The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-13
LOUISA PALMER is GUILTY.
SHE Is CONVICTED OF ARSON AND
SENT TO THE PESITENTIARY
FOR LIFE.

Charged with Making Three At
tempts TO Burn the House of Mr..
John Westerman at No. 2O4 Henry
Street-She Was seen Carrying
Chips and "A Kerosene OIL CuP-A
Fire Found Under the House just
as She Ran From Under liz and Was
Cnught-TO Move for n New Trial.
Louisa Palmer, 16-year-old negro girl,
was convicted of the crime of arson in
the superior court yesterday, the charge
being that she attempted Dec. 10 last to
burn the house occupied by Mr.. John
Westerman and family at 204 Henry street,
and was sentenced to the penitentiary
for life, the jury having recommended
her to the extreme mercy of the court.
The case is a very peculiar one, and it
was hard to see what motive the girl
had for trying to set fire to the house. ex-
cept as the evidence showed, Mr.. West
erman had had some words with her
short time before and had reproved her
for some bad conduct
According to the evidence there were
three attempts made to burn the house
The first was about o'clock on the night
Of Dec. IS while Mr.. Westerman and his
family were inside. 1t being early in the
evening, the occupants of the house cas-
lily detected the smoke and Mr.. Wester-
man put it out. He said he found that
some one had placed chips saturated with
kerosene under the house and had evil
IDENTIFY made an attempt to burn it.
The next attempt made to burn the
house was about o'clock on the morning
of Dec. 10. The fire this time caught un
der the house and charred some of the
woodwork. 1t was extinguished by Mr..
Henry Garwes and Fireman Mcfarland.
who happened to be passing.
The third attempt made to burn the
house was about o'clock on the same
day, when the girl was seen to come out
from under the house by Charles ].
| O'NeiI, and his mother. who had been
watching her They did not see her
touch the match to the shavings she had
placed there, but Mr.. Henry Garwes, who
| went under the house. saw there was n
| hre there, and extinguished it, Mrs O'Neil
! caught the Palmer girl as she was run
! ming away and held her until she was
arrested. O'Neil also testified that he
had seen her around in the yard gather
| ing up chips, and carrying a cup, which
was also found under the house, and in
| which II was found there had been kero-
| sene. The lighted chips were also found
! to have been saturated with kerosene.
| me girl, In her statement denied hav-
| ing anything TO do with any attempt to
burn the house. She denied having made
a confession, which was testified to by
Lonnie Wolfe, who was there when she
was arrested. Wolfe said he asked her
why she had tried to burn Mr. West
| erman's house, and she replied that a ne
gro girl named Mary Jones Brown had
told her if she did not do so she would
/ beat her A search was made for Mary
! Jones Brown, who was wanted as
| witness, but in spite of the efforts of the
! officers she failed to materialize The
| Palmer girl admitted that she went into
Mr.. Westerman's yard to get some chips
and also said she had the cup which was
mentioned, but this she said she used in
carrying kerosene to build fires where she
! was working.
Mr.. William Pease. who defended her
made a strong argument in her behalf
He contended that the girl had not acted
around the place like one who had been
/ guilty of an incendiary attempt, and that
she could not have had any motive for
committing such a crime. Under the laws
OF Georgia the crime of arson is made a
capital offense, and is punishable either
| by hanging or Imprisonment for life, in
case the jury sees fit so to recommend
The jury in this case seemed inclined to
be more lenient still, and wanted to know
if the penalty could not be reduced
| There was no other course, however and
as the evidence against her was quite
strong, a verdict of guilty was returned
with a recommendation to the mercy of
the court, which is practically the same
as life Imprisonment. The defendant
seemed stolid and Indifferent throughout
the trial, and though extremely young
was not affected in the least when the life
sentence was pronounced by the court
Mr.. Pease will probably move for a new
/ trial