Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-12-08
Thompson Not Guilty.


the prisoner. near Laytonsville, this county
on the 10Th of September last, was begun
in the Circuit Court on Saturday of las
week. The day and part of the night o
Saturday were consumed in the examina
lon OF witnesses. The jury was KEEP
together all Sunday under the eye of
deputy sheriff. Monday the entire da,
ana part OF the night were employed in the
examination of witnesses and the argu
ments of counsel.
About o'clock the jurymen repaired tC
their room to make up verdict, and were
out about an hour, when they returned with
verdict of not guilty. A part of this
time was given to juryman John Williams
who tainted and had to receive the atten.
ton of doctor. But one ballot was taken
The verdict was no surprise. Those
among the spectators who heard the testi-
mony in full predicted that the jury's yer
dict would be not guilty.
The testimony was very conflicting on
the different points involved in the case Nc
one saw the killing but Archie Thompson
and John Pope, son of Joseph M. Pope
and the jury was compelled to rely upon
surrounding circumstances to reach YER
dict as Thompson's and Popes testimony
differed widely
The house where the shooting occurred
faces north and the yard extends for some
distance to the east. Thompson and John
Pope had drunken fight at the eastern
part of the yard, near about the limit, SO
yards from the house, in which Thompson
got the worst of it. He went to the house
to get his gun to shoot young Pope. The
Popes remained in the yard. With gun in
hand, Thompson stood in front of the house.
At this time the positions of the two P0pes
and Thompson, with lines drawn from point
to point, formed triangle Both guns
were fired almost simultaneously. John
Pope fired with gun that he had in hand
returning from a squirrel hunt with his
father Joseph M. Pope fell dead. with
his breast and face penetrated by a num-
Der of shot The State claimed that Thomp-
son did the killing, and the defense con-
tended that young Pope accidently did it
in an excited moment, Young Pope testi-
fed that he shot in the air to scare Thomp-
son, and Thompson swore that he shot at
young Pope
A diagram locating the house, yard and
other objects was used in the trial BY
that it was shown that the load of shot
discharged from ThompsOns gun went
straight between the Popes and entered
the bark upon an apple tree in line. standing
in the orchard beyond the yard.
1t was contended by the defense that
Thompson used an unchOked gun and the
load from that if it had struck Joseph M.
Pope at the distance of 33 yards would
have scattered so widely that the deceased
would have been shot all over the body,
and not alone in the breast and face. with
only one or two shot in the latter. The
defense further commended that young Pope
shot choked gun and that the load he
discharged from his gun at rs yards dis
tant from his father took effect in small
portion of his fathers body. as the wound
showed
These circumstances created reason
able doubt in the minds of the jurymen,
and they gave the prisoner the benefit of
the doubt as the law directs shall be done
in all cases where there is a reasonable
doubt, rendering a verdict of not guilty.
Thompson shook the hand of each jury
man and thanked him. Thompson's father.
sister and brother were presentin the court
room when the verdict was rendered, as
were Mrs. Pope. widow of the dead man,
her daughter and several SONS.
States Attorney Bowie F. Waters. as
sisted by his brother, Eugene II. Waters,
represented the State, and Alexander Kill
gour and w. 0uterbridge Spates appeared
for the defense.