Evening star., 1896-11-27
George Matthews Found Guilty of
James Iwin's Murder.
CONFESSED HlS CRIME TO TEE COURT
Charged Two Women With Hav-
ing Caused His Ruin.
ANOTHER TRIAL TO FOLLOW
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
LA PLATA, Charles County. Md.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
LA PLATA, Charles County, Nd,
November 26, 1896.
George Matthews, whose trial for the
murder Of James Irwin at Aliens Fresh in
August last has lasted four days. was
| found guilty Of the murder early last even
ing. The prisoner confessed his guilt,
blamed Mrs. Irwin and her sister Mrs,
Bourne, for having led him into it. and
expressed a willir gness to pay the penalty
He also expressed desire that the women
should also be punished, especially Mrs
Irwin. who will be tried next week as
an accessory before the fact. All through
the trial the prisoner showed by his ac-
tions that he was not the innocent man
he pretended to be, and the officers OF the
court felt satisfied that at the end he would
break down and make an effort to carry
Mrs. Irwin to the gallows with him. In
this they were not mistaken. for his col
lapse was complete and his confession OF
guilt clear.
Yesterday afternoon after Mr. Stone had
finished his brief argument for the de-
Tense he was followed by Mr.. John Ii.
ferse. He admitted that the work OF
States Attorney Posey had been COM
plete and that the scrap of paper from
the dead mans BRAIN fitting as 1t did the
er's possession. was the most important
piece of evidence against his client. But
he argued there was missing piece of
paper, and he endeavored to convince the
jury that the gun wad was a part Of this
missing piece and not the piece which was
so well traced to his client
The closing argument for the state was
made by Gen. Wilmer He covered some OF
the same ground covered by Mr.. Posey,
and then went more into detail about the
crime and how 1t was committed. The
prisoner might not have rowed all the
way from Rock Point to Aliens Fresh, he
held, but might have rowed part the way
and then had horse to take him to the
house. He claimed that the jury need not
find that the prisoner actually fired the
shot If they found that he was there
aiding and abettinG he is just as guilty.
In closing he declared it was not neces-
sary to show that there was a motive for
the crime; the Illegal relations existing
between the man and woman presume
motive.
When Gen. Wilmer had finished it was
nearly o'clock. and Chief Justice Briscce
began his charge.
The gathering in the court room had
greatly increased. and all listened with
| anxiety. The charge was not long
The jury left the court room and went
downstairs to one of the office rooms, and
the judges, tired by the long session, went
out to get a breath of fresh air.
A few minutes before G o'clock, when the
jury had been out about fifteen minutes.
had been reached, and the three judges
returned.
Guards Howard and Murphy had been
left in the court room with the prisoner.
When Judge BriScoe took his seat he
ncunced that any boisterous demonstra-
ton to the verdict would result in fill
ing the Jail with prisoners. Then the twelve
jurymen filed in. Their faces gave no sign
of the conclusion they had reached. A
single lamp on the clerks desk threw its
dim rays across the pallor on the prisoners
features while in the dark background
were the hundreds of faces, white and col
ored.
Guilty of murder in the first degree"
came the slow and deliberate response of
the foreman to the question of the clerk.
Judge BriScoe made the usual inuuiry:
Have you anything to say why the sem
tence Of the court should not now be i'm
posed upon your
The announcement of the verdict, al
though meaning death, had apparently re-
lieved the man from the strain under which
he had been for several days, and, know
ing that his last hope had vanished, he
proceeded to tell his story.
"W-e-l-l," he stammered in an indis
tinct sort of way, as If he did not I'M
eIstand just what he wanted to say, or
how he wanted to say 1t: 'All I've got to
say Is that all this was caused by Mrs.
irwin and her sister, Mrs. Bourne and /
nope they will get the good of it, The Jury
has turned her loose and condemned me
and you might as we'll turn the devil loose
cut OF nell as to turn that woman loose"
rs that all you have to say?" asked
Judge Briscoe, when the prisoner paused in
his talk. "
"Well.' the prisoner resumed, I'm satis
heo 10 take what follows. I've been led off
by such women as that, and that's the only
reason came hack here and determined to
make as good fight I could to save
myself. This woman led me to believe that
that man was going to kill me. He was
coming to my shanty. she told me, and
blow my brains out while I was asleep"
you were given fair and impartial
trial and was given an opportunity to. tell
Judge Briscoe.
But was on my oath not to give her
away interrupted the prisoner, ''and 1
was willing to sell my life to keep my oath
to her.
THE jury has found you guilty." resum-
ed the court.
And am guilty of it. SIR" the prisoner
interrupted.
The sentence of death was thereupon pro-
nounced, and the prisoner resumed his seat
as if glad the case had come to close.
Gov. Lowndes will have to fix the time for
Matthews execution.
AS soon as sentence of death had been
passed the handouts were put on the pris-
oner, and he was taken back to the Jail
from which he had made his escape On
the way he talked with the guards, and
said he was not much surprised at the YER
dict.
The WOman's Case.
Mrs. Irwin was not told Of what had been
done.
The conviction of Matthews, many peo-
pie think. will have great weight with the
jury in the trial of the woman's case, for
the trial of her case depended wholly upon
the result of the hearing in his.
In all probability her trial will begin next
Wednesday morning, and it will, 1t is
thought, last longer than that of Mat
thews. Much of the evidence in his case
will be repeated in hers, including the tell
tale letters. -
1t is said that a statement in the nature
of q confession, said to have been made by
Mrs. Irwin, will be used. Just what it is
the states attorney, of course, will not
tell. Mr.. Posey had at least one conversa-
ton with her in Jail, and it was the fear
that she was to be used a witness that
so unnerved Matthews at times.
1t is reported that Mrs. Irwin said Mat
thews had told her that he was going to
kill her husband, and that he gave her
bottle of poison to give him. This she
threw away, and she did not make COM
plant against Matthews because she feared
he would kill her. Report also has it that
she declared she did not know Matthews
was coming to her house the Sunday night
of the murder.
Sheriff Wade says there has not been
legal hanging in Charles county since the