Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-20
FOUND NOT GUILTY.
nj. THE VERDICT ~ THE VIM
MER MURDER CASE.
max BUT LITTLE TINE TO AGREE.
,nrors FcIs That the Accused
,,.s Not Rcspoastbic when He Did
the Stabbing-rhe Closing Ars"-
cut-Sccucs ia Court.


.cnt-Sccncs in Court.
THE tedious. though interesting, and at
.-..s exciting. trial Of James Edward
yqmoer. the slayer Of young. Samuel Gus
,.,ss Thalhimer. is over
~., accused has been acquitted. ana
.,o brcathes the air Of the free. 1t only
.a. che Jury forty-two minutes to decide
.sat WINNER was not amenabie to the
FOR the act he committed when he
..,hnsl young Thalhlmer 10 death near
.,. corner OF Fifth and Broad streets last
September
r-,ue IL was difficult 10 ascertain ex-
.,, the instruction under which a YER
,.-, Of mot guilty" was reached. Il was
,.,tel by one or more of the jurors that
!. ,as the opinion Of the jury that VIM
.r vss not responsible for the Staying
- che boy because Of the state of his
r,rs after having been apprised Of the
,,,.r OF his little daughter.
SOON REACHED 4 VERDICT.
-tsre were some members of the panel
,r,o arst thought after retiring to the
..-y-room that the prisoner should have
f.ft run shment, but after a careful peru
the instructions Of the Court the
.rlyo men soon reached the conclusion
.t.. the accused should be acquitted
h is difficult 10 picture more impress
s..s scene than was witnessed in the
-o,rt chamber when the verdict was an
rorrcel The spectators had been warn
~ mat any demonstration whatsoever
f,- or against the prisoner al the bar
..ll be promptly punished This had
ba effect OF keeping everything quiet
.t,ueh DO was apparent that the people
..snblel were restless and eager to
-.ys vent 10 their feelings. AS soon as
tt. result was known there were many
rr-teriucs OF approval and OF disapproval
.trrrch0ut the courtroom. but there were
o.. o-fer forms of demonstration. After
tsrslease Winner and his wife and two
4srehters took a carriage at the eastern
entrance of the City Hall and were driven
q, their home. No. 627 north Seventeenth
street.
SPEECH OF MR.. FOLKES.
Argument in the case was resumed
rromrtIy al 10 o'clock yesterday morning.
rre court chamber was packed quite as
closely AS on the previous days OF the
trial Speculation was rife as to what
.0ul le the elimination of the trial, and
Was apparent that interest had spread
and increased generally since the previous
ar Many members Of the bar occupied
seats within the enclosure set apart for
aUyers The members Of the WINNER
family were i'm their accustomed places.
Nr Minitree Folkes made the closing
irerment Tor the defence and his ad-
lr.- t0 the jury was able. impressive.
l.. l.. .nFf.
attention of the jury, but of the specta-
.0rs throughout. Mr. Folkes spoke for
about am hour and a half, beginning by
saving that he was glad the case was
lrw.nC % a close: that the responsibility
which had rested heavily upon him would
soon be shifted upon the shoulders Of the
jury. AIr. Folkes took occasion TO COM
riment the patience OF all connected
with the case. and especially PRAISED the
spleull work done by Commonwealth $
Attorney Richardson, ana then he went
INTO a systematic digest of the evidence.
He began with young Thalhimer's first
visit 90 the home Of WINNER, a law
abiding and peaceable citizen. and traced
ile actions Of the young man up to the
time OF bis tragic death at the hands OF
tre father Of the crippled girl who had
been dishOnored. He said il would be far
better f0r Ida May WINNER to occupy
the grave which Samuel Thalhimer filed
than To- Dee in her present condition. No
wrong could be greater than this. thought
tle young attorney; nothing could more
terribly excite the wrath and conscience
0f q father. Mr. WINNER" Mr.. Folkes
went on 20 say. when informed Of this
outrage % his daughter and his home,
went out TO find young Thalhimer, the
man who had done him this injury. When
he met him on Broad street what did he
sayt You have ruined my daughter;
sou have disgraced her." TO which the
reply was: what; Ida? I'll pay for it,"
the speaker declared that when young
Iaaihlmer offered 10 pay for that wrong
lo anee. could nor could the fury of hell
prevent the hand OF the parent from
falling upon him. There We're men on
hat jury asserted Mr.. Folkes, who would
have done just the same as Mr.. WINNER
had Mr. Richardson, the Common
Wea.th's Attorney, would have pursued
il1 same course.
CRITICISES THE WITNESSES.
Mr. Folkes referred briefly 10 the tes-
umJny OF the negro pOrters at Mr.
Charles Thalhimer's store. He pointed
Clt the exactness with which they re-
memtred everything which had occurred
ln the night Of Winners visit to Mr..
evening ia May last, and referred sar-
asucai.y TO the fact that none of them
could remember who else was in the store
OBJ trat occasion. Officer Baker, the
member Of the police force who admitted
Rl.e on the stind on Wednesday that
he had spent some time in looking up
eHlence against Winner, was made an
special mark by Mr.. Folkes. He said
Aat Dr. Baker had put himself in the
..'lA0n o. d volunteer detective to hunt
IT evidence against the WINNER family
nag DE had done amounted to nothing
a. haQ gone about the wrong places to
ascertain anything about the young ladies
ono mad been the subject Of 50 much talk
aa4 testimony since that tragedy was
committed. Mr. Baker had gone about
from house 10 house of questionable
character 20 gather information against
TWO pure young girls. There were no such
policemen In Norfolk. ne said: there were
none others In the city Of Richmond.
4ie young lawyer cited a number Of SINH
jar cases which he said had been decided
" The jury without leaving their seats.
AIS was a companion case to these. He
ASKED for verdict which would protect
"a honor and chastity OF womankind,
ana would do good 10 common society.
10 conclusion. ne expressed the belief
eai the jury would render verdict Of
not guilty"
AR. RICHARDSON CLOSES.
A. soon as Mr.. Folkes took his seat
~H hcnardson commenced the closing
sitlment for the prosecution. He spoke
'liiy au hour and a half, and dwelt
mostly upon the distinction between the
..shl given by the law to the people TO
protect and defend their homes and the
.'sht denied by law to avenge an injury
" ones home The mower TO avcnge