National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-28
THE BELT DIVORCE CASE.
Samuel Jackson Convicted OF Perjury
Battle Minors Trial Begun.

Samuel Jackson Convicted OF Perjury
Battle Minors Trial Begun.
The trial Of Samuel jackson, charged
with committing perjury in the Belt d.
yorce suit, was resumed In the criminal
court yesterday morning, and closed about
noon with a verdict Of conviction. Mr..
Henry Wise Garrett was the first witness
examined, and identified photograph rs
one used at the sitting of the commission,
and being picture OF Mrs. Belt, also the
one showed to Jackson, and which was the
lady he swore to having seen at Mrs.
WysoDg's house.
W. S. Hurley, formerly lieutenant on
the police force, and was In charge Of the
precinct IN which 1905 l. street is located, at
one time, testified to Jackson coming to
from him that Mrs. Wysong's house was
| disreputable.
Mr.. John NJ. Carson, correspondent Of
the Philadelphia Ledger, and residing at
| 1I0s l. street, testified to being acquainted
with Mrs. Belt mrs. Godfrey, and in 1870
he thought she lived at the Arlington, and
he met her In connection with her sister
and her brotherin-law, Congressman Will
| lis. Mr.. Carson also knew Mrs. Wysong,
| but had no knowledge OF Mrs. Belt ever
| having resided with her. The defen1 ant's
| counsel admitted that he had no doubt
about the house being respectable.
Mrs. Wysong was examined for the pur-
| pose Of showing that Mrs. Belt had never
occupied rooms In her house, and with this
testimony the government rested the case.
| Mr.. Shillington moved the court to direct
| the jury to return q verdict of acquittal on
the ground that the testimony given before
| the commission was not material to the
| issue being tried.
The court declined TO grant the motion,
saying that the charge made was that Mrs.
Belt was dissolute woman and living In u
dissolute house and, therefore, there was,
taken with the other testimony, great
materiality in that given by the defendant,
more especially after the effort made by him
to draw the lieutenant into the job was con-
sidered.
Samuel Jackson, the defendant, took the
stand and admitted giving testimony before
the commission. He said that one OF Gun
ningham's men came up to him one morn
ing and asked II the witness knew where
Mrs. Wysong lived. He was then approach
ed several times by Ferguson and Cunning
ham, who represented that the Wysong
house was disreputable and that Mrs. Belt
was an inmate OF 1t. After this, one night,
he met Cunningham, who said he wanted To
prove Mrs. Wysong's house bed house, and
that sergt. Burgess had told him Cunning
ham) that the witness knew all about It,
and the witness denied knowing anything.
When Cunningham sent for him the wit
ness went down agd testified before the
commission, and testified to just what Gun
bingham told him to, but did not believe
the story when he testified to 1t. He only
went down and testified to catch Canning
ham, and find o1t what the man was doing
This closed the evidence.
Brief arguments were made to the jury
who in seven minutes agreed on a verdic
| of 1'Ruil v as indicted
Noticg was given Of motion for new
trial, and sentence was suspended. Tn
case OF Battle Minor, also indicted for per
Jury given in the Belt divorce suit, wa
next called for trial, and motion wa
made for continuance on the ground tina
the testimony was almost identical with tina
given In the Jackson case, and the entir,
panel of jurors had heard the evidence ant
the counsel did not think an impartla
trial could be had. AS an additional grount
for postponement IL was desired to hav
the ruling OF the general term on the OK
ceptions taken In the jackson case 70
guidance.
The district attorney resisted the motion
and the court overruled 1t. The trial wa
then entered upon and not concluded whe
the court adjourned for the day.