The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-18
THE BULLOCK CASE
Release of the Accused From Jail-Her
Return Home.

Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Josephine
Loggins Bullock was liberated from th
parish Jail, where, on Saturday night
she was incarcerated on the charge O.
murder The very thought of reputable
woman. the mother of seceral children
in jail was revolving to the sensibllities
but while in custody Mrs. Bullock occu
pied large and airy room with every
convenience which could be afforded
and excepting the fact that she was il
Jail, she was provided with every COM
fort, being in many respects as good and
better than that enjoyed by many families
in this community. There is no maudlin
sentiment in this statement, but the cold
cold facts nothing more.
The crime for which Mrs. Bullock was
arrested and held in custody is one which
removes, III a great measure, if not al
together, the sympathetic feeling which
naturally is given to the woman in dis
tress, but when it is realized, from her
own statements now contradicted by her
self, that she designed the death of her
husband several months ago (and ac-
cording to her own admission which she
has recalled) she had prepared capsules
of pulverized glass for him, which she
threw away, and latterly gave him croton
oil, there is in and about this case a re-
voting sentiment which can not be re-
pressed. A view of the case is suggested
on a consideration of published sensa-
tional outburst of misappled sentiment
not justified by the circumstances, at
least, as indicate by the narrations of
the facts. in the first instance, as detailed
by Mrs Bullock. Her alleged mistreat-
ment and abuse by her husband will not
be questioned, and if when abused or
mistreatcd she had killed him dead, there
would have been in her favor, as a justi-
fication, the natural resistance through
which men are frequently acquitted of
murder on the plea of apparent self
defense; but the very thought of her
deliberate purpose of poisoning is shock
ing In general sense it will be conced-
ed that there are men who deserve killing
on general principles because they may
be exacting, selfish, shiftless or burden
to their families, but there are also men
who must contend with the peculiarities
of supposedly ''the ~sharer of his joys"
etc, who leads him a dance, who fills
him with confusion and certainly demor-
allies him to the limit of the doubt of
life being worth the living. Sympathy,
as rule, is always with the woman, be-
cause in the majority of instances the
woman is right, but all men should not
be condemned because they are not fem
mime In the case in hand we have heard
several versions by people who have
known the couple, and while it is ad
mitted he was irritable at times, and at
times when il1-tempered did use profane
words in the hearing of his children, that
he was industrious and contributed his
part towards the maintenance of his
family. The couple had been married
nearly quarter of century and had
reared an interesting family of girls and
boys; and to think that after all these
years such an end was the lot of the hus-
band is another forceful demonstration
that truth is stranger than fiction, and
the only charitable conclusion is that
Mrs Bullock was or is of irrational
mind. One great link which, has drawn
to her the sympathy of those who COM
miserate with the unfortunate and the
distressed is her children, whose ap-
pearance and manner indicate that they
have received the care and attention of
their mother. And then she is woman,
a woman who like others has had her
struggles, her privations, her cares and
her anxieties, the cares and the anxletles
which rack the nervous system and may
provoke distemper. A commission OF
physicians have been appointed to exam
inc the mental condition of this 1infor-
t,lnate woman, and it is probable that it
will be declared that she was not re-
sponsible At any rate the case has
aroused public interest, not SO much be-
cause the husband is dead as it is the
manner of his demise. And, taking a
philosophical view of the case, the re-
lease of Mrs. Bullock, while based on
tie fact that she could not be convicted
on her own statements, has returned te
her children their mother who in thei1
home, no matter how humble it may be
is to them their mother, and while at hei
home she is still liable to such action as
may be reached by the grand jury.
RIVER AND WEATHER
This morning opened partly cloud,