The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-19
MARVEL EDWARDS
is A FREE MAN
VERDICT OF NOT GUILTY.
EDWARDS UTTERED A FERvENT
"THANN GOD"


Fought the Case single Handed
and Made strong speech-GirI's
Father Was on witness stand.
Testified as TO Her Good Character
"a Child in Florida.
After three months imprisonment,
Marvel Edwards was yesterday given
his freedom by a jury in the Superior
Court.
The suspense which Edwards has
experienced while waiting his trial
In the county Jail on the grave
charge of criminal assault on Miss
Ada c. Greene, was relaxed when the
jury brought in a verdict of not guilty.
Edwards sank back into his seat with
a fervent Thank God"
The finding of the jury and its pres
entation TO the court made one of the
most dramatic scenes that has been
enacted in the Chatham county court
room in some time. The court room
was crowded to the very doors, and all
through the day the rigidity with
which counsel delved into the facts
that must necessarily, in such case,
be cut to the bone, was of absorbing
interest to all.
Sensational evidence from new wit
nesses lent new coloring to the case.
Assistant Solicitor Charlton, single
handed, conducted the case for the
state in an able manner, and pleaded
most effectively with the jury, but the
sentiment produced by restricted evil
dence, and the damaging testimony
as to the character of the prosecutriX
before the alleged assault, brought out
by the testimony of witnesses that did
not appear at the first trial, overcame
the web of evidence woven by the as
sistant solicitor.
Agreed in Fourteen Minutes.
The case was given to the jury at
$40 o'clock, and in fourteen
minutes verdict had been agreed
on, and the twelve men fill
ed back into the court room.
There was intense silence as Judge Sea-
brook asked, Mr.. Colding, do you
waive a calI?" Il do replied the at
torney for the defense, and the bill
of Indictment with the verdict written
thereon was handed to the clerk.
Edwards half rose in his seat.
All day he had sat with his hands
clasped tightly before him, with pallid
features, and nervous demeanor. When
the clerk read I'VE. the jury. find the
defendant not guilty" he sank back
with a deep uttered exclamation.
AS soon as the crowd had cleared the
court room Edwards walked over to
Assistant Solicitor Charlton and shook
hands. assuring him that he had no i'll
feelings toward him.
The case against Edwards was the
first called in the first section of the
Superior Court, and as in the first trial
Miss Greene, the prosecutrix, was the
first witness placed on the stand. Her
testimony was practically the same as
that which she delivered at the first
trial.
Miss Greene on the stand.
She recited her story with the same
dramatic effect that she did on the
former hearing, crying at intervals,
and again blazing up with anger at
some unusually pertinent query from
defendants counsel.
DR.. Winders, who examined Miss
Greene directly after the alleged as
sault, testified much the same as for
merly.
The testimony of ]. F. Cullom, the
arresting officer, was perhaps the
strongest that the state had in the alb
sence of Perkins, who could not be
found to be served with a subpoena
He said on the day the complaint
was lodged against Edwards, at Judge
Wickhams court. he went to arrest
Edwards. When he reached the de-
PENDANTS place of business and asked
if he were Marvel Edwards, Edwards
said no, his name was w. r Edwards.
HE fitted the description had" said
the officer, land l took him along. On
the way to the judges office he asked
me what he was wanted for. l would
not say anything about the case. Just
as we got to the Office he looked in
through the window and saw Miss
Greene and exclaimed: Oh, now l
know"
Had Not Been Drinking.
Judge Wickham, before whom the
preliminary hearing was conducted,
testified as to certain marks on the
neck of Miss Greene. He also testified
that there were no indications that Miss
Greene had been drinking when she
came into his court.
DR.. George II. Johnson, the first
physician summoned to examine Miss
Greene, testified professionally. The
evidence was favorable to the de-
PENDANT.
Mrs. Mallette, the proprietor of the
Marshall House, testified that nothing
took place in Edwards room on the
day of the alleged assault to indicate
that Miss Greene had been criminally
assaulted. She said If there had beer
any noise she would have heard it.
isn't il a fact" queried the prose
cution, that if Red Maria went
through the halls of the Marshall House
you would not hear it, Mrs. NAL
letter"
"You should know, Mr.. Charlton. you
have been up there" The sheriff
raped for order. The solicitor Their
elected the statement that he went &c
the hotel purely on business for d
client.
Testimony for Defense.
Mrs. Lizzie Russell testified as at tn,
former hearing, and Mrs. Jordan, whC
was also a resident at the Marshal
House at the time the crime was al
legged to have been committed, was no
present.
w. w. Bell, clerk at the Screvel
House. testified as to a register offer
ed in evidence, where the name of Per
kins was registered with land wife
attached to it. Perkins was not il
court and his signature could not b.
proven. The testimony brought gu
on this point from other witnesses, wa,
that Miss Greene had confided to
friend that she had gone to the Screver
House and spent the night with Per
kins.
A new witness. who works for tn,
Seaboard Air Line as brakeman, wa!