The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-12-08
JURY FREED MRS. ATKINSON
VERDICT SAID SHE WAS NOT
GUILTY OF MURDER.
Jury was Gut Twelve Hours. Stood
SIX and Six When First Bal
lot Was Taken.


lot Was Taken.
Mrs. Exa Atkinson was acquitted
Oh the charge of murder by the iurv
IN whose hands her fate was held in
the balance for twelve hours.
She was placed on trial Thursday
morning on the charge of having
murdered her brother-in-law, VIM,
Glaze, last August by administering
strychnine to him, and the entire
mony.
The argument of the lawyers was
made after supper, and it was about
1880 o'clock at night when Judge
Worrill concluded his charge to the
jury and placed the fate of the wo-
man in their hands.
Ofncers of the court and a number
OF spectators waited nearly an hour
Tor the jury to make a verdict. but
as there was then no probability of
an agreement being reached the Jury
were sent to the hotel in custody of
officers for the night, and the crowd
In the court room dispersed.
1t was not until 1890 o'clock
Friday morning that verdict of not
guilty was reached, and the general
opinion until that time was that
there would be mistrial.
No New Developments in the Trial.
The defendant, frail little woman
neatly attired, appeared in court with
her husband, l.. j. Atkinson; her
father, j. P. Brawner of Brooks
county, a young brother and other
relatives.
Attorney H. A Wilkinson conduct
ed the defense as counsel for Mrs.
Atkinson, and Solicitor General Laing
represented the state and the prose-
cution.
A jury was quickly secured. Only
one juror of twenty-four who were
sworn disqualified on voir dire, A. c..
Laing stating that he was opposed
to inficting capital punishment on
women.
Who the Jurors Were.
The jury, when completed, was
composed of the following gentle
men: Samps McGilI, farmer; C. w.
Hayes, farmer; J. A. Savelle, farmer;
E. T. Lockett, farmer and merchant;
w. R. Cox, merchant; J. c. Hind,
merchant; f. Lawhon, farmer; w.
S. Thornton, farmer and merchant :;
H. l.. Kirksey, farmer; ] w. Cham
bless, farmer; j. l.. Smith, local
preacher and farmer; J. E. Thomas,
farmer.
The state based it's case on the al
legation that the defendant killed
VIM. Glaze by administering strych-
nine to him because of hatred and
the fact that at his death her hus-
band would inherit lac acres of land
that Glaze owned.
The evidence introduced by the
prosecution was almost identical
with the testimony given at the COM
mitment trial in August, which The
News printed in full at that time.
The defense offered no testimony
at all, resting its case upon a brief
statement by the defendant and the
argument of counsel.
Mrs. AtkinsOns Statement.
Mrs. Atkinson statement in full to
the jury was as follows:
Gentlemen of the Jury: l did
not desire to kill Will. | did not
give him any strychnine in no way.
| don't know anything about it.
never had any strychnine in my life.
| never saw any in my life"
The jury, when it first went out,
is said to have stood six for acquittal
Of with
recommendation to life imprison-
ment. One by one the jurors who
favored conviction yielded to the 9th
err side, and after twelve hours, as
stated above, a verdict was reached.
At no time during the trial did
Mrs. Atkinson appear the least dis
concerted or seem to fear the result
Her compOsure during the solicitor
generals arraignment- of her before
the jury was nothing less than re-
markable.
Two hours after she stood, by the
iury's verdict, before the law and
man innocent of the terrible crime
that had been charged to her Mrs
Atkinson left on the Seaboard train
with her father for his home at Payo
A Review of the Case.
One morning last August VIM
Glaze, a half brother of l.. J. At
kinson, with whom Mr.. and Mrs. At
kinson lived, was taken violently i'll
with commissions and in a short while
was dead.
Circumstances pointed so strongly
to poisoning that Glaze's stomach was
at once removed by physicians and
sealed in a jar. A month later q
chemical analysis was made of it and
strychnine found.
Mrs. Atkinson, who was suspected
bv neighbors of having poisoned
Glaze, was arrested, given prelim'
mary trial and committed to Jail by
the presiding magistrate. By order
of Judge Worrill of the superior
court she was allowed bail the next
day in the sum of $4,000, which was
readily given.
Public sentiment was against hel
in the village of Chickasawhatchee
where she lived, but she has always
assorted her innocence