The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1897-07-10
.BLRN cHARD GUILTY
The US. jury at Alexandria DesIgnatss
Ocean Tragedy as Manslaughler.
THEY WERE OUT BUT TWENTY MINUTES
Prisoner Admitted Killing Mnte
ChrIsLinnscn, OF tho IngcrsoiI. Hut
Claimed IIo Did IL in scli.defchso-
Sennlcn Testify to- Bnd FOclinE He.
swecn tho Men III o Foarcd Captain

The United States Court room ea It
AleNandrkh was crowded IhulSdaS
morning when the case of Paul Blan-
chard. alias Paul BLANCHARD. charged
with the murder of John Christensen,
mate OF the American bark Justin ii. In
gersoll. on the high seas. on December
g. 1896. was called. MIR. T.. J. Morris. OF
Norfolk, counsel for the accused. de-
INJURED as 20 the original indictment OH
technical grounds, but the demurrer was
overruled by the court. The prisoner.
was then ara iEned nd pleaded not gull
~. Then followed The empannclling Of
Il jury, for which thirty-seven talcsmen
had been summoned, twenty of whom
were stricken Off by the defense and
five by the government. The following
were selected as The jury: j. p. Manuel,
G. w. Briggs Walter Tiffany. J. w.
Taylor, Lee Pearson, Il. ID. DOran.
George T.. Price, w. d: Wood, J.. S.
Smith. James Is. Maddox, Fairfax
Gaines, and Il. w. Skinner.
The case was tried before Judge
Hughes and United States District At
torney White represented the govern
ment, while Mr.. Peter J. Morris, n bright
young lawyer OF Norfolk, represented
the accused. The only sensation IN the
case was the acknowledgement by the
accused, who is very illitc!ate, CT the kill
Ing of Christensen, alleging self de-
Tense. He told his story OF the tragedy
In straightforward manner. telling
now the mate attacked him with be-
laying pin for apparently no cause, how
he managed to get It away from him af-
ter terrible Struggle, and the final blow
which killed him. During all the time 1t
took to tell the story Blanchard seemed
to care not for his fate.
After Amman, I.aasen, and Nicholson,
the sailors who were held as witnesses,
had testified, Paul Blanchard was placed
upon the stand. He said that he wa s
Thirty years old, and had been Ia sch for
ten years. He said he was born III Hall
fax, n. S., but was Il naturalizcd citizen
OF the United States. He was OH the
lookout when the lashing of the pennant
guy was carried away. He sang out the
fact from the forccastle, but as the ma
amidshiDS did not hear 1t he went aft
himself and Informed the mate. After
coming forward he and the mate got
into difficulty. which ended In n fight.
In which lie was struck by the male. He
denied running after Nicholson with Il
knife, but said that he and Nicholson
threw the body over the side. Nicholson
calling the dead man hard names nj the
time. He struck the mate 4 deadly blow
and he fell to the deck below. Christian
sen had called the witness bad names,
and he Thought he wanted To kill him.
He did not know that Ammon was n
half-brother or the mate, but the only
man he was afraid of was the captain.
He said that he heard the mate was q
bad man, and that he had whipped
everybody on the ship during tho pre-
v!ous voyage On cross-cxamination by
Captain White he could say that he was
naturalized citizen OF the United
States. his home being in Canada. He
admitted killing the mate by striking
him on the head with n Delaying pin,
but claims that 1t was upon the sEg-
gestion of Nicholson that he threw The
body overheard. The reason he told the
captain the mate fell overheard was be-
hp frnt1 nT na,, I,,fr
Captain White asked the prisoner why
he was afraid Of the Captain who was
IN old man. and not the dead man, who
was young and weighed 200 pounds.
Blanchard said that 1t was because the
Captain was boss.
After City Sergeant Iawlcr, of Nor
folk, had testified to the good conduct
OF he prisoner while confined IN his ja!l,
both sides rested the case. The inStr,lc-
tons were given to the jury at p. m.
ana the opening argument waF by Cap
tain White, followed by Mr. Norris. In
an able arisumcn for he defense Captain
White finished the final argument Jr the
prosecution ut $50, when the case was
given TO the jury After being out near
~ twenty minutes. they returned the
following verdict: I'VE, the jury, find
the prisoner not guilty of murder, as
charged In the Indictment. but guilty Of
manslaughter." The prisoner was thcn
taken back to Jail. The Judge will SEN
tcnce Blanchard in the morning. MS coun-
sci FOR the defense viii take no appeal
l,hc law fixes the punishment of such
crimes 10 confinement not exceeding ten
years ana fine not exceeding 81, 900.
The Witnesses in the case wcro aiIor,
from the bark lnGersoll, and they have
been in The custody OF the government
for the past four weeks.
Mathews County Nofcs