The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-19
SHANN JURY OUT.
No Verdict Before Monday
Justice Abbetl's Inn
partial Charge.

COUNSEL TOT DoLn SiQeS completed the
WORK of summing up. Prosecutor Bay.
ard Stockton was the last to have the at
tention of the jury. His address was a
calm discussion OF the facts without any
attempt at oratory.
Mrs. Shann was well surrounded with
relatives. There were twelve OF the FAM
lily In court and within the inclosure
Mrs. Sham aud her two daughters,
Mabel and Mamie. kept close together
and wept frequently during the six
hours that the lawyers consumed in
presenting the facts to the weary jury.
Mrs. Shann is confident that today Will
end her prison life. for In bidding her
daughters goodbye yesterday afternoon
she said tomorrow she would accompany
them home. the general impression
prevails here that the jury will not agree
or will acquit. Only few think that
conviction is possible under the evil
dence.
After recess yesterday Judge ChRuncey
Beasley, another of the defendants coun-
St |. began his address. After a hasIy
statement of the facts as he understood
them. he said there was nothing unusual
in Mrs. Shaun taking out a policy for
john and for the boy to make his mother
testimony and interpreted 1t as indicat-
ing that John Shann died from natural
causes. He dwelt on the fact that DIR.
Bergen, VINO attended Shann, did not
discover evidence of mercurlal poisoning
and even after the disembowelmenB gave
proof of death that it was caussd by
gastritis.
PROSECUTOR STOCKTON ENDS. IT.
Prosecutor Stockton made the last ad-
dress, which WAS review of the facts for
the State. He began by saying it has
been clearly proven by the Stats that
Mrs. Snann is guilty. 1t is Important
that the jury render a true verdict aud
no5 allow crime to go unpublished. He
urged them to forget that the defendant
is woman. The ferocty of tile crime
exceeds fiction. Touching on the evil
dence OF Carrie Pyatt and Samuel Stew
art he said they are probably the only
witnesses TO the administration Of the
whits fluid, supposed to be dissolved
poisonous tablets. 1t was impossible for
the State to say just how the poison was
given. The claim is that John sham
died of poison. administered secretly.
The Prosecutor then read clause from
the will of the father, showing that Mrs.
Shann was TO have beeu the BENEFICIARY.
and he quoted the condition of the two
life insurance policies. He then went
over the treatment of the boy, and the
purchase or the corrosive subllmate tab
lets, and the use of forty-eignt of them.
He thought the accusation made In
court that DR.. Bergen had an interest in
the removal of the viscera was an out
rageous proceeding. He had nothing TO
cover, for ne examined John Shaun for
policy that was not accepted. The in.
surance company had suspicion about
the death, and to have taken the viscera
would have removed the proof they
needed, ana again. il they had stolen tue
entraiis and made aa analysis, they could
not have revealed it without ackuoW-
Lodging they did the act. The strangsst
part of the whole tale he said was that
Mrs. Shann ana Mabel sat for three
hours after the act had been committed
discussing the matter without raising a
cry. He said the Shann girls were too
willing 10 contradict their testimony, aud
that they had sworn to too much, but
were weak and madly wild in their
mothers interest. He said Mrs. Shann
did not disem bowel the boy, but shs had
1t DONE and the viscera may nave been
burnt In a furnace, or carried many
miles from Princeton aud buried.
JUDGE ABBETTs CHARGE.
Judge Abbstt charged the jury at nine
o'clock this morning. lie SAID the Ques-
tiou was whether or not Mrs. Shann was
guilty of administering to her son mef-
curial poison. which produced his death
on or about the 18th of April last Judge
Abbetr, on the request of counsel for the
defense, charged twenty-five peiats laid
down as legs! propositions to govern the
action Of the jury, and refused to ehargs
points upon other requests on tue
ground that they sought to con-
fine the iury's deliberations to the
consideration Of only parts OF the evil
dence or were questions of facts for the
jury to consider. The jury were to
eliminate from their minds all considerg-
ifenG r,f nj f1rn it1s3f
prisoner. The fact that the crime IL COM
mitted. was the most henious IN the
State. should have no weight with their
deliberations. The only question was
the guilt or innocence OF the prisoner.
The Court reviewed the testimony In TIE
case. setting forth clearly what
what mad not been established.
Coming down to the story of Mrs Shaun
about the disem bowelment of her son,
Judge Albeit said that If it was true
that the prisoner made no outcry, Ii that
occurrence was real, aud If tho jury be-
lieved it to be true, they would he state
II long time before finding her quit ty II
they did not believe vnaG story to be true.
but OF the otner hand concluded that it
had been concocted to falSify the circu M
stances OF the case then the jury would
take into consideration whether it was
not additional evidence OF the truth OF the
cuarge VI tuutuor duu OI tn9 prisoners j
guilt.
The LAW IN THE CASE.
The Court stated With greaE elabora-
ton the law 10 The case to which the iurY
W ere to apply their conclusions aud next
defined murder aud its several degrees.
Ii the prisoner committed this murder
with mercurial poison and her acts were
not wilful and DTemeditsted. they might
ind for murder in the second degree. II
the victims death was the result of
negligence or gross carelessncss on the
part of the prisoner who was the nurse,
they might find verdict for manslsugn-
Ter.
The court delivered the usual caution |
to reasonable doubt, referred |
briefly to the jury's grave responsibility |
and dismissed them to deliberate upon
,heir verdict.
They retired at 40
NO VERDICT TODAY.
The Sham jury will be locked up |
until MONDAY morning. whether they |
agree on verdict or not the court de
,idiDg, that it cannot receive the verdict |
sooner. be cause Saturday afternoon. is
egal holiday.
THE EXTORTIOVATE ROSSES