The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-07-16
"UNNRITTEN LAW CLEARS
MRS. BOWIE AND HER SON
Justified in the Murder of POsey,
Which They Acknowledged.
MARYLAND ENDORSES VERDICT

AAoNA1h AlOW1cs TOT WHOSE V1uSilCd~
ton the Crime was Committed,
Weeps in Court--Jury Reached
Verdict in Five Minutes.
La Plata, Md-It took the jury in
the Bowie murder trial only five
minutes to decided that, in Southern
Maryland the "unwritten law is the
law to which the betrayer of a wom-
an must hold himself answeraDle.
Both jury and people acquitted Mrs
Mary E. Bowie and her son Henry
of all blame for their acknowledged
Staying last January of Hubert Po-
sey, the betrayer of their daughter
and sister, Priscilla Bowie, who had
made pathetic picture in the court
room during the trial. That there
was no demonstration was doubtless
due to the fact that the verdict of
the jury was announced to the judges
at dinner during recess, just prior
to which the jury had been sent out
of court to consider its decision.
States Attorney Winners request
to the jury that they bring In YER
dict of manslaughter, not of murder,
made last evening, was not more
noteworthy than the frankness with
which Representative Sidney e. Mudd,
of counsel for the defense, appealed
to the 'unwritten law" in behalf of
his clients. Throughout his address,
which evidently voiced the sentiments
of most of his hearers, Mrs Bowie
and her son sat in stolid composure,
while Priscilla Bowie, seated outside
the rail among the spectators, wept
continuously.
Gentlemen" said Mudd, 1--WE shall
claim that these defendants were JUS
tified by what the newspapers have
called the 'unwritten law He
cited many cases in which the aven-
gers of wronged daughters, sisters and
wives have been acquitted, and con-
tinued: Never since the formation
Of this Government has there been
tried before jury of American citi-
zens single case of murder follow
ing wanton seduction in which the
verdict has been other than instant
acquittal. He argued for the "su-
premacy of the law indelibly writ
ten on the quick-beating human
heart over the cold type of the
statute book" lie cited the Biblical
story of Jacobs daughter Dinah,
wronged by Sheckem, whom Dinah's
brothers killed, and said
The family in this land of ours
is the nucleus and the nursery of the
Commonwealth. The protection of
the sanctity of the family ties, the
chastity of women, the development
and maintenance of salutary and
exalted respect for the honor of the
mother, the sister and the daughter
become natural and essential fea-
ture of the law in this land. In near
Ly every State of this country there
will be found an exemplication and
recognition of this fact and an adop-
ton of this doctrine.
at is in this sense that confident
ly claim the protection of what l
have called and claim the 'unwrit-
ten law as an adequate defense for
these defendants"
At the end of Mudd's argument
States Attorney Wilmer addressed the
jury, arguing against the "unwrit-
ten law" and referring his hearers
to the commandment, Thou shalt
not kill" He urged the jury to give
the defendants the benefit of every
possible doubt and repeated that he
did not ask for verdict of murder,
but for one of manslaughter. The
Jurors, however, evidently took Mr..
Mudd's view of the case and when
they filed into court 1t was to declare
that the killing of Hubert Posey was
justified.