The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-17
MUCH INTEREST EVIDENT
Many WOm.n Present Among
 Spectators.
More Fortunate Girl, Acquitted, Re mains Steadfastly by Side of One Who is Near and
 Dear to Her.
BY WILL T. STEPHAN.


 GreenviIle, Feb. 16.--(Special Core spondence )-Katie Johnson will on to- morrow return to her quiet home on a Butler County farm, for today she was declared by jury of her peers to be not guilty of aiding or abetting the murder of Deputy Sheriff George Bryan.
 The season of her full joy has not come, her homecoming has been de- layed that she may spend the troubled hours with her sister, Maggie, over whom there still hangs the awful charge of murder. For Maggie John son is even now a prisoner Of the law and in the early hours of the night a jury was delberating to es- tablish her guilt or innocence. / At 10 o'clock this morning Katie Johnson. the elder sister, knew that she was free to live her life out in the open, without fear of prison or scaffold. But even as the verdict which set her free was being read sne sat at the side of her sister, who was undergoing the same ordeal of a trial for murder.
 And even as she was last night. so is her sister tonight. As Katie few erishly and sleeplessly walked the floor of her narrow prison cell last night, so Is Maggie spending the night hours, waiting for word or token from the twelve men who are dccid- ing her fate.
 Through the game ordeal through which Katie passed yesterday Mag . gie Is passing now. The younger sis- ter. like the older sister yesterday sat before the bar of justice today and watched the legal dramn played out which meant death or imprisonment for her. And in the late afternoon she had seen the twelve men who held her fate in their hands file out and disappear in an adjoining room to de- eide whether she be set free or be punished for the part she took in the distressing incident al the home of her father, John Johnson, last June In it's early hours of deliberation she learned that the jury had reached no verdict aud that she would not learn until tomorrow what her future was Go be
 Verdict of AeNOt GuiIty."
 Katie Johnsin, the cider sister. learned today at 10 o'clock that she would not be made to suffer for any the fight at the Johnson home when George Bryan was killed. The jury in her case retired for deliberation at o'clock yesterday afternoon. Thee were. therefore. out seventeen hours in reaching a verdict but the great CT part of this time was spent in Sleep.
 While the evidence. was being talk en in the case of Maggie Johnson, the youger sister. there came a tap from the jury room. bailiff opened the door and the jury filed in. Foreman Johnson, of the jury, handed the yer dict to the clerk, who slowly unfold . ed 1t.
 Katie Johnson. whose fate was on
 
 thin from her two days oHdeal with its nerve racking sleepless night Her handkerchief was crushed into a wet ball by her two straining nerV- ous hands. She paled into even a more pronounced pallnr as she strained her ears to catch the words of the verdict
 We. the jury, find the defendant. Katie Johnson, not guilty" read the clerk.
 Katie Johnson leaned her head down upon the hand that she rested upon the bark of her chair and sobbed aloud. Her mother who had tasted so many strange and bitter sorrows in the recent unhappy months joined with her daughter, in the tears of joy. The younger sister. on trial, and in- tensely nervous, sobbed out her sym pathy and her joy.
 Trial of Maggie.
 It was only for @ minute that this scene was enacted. They quickly re- covered themselves. these three wO- men, who had suffered so keenly In the past eight months, but for whom q brighter day was dawning and to whom a way out of their sore trials was opening. They dobbed their eyes with their handerkerchiefs, sat up and the trial went on.
 In the trial of Maggie Johnson, the defense made an adrOit move in pre- senting the case under a different as- pect. It was easily seen that the case they presented today was greatly helped by the acauittal this morning of Katie Johnson.
 The defense presented evidence to show that whatever was done at the killing of George Bryan, except what was done by John Johnson, was done by Katie Johnson. The defense had evidence to show that Katie Johnson ran out with the gun and that after the gun was taken from her. she snatched up a board and struck George Bryan over the head with it. It was the case of the defense to show that this blow with the board was struck by Katie Johnson. It was their case to show that Maggie Johnson had nothing to do with the fight.
 Fight of Defense.
 If the defense could establish this. the great advantage, 1t would be to them was easily apparent For Katie Johnson had already been acquitted of the charge of aiding or abetting the murder of George Bryan. while Mag gle Johnson was standing trial upon the same charge Even if Katie had done all this she could not be con victed, because she had just been ace quilted on the same charge.
 There was conflict in testimony on this phase of the case between tho witnesses for the defense and the wit nesses for the State. For the State, sheriff Hartley and the dying declar- ation of George Bryan made it appear that the blow with the scantling which knocked George Bryan loose from John Johnson and enabled Johnson to draw his pistol was struck by Mag gie Johnson. or as the witnesses termed her the red headed girl