The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-01
JULIA FORCE IS INSANE.
THE JURY REACHES ITS CONCLU-
SION IN FIVE MINUTES.

The Prisoner Unmoved by the Pro
ceedinRs Until She Heard Her Aged
Mothers Sobs-Then She Burst Into
Tears-She Protests That She Is Not
Insane and Calmly Talks of Going to
the Scaffold.
ATLANTA, GA, Feb 28-After five min
utes elaboration the jury empowered to in
vestigate the sanity of Miss Julia Force,
who killed her two sisters here last Satur-
day, returned verdict Of insanity. Miss
Force received the result of the investiga-
tion with passionate denial. She had pre-
viously affirmed her sanity 20 the jury.
The trial before the ordinary was a most
affecting one. A crowd of curious people
had oongregated about the court house and
blocked all the corridors of the building
when the prisoner was brought in from the
police station. where she has been confined.
None but the family, witnesses and newspaper
men were allowed in the room however.
Miss Force sat facing the witness stand.
She manifested not the slightest interest In
the proceedings, sitting motionless, with
her head thrown back aud eyes firmly shut
beside her attorney until her mother was
called to testify. At the sound of that
familiar voice the prisoners face suddenly
became purple as the blood surged up Her
hands. which had lain quietly on her lap,
olutched convulsively for few moments as
she made fearful effort to maintain her
Composure.
BURST INTO TEARS.
But the old mothers agonized .sobs were
too much and with a sob that shook her to
the soul she gave way for the first time
since the awful deed and burst into tears
All through the remainder of the hearing,
until it came her time to be examined, she
continued TO weep with her head turned
away from the jury and hidden under the
folds of her cloak.
The brothers were put upon the stand,
together with several physicians, who all
agreed that the prisoner was not mentally
responsible for her terrible act The evil
dence of the brothers denied the existence
of any real trouble in the family, but cor
roborated the written statement of their
sister in several particulars as to her own
actions.
While the action Of the inquest in ad-
judging Miss Force alunatic is unanimously
indorsed by the public, the opinion of those
who know the whole circumstances is freely
expressed that her complaint of family
troubles was not wholly imaginary, in fact
her insanity is attributed to the troubles
she complained Of.
THE PRISONER ON THE STAND.
When Miss Force was placed upon the
stand she had somewhat regained her CONS
posure, and quietly said she was not crazy
and did not want the jury to think So In
answer to a question she said the statement
she had written was strictly true. She felt
toward her brothers then as she had felt be-
fore the death of her sisters. Miss Force
was asked why she did not take her own
life and replied that she wanted to
make her brothers suffer as
they had made her suffer. She could do
this best by the course she mad adopted, the
climax of which was to be the soaffoId.
At the close of the inquest Miss Force de-
clined to go to hotel under guard until
arrangements could be made to send her to
MilleLgeville, but said she preferred 10 90 to
iail