The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-01-13
The Woodbridge Trial.

jury wednesday night IN the case o
+. &. Woodbridge, charged with burn.
Ing the buildings Of the late John :
Forbes, OF Buckingham county. tn,
verdict was reached an hour and q
half after the case went 10 the jury.
When the verdict was read by Cleri
Whitehead, there was instant applause
from the great crowd which packed
the court room almost TO the point o.
suffocation. The judge raped for or
der.
The prisoner sat apparently mmOved
by the words which must have filled
him with joy. His daughter, Miss
Maude, Immediately hurried from the
building to convey the glad news e
her anxious mother at the hotel, while
people, some Of them strangers Of the
acquitted prisoner, thrOnged about
him extending their hands and offer
ing congratulations The court order
ed the prisoner to stand up, and said:
"Mr. Woodbridge, you have had a
fair trial, and have beenacquitted, and
you are now discharged from custody"
TO this Mr.. Hubbard quickly replied
that he Woodbridge was discharged
on Indictment No. /: that there were
eight more against him.
Mr.. Flood then asked for bail. and
no objection being made, the court
granted 1t in the sum Of one thousand
dollars in each case now standing
against the prisoner, making it in all
eight thousand dollars. Bond was at
once given, with Mr.. Flood as surety.
Mr.. Woodbridge then left court room
and joined Mrs. Woodbridge and his
daughter at the hotel.
Never before has Farmville witness
ed a criminal trial i'm which more com
munity interest was shown than in
this.
Almost as soon as the courtroom was
opened Monday morning, number Of
ladies entered and took Preserved
seats, those set apart for them.
The testimony upon the question Of
the location OF the Woodbridge and
Forbes homes was so conflicting that
the judge was asked last Friday by
counsel on both sides TO send the jury
to the scene OF the burningin Bucking-
ham.
The court took the matter undercon- |
sideration and finally decided that he
would not subject the jury to the hard /
ship Of travelling twenty-five miles /
over the rough roads.
Leslie FOCUS, police officer of Farm /
vile, who was with Edloe Spencer the /
Sunday the arrest was made, was the .
mornings firstwitness. Hewas a good .
one for the prisoner. He corroborated .
the prisoners testimony as to what .
was said and done when the arrestwas
made and also while they were on their
way TO Farmville with Woodbridge.
FOCUS said he was sitting by Wool
bridge in the wagon, and WASH posi-
ton to hear all he said. He declared
that the prisoner several times objected
to Spencers questioning him whileen
route TO town.
Witness did not hear anything said
about money that the prisoner had
which might have been some OF the
money stolen from Mr. Forbes,
The direct testimony Of Policeman
FOCUS being concluded, the witne was
taken in hand by Mr.. Hubbard for
cross-examination' FOCUS sad Mrs.
Woodbridge remarked at the time Of
the arrest that Charlie Forbes had given
his father John s. Forbes 80 that
referring to the morning Of
the fire. and that he might have gone
and gotten it back.
When spencer asked Woodbridge on
the day Of his arrest where Charlie
Forbes was, the prisoner replied he
did not know-he wished to God he
did, for no man could more desire to
know his whereabouts than he.
Mr.. Hubbard asked witness if he did
not, on the Tuesday after the arrest,
tell p. A. Forbes in the First National
Bank Of Farmville that when that
question was asked Woodbridge the
prisoner hung his head and placed his
hand to his forehead, and that he wit
ness) thought Woodbridge would fall
to the ground; that he never in all his
life saw aman show guilt as did WO0ld-
ridge.
Mr.. Flood objected to this question
as it brought into the case new prin-
ciple Of evidence.
The jury was taken out, and after ar
gument by counsel and the reading Of
lengthy authorities bearing on the
question, the jury was returned to its
box and the court allowed thequestion
as foundation for impeaching the
witness OF testing his memory as to
what really did occur.
The court, however, instructed the
Jury that it should not take witness
opinion in determining the prisoners
guilt or innocence.
Answering Mr.. Hubard's question,
FOCUS said he remembered telling
Forbes that Woodbridge put his hand
TO his head but not that he said the
prisoner showed guilt or that he came
near falling down.
FOCUS was put through a lengthy
cross examination by Messrs. Hubbard
and Strobe and left the stand mistaken
In his testimony.
Mrs. Woodbridge, the prisoners wife,
Mr.. Moses and testified in be-
half Of the defense. She first heard of
The Hro a liffla affar guurisp the next ] ]