirty
three years, less boisterous and more in
telllgent than Que would expect to find in
her class.
Did you expect verdict Of murder in
the trst degree, kate?"
''Np lint | pran,rnl 70 Ia
going to be the verdict. don't care much
what 1t is, AS far as am concerned. | do
care for my child, though have had iif.
teen children since | was irst married, and
every one died young except this one, and
there's no wonder that love him, II il
wasn't for his sake woudn care what the
verdict would be, but he is small and there
will be long years before he is old enough
to take care OF himself. don't know what
will become of him without me, and this is
the on care I've got on my mind"
YOU were not married to Miller, were
y,u2"
mo; couldn't expect better luck:
was dong wrong. He was river.man
and / was living IN East ST. Louis and took
up with him. We came to live on this side
OF the river and | had this child by him.
lie treated me bad and used to take away
~, o''s ,""' ""s oaNiHg tut my DhDy.
Whenever could lay away a quarter or
half dollar saved it because didn't
know now long was ever
going to live, and didn't
vast to die and leave my only child TO
starve. This more than anything else made
me do wrong. He used to knock me down
and take this money away from nae
That was the kind of man
he was and II those men think
| killed him purposely, when he left me
and went around drinking with other wo.
men and spending money that he should
give me to support myself and pay the
rent, why, then. guess they are right to
find me guilty"
Kate Douglass killed river rousiabout
named Joseph Miller IN Wash street sa.
LOON. she was living with him as his wife
ana while on spree he went around town
in company with several abandoned wo.
men, on whom he lavished the few dollars
he had earned during his trio on the river.
Kate Douglass was told of this, aud, on
visiting resort on Wash street, found him
there with crowd OF women around him.
Her jealousy was aroused and she
lirst ordered and iheD pleaded with him to
20 b one. She LETT and returned with a
knife aud her infant In her arms. The wit.
ness for the state testified that she made an
assault on Miller, but she claims that she
vas only pealing an apple for the child,
when he Knocked her down she dragged
him after her, and as he fell he impaled
himself on the open knife. During the trial
she stood before the jury with the child
nesting In her arms. q pitiable sight. Her
story was not believed, but the evidence
showed many mitigating circumstances.
Alter twenty minutes absence a verdict
was returned finding the forlorn wretch
guilty ofmurder In the first degree,