Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-07
THE JURY SAYS II |S TRUE Mrs. Howe Declared Guilty of as ll.. the Awful Charge. rrI.- EVIDENCE MOST DRAINING It's Details Send Thrill of Horror and Disgust gsn Through Humanity.
  ABANDONED TO JUSTICE BY HUSBAND N
 The Artless Stories of the Maltreated Boys
 the Last Link of the Chain-How the ypc Eyes of the Father Were BoA llOpened.
ABANDONED TO JUSTICE BY HUSBAND

The coroner's jury yesterday afternoon < at 4:30 o'clock concluded it's investigation as to the cause of the death of little Thomas Howe, son of MT. M. $. Howe, which occurred on Friday morning, Au- gust 30 last.
 At that time the testimony was con cluded, and it required but few minutes to~agree upon a verdict.
 ssfhe last witness to testify was MT. M. S. Howe father of the dead child, and while calm, deliberate and emphatic in giving his statement, it was clearly per ceptible that he was laboring under great mental strain, though, as noted by his testimony as given below, it was for his dead child and not for the woman whom
 @f Believed to Be Guilty
 of the most atrocious cruelty ever re- corded in the annals of Jefferson county or the state of Alabama.
 The testimony or Thursday was fully corroborated In that given yesterday. and when the little brothers of the dead g. year-old boy made their statements and showed marks on their bodies indicating the severe caStigations received, as they swore most positively, at the hands of their stepmother. Mrs. Laura Howe, even the jurors felt sad for them and touched the marks with reverence, as 1t were, fearing lest they, too might injure the already much abused bodies.
 tt- Coroner's Verdict.
 Following is the verdict of the cor oners jury:
 E,g Birmingham. Ala, Sept. G. 1895.
 We, the jury, sworn and empaneled by the coroner of Jefferson county to ex- anime into the cause of the death of Tommy Howe. whose death was report ed as having occurred in Jonesville. this county last Friday, the 30th day of Au- gust after viewing the body and hear ing all the testimony that we have been able to procure, find that the said Tommy Howe came to his death at the hands of Mrs. Laura Howe. who by beating, choking and throwing him over the ban isters over feet, to the ground, caused his death and that said acts on the part of said Laura Howe were unlawfully done.
 >,, F. M LEMON, P. K. McMILLER,
 M J. COLLINS, W. l.. SIVLEY.
 H.F. DUSENBERRY, Coroner.
 As to Ellen Moore.
 The jury said nothing as will be seen in the above report, as to Ellen Moores guilt, and the presumption was that she would only be held as witness against Mrs Howe when the grand jury makes it's report.
 Y Both women are now in the county jail. ger Morning Session.
 The first witness examined at the morning session was
 Gyf Constable 0. w. Austin. MT. Austin's testimony was mainly 10 prove the character of Mrs. Howe pre- Sious to her marriage with MT. Howe. He said:
 6H live in Jonesvile and am constable fin beat 37. I knew Mrs Howe before she married MT. Howe. l have known her about four years. In 1891 she was in q house of prostitution on Third avenue, sbetween Nineteenth and Twentieth streets Lou Bailey conducted the house ahen. I was policeman then. The place had very tough name and was called up there frequently. I do not re member the name she went under then tAfter I quit the police force never saw her any more until after she married Mr. sHowe and then I saw her once or twice at her house while I was passing by and also again in getting on a street car. T told several of the neighbors what kind of a woman she had been after found out she had married Howe. I do mot know much of her except what saw while on the police force and l would say her character is not good. h' There was always a tough crowd in the Bailey house Do not remember hav- ing arrested the woman. Did arrest two girls out of that house once, and also several other people in the house while on the police force.
 Ht Susan Hawkins.
 The next witness called was Susan Hawkins. Her testimony was as fol- lows:
 I live on Enon ridge, this county; l know MT. and Mrs. Howe; have known Mrs. Howe since she married MT. Howe I have never lived with them, but have done few things for her l lived with the first Mrs. Howe three months, and left two weeks before she died. The second Mrs. Howe was cruel to the chi!- dren of the first Mrs. Howe, because she whipped them unnecessarily.
 I saw her whip the baby twice, once was for holding it's breath and the other time for picking little sore on Its face. She used her hands to whip the child both times. I passed the Howe house every morning and evening for some time. I have heard the children being whipped as I passed by and could hear the children beg her to quit. Mrs. Howe said she was obliged to whip the little baby because he was so mean. l said it was a pity to whip the child. She said Fred, the oldest boy, was very impu- dent towards her.
 The day the boy left she called me iS.and said the oldest boy had left them. Y When Mrs Howe whipped the baby while I was there 1t was two months before it's death The child held it's breath until it became black. Mrs Howe said she was Y going to raise the children right or kill nem.
 S- The Boy Who Was Driven Out. Next to take the witness stand was Fred Howe, the oldest son of MT. M. s, Howe and the one who, by the instrue- tions and orders of his stepmother. as the testimony shows, was driven away from home by his younger brothers. He was a manly looking little fellow and spoke without trepidity, and said:
 My name Is Fred Howe. I was II years old on the 18th of August. I have attend ed school This is Jefferson county. state of Alabama. know what will become oi tan a lto. I xxyi1l n 10 had n, m