The morning times., 1896-04-01
FERGUSON WOMAN FREE.
Police Court Jury Failed TO Con
Wet Her.

Police Court Jury Failed TO Con
Wet Her.
A week ago, Willie Gilmour, prosti-
in the Division under police surveillance, :
or Commissioners protection was
promptly convicted by a jury.
Yesterday, Grace Ferguson, known
wherever she is known in Washington,
as a common woman, a seller or liquor
without license and the proprietress OF Il
bawdy house, rs il is designated in the
local laws, was promptly acquitted by a
jury.
1t appears that the difference between
tweedlcIum and tweeiledee in these cases
is that the infoTmatiOnS were drawn in such
u learned and aStute manner that II the
witnesses could not swear that prostitu-
ton was committed on, after, subsequently,
inadvertently, with malice prepenSe, with
reference TO the very lst day OF February,
1896, then there could not be any possible
conviction.
And it turned out that way.
A half dozen or more police Officers
Swore point blank To the fact that the Grace
Ferguson house had the general reputation
OF being Il bawdy house. Several girls
swore to the same effect, but their reputa-
tions were evidently So bad that the jury
The evidence, as adduced In the case, was
given in yesterdays Evening Times, with
the exception of that OF Policeman VIII
Iiams. which was cumulative, and To the
effect that the Ferguson house was knO WI
generally To be one Of prostitution.
Before the handing OF the record TO the
jury. Grace Ferguson had managed 10 get
to their ears the assurance that hereafter
she is To be good woman, and lead a
pure life.
The arguments Of the attorneys in the
case were very able. Mr.. Mullowncy made
an exceedingly to the point but not very
convincing argument. when he said that he
thought that the government had made out
its case. and That there could be no rea-
sonable doubt of the guilt OF the accused.
Then Judge Miller said that If what MIR.
Mullowney said, TO wit that there was no
reasonable doubt about il, the jury should
convict
And then the jury went out and ac-
quilted.
There is q town i'll South Carolina called
Walterboro, and they say i'll that State that
there is no telling what Providence or q
WaIterboro jury will do under any given
circumstances.
But this was not WaIterboro jury.
They read The Evening Times and they
saw in the announcement that the Division
was doomed. ana I1dt IN Il rtaSOnd bly,
brief period of time all of the infamous
madamcs would be cast out by the arm of
the law. Had this intmation been given
tbcfufe the trial OF Willie GiimUur She might
not have been made Il scapegoat. The
public would have been satisfied that the
women Should go without being muICted OF
imprisoned.
So there is not much surprise in the Senti-
mcnt generally expressed that the Jury
did what was right when they refused to
persecute Grace Ferguson in face OF the
information given in TIE Evening Times
that she and all of her kith kin, and kind
would soon be compelled tn abandon their
way OF living and prcying-at least in the
city or Washington.
4 to the Grace Ferguson case, il took
the jury six minutes 10 arrive at a verdict
OF not guilty. There was a manifesto ton
Of applause. like the first symptoms of
mea slcs or smallpox on n patient, but the
Judge applied cooling lotion and the
symptoms were entirely removed from the
audience.
Mr.. Forrest was the attorney for the
defendant.
The next case which will hang and he
hanged on the first day OF last February
will he that OF Iottie Tilford. This
woman. it is said, announced that she viii
go TO Jail before she viii pay a fine 10
swell the revenues Of the city government