The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-07-18
UNWRITTEN Law AGAIN

Mother and Son Acquitted Of Charge
of Numbering Man Who Ruined
Their Daughter and Sister-Ver-
dict of Jury Announced to Judge
While They Were at Dinner Dur
ing Recess Just After They Had
Been Sent From Court Room to
Consider Decision.
Laplata, Md, Special.-It took the
jury In the Bowie murder trial but
five minutes to decide that in South
ern Maryland at least, the "unwrit-
ten law' is the law to which the Sc
ducer must hold himself answerable.
And while there was no marked de-
monstratiOn when the verdict became
| known, there was sufficient evidence
that the verdict Of the jury was the
verdict of the people of this section
of the country. Both jury and people
acpuit Mrs. Mary E. Bowie and her
son, Henry, of all blame for their
acknowledged Staying last January Ct
Hubert Posey, the seducer of their
daughter and sister, Priscilla Bowie,
who with her child, has made a pa
thetic picture in the court room. That
there was no demonstration was
doubtless due to the fact that the ver-
diet of the jury was announced 10
the Judges while they were at dinner
during a recess, just prior to which
the jury had been sent out of the
court room to consider their decision.
| State Attorney Winners request to
the jury that they bring in verdict
of manslaughter, was not more note
worthy than the frankness with which
Congressman Sidney E. Mudd, Ct
counsel for the defense, appealed 10
the "mwritten law,' in behalf Of
his clients. Throughout his address,
which evidently voiced the senti-
ments of most of his hearers, Mrs
Bowie and her son sat III stoid com
posure, while Pricilla Bowie wept
: continuously.
''Gentlemen, said Congressman
Mudd, "we shall claim that these
defendants were justified, by what
:, the newspapers have called the 'un
, written law He then cited many
cases in which the avengers Of wrong
ed daughters. sisters and wives have
been acquitted, and continued:
"Never since the formation ot
this government has there been triel
before jury of American citizens
: single case of murder following wan
+ ton seduction in which the verdlr
, has been other than instant acqult
tal.' He argued for the "suprc
, macy of the law indelibly written D:
the quick-beating human heart, owe
the cold type of the statute books,
: and said:
"The' family in this land Of our
: is the nuclueus and the nursery 0
o the Commonwealth. The protectlol
y of the sanctity Of the family ties, tn
y chastity of women, the development
! and maintenance Of salutary an
, exalted respect for the honor of th
y mother, the sister and the daughte
become natural and essential fea
ture Of the law in this land. L
, nearly every State Of this countr
there will be found an exemplltica
ton and recognition Of this fact an
y, an adoption Of this doctrine.
cit is in this sense that | cont
IDENTIFY claim the protection OF wha
I have called and claim the 'unwrlt
ten law as an adequate defense 10
these defendants.
State Attorney Wilmer argue
- against the "unwritten law bt
+ urged the jury to give the defendant
- = the benefit of every possible dout
t l and repeated that he did not ask fe
u verdict of murder, but for one {
: manslaughter. The jury, howeve
y evidently took Mr.. Mudd s view {
" the case and when they fled inl
= = court it was to declare that the k1!
=, ing of Hubert Posey was justified.