The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-18
BROUWER Co.'s FREE
Jury Returns Vedict Of Ac-
Quittal in 45Minutes.
MAY PROSECUTI sIANDERERS
states Attorney CkIId Not Overcome
Testimony of three Physicians
who SwOrc thatAIrs. BrOusver Died
of PtOmaine DisOning-WiH Re-
sumo Practice in Toms River.

sumo Practice in Toms River.
Toms River. Nh, Oct 1.-THE jury 10
the case of Dr.. frank BFouwer, charged
with the murdeIof his wife. returned Il
verdict If not dIilty At 5.l5 o'clock this
afternoon. therby fulfilling his prophecy
of last Sundat afternoon, that before
the next SabbJh day came he would be
a free man. aIh the blot placed upon his
name by the $ate of New Jersey, which
charged him yith the murder of his wife,
wiped out.
The case, which had run ten days, was
given 10 the jury at o'clock. and the
twelve men 6ho had weighed all the evil
dence, lost DO time in putting their con-
viction OF the eUiltlessness of the a.
oused, intoa formal verdict of aequittaL
The pubic generally have been con
ndent of IN acquittal in the case since
last night when three doctors, all we'll
and favohbIy known III northern New
Jersey, ssore positively that it was
ptomaine poisoning. and not arsenic,
strychninh, or ground glass, that killed
in such 1 straightforward, matter-of-fact
manner that it naturally impressed the
jury. ana all efforts Of the prosecution
&C. fill the missing gaps in the chain II
circunstantiaI evidence against Dr.
BrouEer failed utterly.
Receives Many congratulations.
Immediately after the verdict was
lie shook hands with and personally
thanked every member OF the jury. and
then went 10 the home OF his counsel,
where he held u levec for a short time
and met many of the tOwnspeople who
have all along maintained that he was
perfectly innocent OF the crime charged.
To-day was devoted TO the summing up
on both sides. and the charging OF the
jury or Judge Hcnderickson. The dra-
matte feature was the argument for the
defense by Attorney Wilson, who. after
talking for two hours, wound Up a most
eloquent plea by begging:
Send this man home to his aged
mother and his motherless children
BrOuwer Threatens suit.
Three members Of the jury were moved
to tears BIZ the eloquent plea of the at
torney. The Rev Dr. Roland and
former Sheriff Holman sobbed aloud. rs
did the defendant, seated in the chair NJ
the right of his pleading attorney. II
was a mastery closing TO = mastery
handling of a case in which a wall Of
CirCumstantial evidence, built with care
and legal forcthoueht, had been shat
tered and battered until not ono particle
OF il remained intact.
Dr. Brouwcr stated tonight that ne
would resume his practice in Toms River
ard minated that he intended TO take
legal proceedings against the parties who
had slandercd him by their talk. which
ultimately resulted IN his Indictment for
murder
Spectators from Many Places.
Although court did not begin till 9:3l
this morning. by & O'Clock the courthouse
was filled with people who wished to
hear the summing up. They came from
FOrkcd River. where Or. BrOUwer spent
bis b0yhood: from Lake Hurst. where
Carrie Hyer taught school. and where she
married the bright young doctor frcsl
from college. but fun of promise; they
came from Lakewood, where Miss UyeT'-
girlhood days were spent.
The summing up was begun by Franz
McDermott lie insisted that One-nine
teenth grain of arsinic was not all thai
the body contained. lie gave the State.
claim that Mrs. BTOuwer had been givcT
arsenic before she was taken sick. thai
d. had been passing of by the effort
of the organ of the body to throw on
poison for ten days. and yet after thS
body had lain three months i'm the grave
Prof. Genth WIS able to find weighabl,
amounts in the fifteen pounds of tissu,
that was examined, and the body weighed
In all some 80 10 160 pounds
Suggest Motives for Crime.
The question OF motive" said Mr.. Nc
Dcrmott. is one of the most difficult Il
outline i'm any instance. We find the
doctor out riding with a nurse. VIII
his wife on her dying bed, he is al
Long Branch buying flowers for thi.
nurse
we find the doctor in debt and har-
raised by suits, needing money. and his
wife had money. II she died. the money
without a Will went TO him under the
laws of the State. These we submit t.
prove motive.
Not Enough Poison 10 Kill.
Mr.. Wilson made the plea for the de
fonse.
Either this man before you is guilty.
he said and should yield up his life for
his crime, OF else he is innocent. There
can be no halfway verdict. First of all
the State says we found arsenic in the
body That IS not denied. But note the
amount found; il was about fifty-one one
thOusandths of grain. A fatal does
ranges from two to three grains.
THE theory 81 the State is that on the
night of December 13, 1905, Dr. BrouweI
administered 20 his wife arsenic in large
quantities. Now, gentlemen of the jury.
# the presence of this arsenic is not ex-
planned, then the States case should
stand Bat If the arsenic .can be ex-
planned, If il can be presented TO YOU
two ways in which it might have got
there, you must acquit. IL in your mind
two theories arise. you must give the
accused man the benefit of every reason
able doubt-you cannot take his life
Did the arsenic get in the woman's
body in ufe2 Did il get there after
death? I think that as certain as tn,
sun rises from the East and sets in the
West tho arsenic came there after death
WOMAN THROWS ACID.