Evening star., 1907-06-30
JUDGE LOVING FREE
IS JURY'S VERDICT
1t Took Only Forty-Five Minutes
to Acquit Him.
BUT ONE BALLOT TAKEN
Prisoner and His Wife Both Moved
to Tears.
INSANITY WAS THE EXCUSE
His Peers Declared His Mind I'm
hinged by the Story His Daugh-
ter Told Him.
Prisoner and His Wife Both Moved
to Tears.
INSANITY WAS THE EXCUSE

With the jury out but forty-fve
minutes and only one ballot taken,
Judge Loving, the slayer OF young
Theodore Estes, was acquitted this
afternoon at Houston, Va. 1t was
a quick and simple trial, lasting in
all but five days. The jury declared
the prisoner to have been insane at
the time of the shooting, explaining
that excessive drink in earlier years
had weakened his mind, which gave
way under the story told him by
his daughter.
HOUSTON, Va. June 29.-After being in
the jury room forty-ive minutes the jury
this evening returned a verdict of not
guilty in the case of former Judge William
G. Loving of Nelson county and the man.
ager of the valuable Virginia estate of
Thomas F. Ryan, who was placed on trial
here last Monday before the circuit court OF
Halifax, Judge William R. Barksdale pre-
siding, for the murder of Theodore Estes,
the son of Sheriff NJ. X. Estes of Nelson
county. Judge Loving shot and killed young
Estes en- the afternoon of April % at Oak
Ridge, following a buggy ride the dead man
had taken with the judges daughter, Miss
Elizabeth Loving, who told her father that
her escort had drugged and assaulted her.
A o'n nd
that time until the verdict was returned the
defendant remained in the same seat he
had occupied since the trial begun and sur
rounded by the members of his immediate
family with the exception of his daughter
who was not present in the courtroom to-
day. At 5I5 O'Clock a loud knock was
r"o- - TO 7~c~ of TO inv -
Judge Barksdale, who had taken his seat
on the bench, ordered the sheriff to pre-
serve order and cautioned Inc large crowd
that had remained to be quiet anu not dis
play their emotions when the decision of
the jury announced. The verdict was
read by Foreman B. 9. McCraw.
Judge Barksdale thanked the jurors for
their attendance upon court at great sac
rifices. He declared that he believed the
verdict was in accordance with the con-
scientious views of the jury.
Officially Insane.
After the jury had been discharged Judge
Loving, his wife and other relatives shook
hands and thanked each juror for the
verdict.
Tears streamed from the eyes of both the
defendant and his wife. Judge Loving
was congratulated by many of his friencs
present, though in accordance with the
warning of Judge Barksdale there was
not what may be termed demonstration
In the courtroom.
Foreman McCraw, a merchant and farm
er, said that when the jurors entered the
room one OF them did rot exactly under
stand all of the Instructions of the court
which were read TO him. Mr.. McCraw said
that when he called for the vote he re-
Quested all who favored the acquittal of
the defendant to hold up their right hands
On the first ballot every hand promptly
went up. When asked what the basis of
the verdict was he said insanity" and
that ne and the other members of the jury
DeheVed that Judge Loving was out of his
mind at the time he killed young Estes
by the story told him by his daughter
The day was spent in argument the fore
noon session being taken up by counsel for
the defense and the closing speech bv the
prosecution being made this afternoon by
Commonwealth Attorney Boulin ATTORNEYS
Barksdale, Moore and Lee, for the defense.
spoke practically along the same lines
Ihey PLEADED for an acQuittal on the
grounds that Judge Loving was insane at
the time he Killed Estes, having lost con-
troll OF himself upon hearing the story of
the ruin of his daughter Miss Elizabeth
Loving. They dwelt at some length on
the testimony OF the insanity experts and
the excessive drinking of whisky by the
defendant some years ago, which. it was
Claimed, had diseased his brain
Unwritten Law After All.
Inc real basis of their argument how
ever. was the "unwritten law" They smoke
oil the preservation of the sanctity of Vir-
s.nia homes. declaring that any man who
invaded the threshold and spoiled a woman
had forfeited his claim on society.
Commonwealth Attorney Wood BouIdin
made the closing address for the state con-
tending that Judge Loving was entirely
sane at the time of the killing.
when court convened at 3 o'clock the
crowd was even larger than at the morn
ing session. People filed the aisles and
windows and every available seat was occu-
pied.
For the first time during the trial the
lady relatives of young Estes were in the
courtroom. Commonwealth Attorney Wood
BouIdin OF Halifax county. in the closing
address, ridiculed the insanity plea calling
attention to Judge Loving's deliberation
before and at the time of the tragedy He
declared the evidence showed that the muir
der was an act of elaboration, and that it
was committed after Judge Loving had
emple time to reflect and realize fully the
consequences.
Not the Only Sufferer.