The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-29
Williamson CASE
ENDS IN M|STRIAL
Jury Fails to Agree After Dclib-
Grating for Several
Hours.
DEAD BODY IDENTIFIED
Pennsylvania Battlefield COM
mission Holds Interesting
Meeting.
Times-Dispatch Bureau.
100 North Sycamore Street,
Petersburg. Va, April IS.

Petersburg, Va, April IS.
After celebrating for several hours.
the jury In the case of Junius A. VIII
hanson, for the alleged poisoning of
his Wife. reported shortly before IL
o'clock Tonight that an agreement
was Impossible and the members were
discharged from further service. 1t is
understood that they were evenly d.
vIded.
In his charge the Judge instructed
that the verdict would have to be
either for acquittal or murder in the
first degree.
Both the Commonwealth and de-
Tense rested their cases at 12 o'clock
to-day in the trial OF Junius a. Will
Hanson for the alleged murder of his
wife by poison. The court Immediate
ly directed the. room to be cleared,
and took u recess of an hour to con-
suit with the counsel as to the in
structions to be given to the jury, and
the instructions prepared By the court
were subsequently given to the jury.
Between ] and 2 o'clock the jurors
in charge of the Sergeant and Deputy
Sergeant Blick, accompanied by the
lawyers for the prosecution and de-
Tense, were taken in automobiles to
the former Williamson home on Nc
Kenzie street, where the poisoning is
alleged to have occurred. Here a
thorough inspection of the house, as
had been described By witnesses, was
made.
Williamson. in his testimony in be-
half of himself. yesterday afternoon.
made general denial of the charge of
poisoning his wife, and of al! state
ments tending to incriminate him. He
a ba az with his
wife. partaking of the cornhread and
cab bage of which she ate; that his
wife was taken Ill while eating; that
he was taken sick afterwards with
vomiting and symptoms similar to
hers. He detailed how he had run for
the doctors to attend his wife: how he
did everything possible for her, and
how they had always lived happily and
peacefully together. He said that his
wife knew when he married her that
he was married TO another woman liv
ing in Texas. and denied that he had
written TO Texas To his first wifes
folks there. telling them OF his sick
ness and death The Commemorative
attorney here introduced letters al
legged TO have been written by VIII
hanson to this effect, but they were
objected TO by the defense and ruled
out as immaterial
Williamson, when recalled to the
stand this morning. told of his escape
from the temporary Jail here. He said
he went out through the doors; that
he went 10 Richmond to sec his aunt.
Mrs. Tibbs, and his III child. and that
afterwards. hearing of the charges OF
bigamy against him, he took French
leave" and went West
1t had been testified by r. l.. Bow
man, a druggist at the corner of Bank
and Short Market Streets, that on the
morning of June 9, the day of the
alleged poisoning. man resembling
the prisoner came into his store and
asked for arsenic. but he refused to
sell him any. SIR. Bowman could not
identify the prisoner as the man.
Emmett Collier this morning tes-
titled positively that between 10 and II
o'clock on the morning of June Q,
while he was standing across the
street, he saw man whom no identt-
fed as the prisoner. enter and leave
Mr.. Bowman's store.
The Commonwealth introduced sew
eral witnesses in rebuttal, and several
character witnesses. The evidence in
the case was mainly rebuttal. 1t has
never been established where William
son purchased any arsenic. Argument
IN the case was peSln at tne afternoon
session. with the prospect of a verdict
tonight. If the jury agrees. The YER
dict must either be for murder in the
first degree or acquittal
Body Identified.
The body found yesterday afternoon
in the Covington marshes. on
the old river channel, in Chesterfield
county. was fully Identified as that OF
r. L. Jackson. citizen OF Petersburg,
who disappeared from his home on
Rowe Street, on the evening OF April
16. The body was very much swollen
and decomposed, and II coull not ha
discovered whether there we're any
marks of violence about it. An in
guest was held this morning and the
jury rendered verdict OF dea.th by
drowning. On the body were foun:l
...5apers and tax receipts, hearing Mr..
Jackson's name.
Nj, Jackson is survived by his wife
aod several children and brothers. The
superstition is that he fell in tho river
III E'crndale Park or elsewhere. On
JS,;l bod,- seen floating