The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-08-19
IN THE JlIRY'S HANDS.
Mrs. Shann's Fate Now Rests
With Twelve Men.
ARGUMENTS FINISHED YESTERDAY

The Prisoner vigorously Denounced by
Prosecutor stockton for Assaillng the
Character Of Her Dead son-Judge
Abbett's Able and Impartial Charge.
TRENTON, Aug 19-Counsel for the de-
fense summed up in the Sham murder
trial yesterday. Mrs. Shann sat in court
with bowed head, and sometimes lay with
ber head in the lap Of her daughter Mabel.
Pathetic passages and flights of eloquence,
designed to touch the hearts of jurors in
her favor, were frequent, and the prisoner
wept whenever allusion was made to the
death of her son and the devotion with
which she nursed him when he was weak
helpless and dying
| Ex-senator Vanderbilt was Mrs. Shann's
first spokesman. He sketched the history
of the case and then analyzed the evil
dence, insisting that neither the arrest, in
dictment nor trial of Mrs Sham was
| justified. Not even the suspicion of her
guilt was justified. Young Sham was
suffering from a disease for which mer-
curry is administered, and persons having
that disease say little, if anything, to
others about Il.
! Mr. Vanderbilt held that Mrs. Shann's
conduct was natural the night that her
| child was disembowled She thought that
the three strangers were officers Of the
Manhattan Life Insurance company, and
that Is why she did not give an alarm.
The agent of the company had threatened
an autopsy, and. woman like, knowing
nothing about such things, Mrs. Sham
thought they could make the autopsy at
what hour they pleased She made some
objection natural under the circumstances
but did not cry out. God knows what any
other woman would have done She
might and she might not have cried out.
II the state}s insistment is believed the
jury would have to believe that this
! woman tore her child's heart out with her
own hands
Judge Chauncey II. Beasley followed
Mr. Vanderbilt, and spoke for about an
hour.
The summing up was finished with
Prosecutor StOckton's address. He told
the jury that they must forget the sex of
the prisoner and III their deliberations
leave out all consideration of the sentence
the court may have to pronounce should
they find certain verdict. The prose
cutor admitted that the evidence against
her was largely circumstantial, but in all
poisoning cases this was so. The crime is
essentially secret in all its nature. Even
if the evidence was circumstantial, that
| was no reason why TINS uaSuafuly anu
cowardly crime should go unpublished
The prosecutor ridculed the idea that the
insurance companies had the young mans
body eviscerated or that DIR. Bergen, the
family physician, was connected in any
way with the outrage. The prosecutor
scored the woman severely for defamine
the name Of her dead son by seeking t.
prove that be was a drunkard and thu
vilest of debauchees.
AT the conclusion of the prosecutors ad
dress the court adjourned for the day.
Judge Abbett charged the jury this fore
noon. The charge was an impartial ant
able review OF the evidence presented, anC
the jury was cautioned to give the prisone
the benefit of any doubts that may arise
The jdry then retired for deliberation.