The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-24
JOHN BELL FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER Not Harry Thaw, Has No Wealth, So Not Proven
 Innocent.
FIRM IN HIS DENIAL
Family, With Exception of Father, Testify Against
 Him.

New York, May 23.-"I am not Harry K. Thaw-but plain John Bell. have no wealth--but if I had. I could pro- duce witnesses whose testimony would acquit me-
 With these words the Brooklyn troll ley car conductor closed an impassion- ed address to the jury that three hours later was to find him guilty of mur- der in the first degree. Bell, young man of mediocre at- tainments, was happily married a few years ago. A year after the wedding the wife died in childbirth. Dr. Char les Wilmont Townsend prominent physician of Staten Island had attend ed her. On the humble stone that marked her grave, Bell caused to be chiseled:
 Revenge renews our happy love in Heaven"
 He was unconsolable and for months brooded over his affliction To his friends he expressed the conviction that his wife had not received the proper medical care. On the night of January 29 last, Dr. Townsend was shot to death in his bed. He had been awakened by the intruder and exclaimed:
 If you are here to rob, take what you can find but do not harm my fam | fly or me"
 The supposed burglar replied:
 'I want none of your things; I want you," and fired. Mrs. Townsend who occupied the bed with her husband was the sole witness of the murder.
 Letters subsequently, written by Bell caused his arrest and in court his own family with the exception of his fa- ther who was excused appeared against him. His mother is dead. A half brother testified that Bell confessed to having killed the physician for re- venge.
 Bell was the only witness for the de- fense and the trial held at Richmond, in Richmond Borough was not prolong- { ed. This afternoon the case was given ! to the jury and tonight a verdict of murder In the first degree was return ed. Judge Abbot denied a motion for a new trial and forthwith sentenced the prisoner to be electrocuted on the first Monday in July next Bell received the verdict and sentence stolidly and { remained cool when his stepmother and his sister fainted. He will be removed to Sing Sing in day or two. 1 The defense had attempted to estab- llish an alibi and Bell stoutly asserted his innocence He denied the confess sion attributed to him by his half brother; said he carried weapon be- cause he had contemplated suicide, and explained the tomb's inscription that i had been used against him by declar- ing that vandals had stolen the flowers which he had daily placed upon his wife's grave and that when the head stone was erected he resolved to pun ish the thieves. He claimed to have spent the night of the murder in the \ Bowery
 As the district attorney finished his summing up this afternoon Bell sprang to his feet, and, addressing the court, said:
 Your honor, I understand that, as the defendant in this case, I have the privilege of speaking to the jury"
 Judge Abbott, taken somewhat by surprise, gave assent, and, turning to the jury, Bell said with considerable feeling:
 "Gentlemen of the Jury-I ask no favors and no sympathy. If you think I am guilty I want you to render a verdict accordingly. The district at- tnrpax I,oc fold vn, that y,,Iy hrothay, Howard said I confessed to him that I killed Dr, Townsend When I was on the stand the district attorney did not ask me anything about that. did not tell my brother I killed Dr. Townsend. It is an untruth. was not on Staten Island on the night of the murder, neither did I wear a mustache at that time, as testified by 6 witness"
 Bell said that he was at the Thalia theater on the night of the murder and went into detail regarding incidents that occurred at the playhouse that evening.
 As the court indicated that the pris- oner must conclude, Bell cried:
 Gentlemen of the jury, I am not Harry K, Thaw, but plain John Bell. I have no wealth, but if had I could produce witnesses who would testify as to where I was on the morning of the shooting, and whose testimony would be sufficient to acquit me-
 Bells counsel tonight said he would appeal.