Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-11-02
GETSAG0OD VERDICT
CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE)
saying. and he only wished Its eyes had

saying. and he only wished It's eyes had
| been opened az his had been.
Mr.. Carter. after this opening. went into
a discussion OF facts. and said that what
ever Mrs. Todd said or did she was actu-
| ated by no selfish motives. She was the
| lifelong friend OF Mrs. Hatcher. and was
told by that lady OF the cruel rumors
| concerning her. and was asked to help
| In stopping them. Che went TO work TO
! trace these reports. She found them here,
there. sweeping like the flames through
a forest. famed by the wind of storm.
She went TO Mrs Rowe and Mrs. Apper-
son and traced the rumor to Miss Flour
noy Miss Flournoy denied IT, and gave
a statement to that effect
NO CHARGE BY MRS. TODD.
| The next rumor was traced to Mrs.
! Goldin, and she admitted having repeat
ed II, and said she got IL from a young
| lady at the lace counter at Miller IL
| Rhoads's. whom she described as having
! light hair and blue eyes. She was asked
/ TO go and Identify her and consented. She
went with Mrs. Todd and did identity
! her. Mrs. Hatcher was notified. ana all
| went together IN the store In day or so.
! Then the conversation took place which
has resulted in this suit. Mark you. this
| IS not suit for anything Mrs. Goddin or
| Mrs. Hatcher have done. but Is suit
| founded on language alleged TO have been
| used by Mrs Todd. The charge against
Miss Gibson was not made by Mrs. Todd.
| but by Mrs. Goddin.
The attorney read from the declaration
! of the plaintiff. and asserted that IL Mrs.
Todd didn't use the exact words attrlD-
| uted to her therein-"I do not think you
ought to keep anybody in your employ
| who would make a remark like that
| she could not be convicted. He said he
used the word convicted advlsedly. as
| a verdict against the defendant meant her
! conviction Of malicious SANDER.
Mr. Carter asserted that In no instance
was Miss Gihsons statement Of Mrs
| Todds words as laid down in the declara-
| ton corroborated. lie laid great stress
on the clause in the instructions which
provided that unless Mrs. Todd used the
words attributed 10 her the jury must
find for the defendant.
At this juncture he was interrupted by
the Judge. and the Court took a recess
| until 4:3D o'clock for dinner.
Afternoon Session.
The court reconveneI promptly at 40
o'clock. and Mr. Carter resumed his ar
gument. He reviewed in brief what he
had said. before dinner. and, going irtO
the testimony given by defendants wiz
nesscs. dissected 1t thoroughly. present.
ing the salient points to the jury IN 4
clear and comprehensive form lie then
addressed the jury direct, and told them
that, in view of the fact that 1t had never
been shown that Mrs. Todd was guilty
Of using the language attributed to her.
there was but one thing for them to do,
and that was TO find for the defendant.
Mr. Carter took the instructions in hand
and, reading from them. endeavored
10 show wherein they instructed clearly
for verdict for the defendant. lie
asserted that the jury must think the
language Mrs. Todd used was the pre-
dominating cause OF Miss Gibson's dis
charge before they found for plaintiff.
He took Miller & Rhoads's letter and
read it carefully. proving TO the jury
that the cause they assigned for Miss
Gibsons discharge was not that Mrs.
Todd had said they must not keep her,
but they feared that they could not
otherwise retain the patronage ana good
Will of the GTace-Street Baptist church
people. Mr.. Carter asserted that 1t
was merely the supposition on the part
of the firm that the ladies were COM
mittee, representing the feeling Of the
church, which caused them TO take the
course they did.
Mr.. Carter then took up the question
Of damages. though he expressed the
belief that the jury would never take
that matter up; and, reading the clauses
in the Courts instructions bearing on
the question. he argued as TO the dam
ages sustained by the plaintiff. He didn't
think her loss was more than the salary
she had been deprived of during her
enforced idlencss.
PUNITIVE DAMAGES.
He then discussed the clause abiding
to punitive damages, which he charac-
terzed as vindictive damages, and asked:
I'm the name Of common sense and JUS
tice why should Mrs Todd be made to
pay punitive damages? Was she actu-
ated by malice or by friendship-w which?
Even if my client has made a mistake
which l don't believe. no jury of sensible
men would be guilty of censuring "A wo-
man who made a mistake in behalf
Of a friend who was In trouble. No jury
/ say, would award vndictive damages
against her 1t would be bad enough to
make the poor husband pay If his wife
had Wiley slandered woman; but Tor
doing what Mrs. Todd did it would be
awful for a jury TO make her husband
pay anything.
Il am about through. 1 haven't touched
on all the little points OF conflict be-
tween the various ladies who have
testified. 1t would take too long, and
they are inconseguentiaL l say. gen
tlemen, the testimony in this case, all
the testimony. the burden of the proof
require at your hands a verdict of not
guilty. | said I'm the outset that IL was
hard TO make a poor husband pay for
what his wife says. 1 say now, let IT
get out that man has 10 pay for every
thing his wife says, and the young. I'M
married men will not get married Sweet
little girls like Miss Flournoy who have
at t{r.t,r ,g.,l.
never get married and the two gentlemen
who opened this case will never take
unto themselves wives. In all seriousness,
gentlemen. you should md for the de-
PENDANT. and hope you will"
MP. MEREDITH BEGINS.
Mr.. Carter took his seat and Mr. Mere
dith commenced the closing speech for
the plaintiff. He called attention to the
fact that his client was not a strong
man. but a weak and defenceless woman.
and next spoke Of the attempt of op-
posing counsel TO show how weak and
how crumblng was the plaintiffs case
lie alluded 10 Mr. Carriers opening re-
marks. in which he spoke OF Mr.. BUNDLES
responsibility. and asked II Mr.. Carter
didn't remember that Mr.. BUNDLE was
penurious old fellow, who was equally
as guilty as his wife, but who tried to
shield himself behind her. And con-
tinuing said: "Ah. Tom. Todd comes here
just as old Bundle Of old did. He knew
what his wife was doing. and now he
comes here saying. "ldidn't do it. My wife
did" He wants TO shield himself behind
his wife, even # at her expense. We
are all too prone to cry down women;
TO abusing our mothers-in-law and then
living on them
Counsel on the other side" Mr.. Mere
Ig.h continued "baye asked uh mo
didn't sue Mrs. Goddin. Gentlemen, You