The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-12-14
MRS. HONELLS ACQUITTED.
The Jury Declares She Did Not Murder
Libbie Knapp.
The VERDICT LOUDLY CHEERED
The Prisoner Heard the Words That Gave
Her Liberty With Modest Dignity.
The Remarkable Poisoning Mys-
terry Now Deeper Than Ever,

terry NOW Deeper Than Ever.
WEIIsBoRO, Pa, Dec. 14.-Nrs. Char
lotte Howell was acquitted of the charge
of murder i'm poisoning Libbie Knapp last
night The verdict of tho jury was greeted
with uprOarious applause in the court
room. Mrs. Howell remained calm until
her relatives stepped up to congratulate
her. Then her eyes filed with tears for
moment, but she dashed them away and
was herself again. The Messrs. Dutton,
of New York, her two brothers, her sister
and a few other friends clustered about her
as she rose from her chair a free woman.
She quietly accepted the hands offered,
and when two or three Of the jurors ap-
preached to be presented to her she met
them in dignifed and modest manner,
and with no demonstration of emotion.
For the first time in four months she ate
her supper outside OF tho Jail walls last
night Major Merrick, one of her counsel,
took her and her family to his home for
tea, and they remained there until today,
when they went back to Tioga.
Jerome B. Niles occupied the entire
morning session in forcible presentation
of the commonwealth side of the case.
He was followed by Judge Mitchell, who
COnbulltNl utdIlN bNO uOllIN anu a. nan III
his charge to the jury. This was con
sidered by members of the bar fair and
impartial statement of the case. He ex'
planned the law of murder, and presented
all the points in the case, some of which
have been new and peculiar. He dwclt
upon the fact that the evidence had
been wholly circumstantial, and in
structod the jury that unless they could
satisfy their minds beyond a reasonable
doubt that Mrs. Howell had committed
the crime, and no one else, it would clearly
be their duty to acquit her
The case was given to the jury at
o'clock, and exactly an hour later they
had reached their verdict. Many of the
Jurors are elderly men, and they showed
the strain of the twenty days confinement.
They appeared to be relieved and well sat
isfied with their work.
The Howell case was one of the strangest
in the criminal annals of Pennsylvania.
Mrs Howell, who is the wife of Chauncey
Howell, of Tioga, is a member of a we'll
known New York family, and her two
brothers, Dutton by name, are among the
wealthiest merchants of that city She
was estranged from them from the time
of her marriage until the charge of muir
der was preferred against her, when they
came to her assistance The Howells and
Knapps were ncighbors, and a warm in
timacy existed between Mrs. Howell and
Libbie, who was 10 years old. Libbe had
a love affair, which ended in a parting,
and thereafter she began to receive letters
which would be found tied to the door
knob thrust in a broken window pane or
thrown in the doorway. Most Of Them it
was alleged, were found by Mrs. Howell.
Last May Libbie was taken suddenly i'll,
and Mrs Howell took her to her own house
to attend her. On May II she died, and
subsequently evidence of poisoning was
found Mrs. Howell was soon afterwards
arrested. The letters, which were both OBJ
scene and threatening in character, were
all printed in Roman letters with a lead
pencil. 1t was the commonwealth pur-
pose to prove that the prisoner had poi
soned the girl because Of jealousy.
The trial begun three weeks ago, and on
the fourth day Mrs. Howell was put on
the stand in her own behalf. She created
a sensation by declaring that she had been
offered money and promised acquittal if
she would make confession. This prop
osition was alleged to have been made by
detectives before the formal charge was
made against her. 1t was denied by those
! llllpllCdltu'
One of the witnesses for the prosecution
was William Rightmire the discarded
! lover of Libbie Knapp, upon whom coun-
| sci for the defense attempted to fasten sus-
picion The medical testimony proved that
! the girl had been killed by arsenic but it
was all along the impression that no mo-
tive for committing the crime had been
fixed on Mrs Howell. 1t was also shown
that others beside herself had found the
letters, and there was much testimony of
an inferential character directed towards
Rightmire as their author. There was
nothing adduced to show that the relations
of the two women had ever been anything
but warm and friendly.
There is general satisfaction over the re-
suit of the trial, but the case remains
shrouded in mystery. There is no question
of the fact that the girl was murdered but
nothing positive has been brought out to
fasten the crime upon any one.