The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-03-22
SAD CASE OF THE WARDLAWS
CUTHBERT PAPER RECEIVES A
LETTER FROM ONE OF SISTERS
Refers to Time When Family Were
Residents of This Section. Says
Newspaper Reports Unjust.

the three sisters, Mrs. Snead, Mrs
Martin and Miss. Virginia WardlaW
who were arrested at Newark, n. j.
several months ago charged witt
completely in the death of Mrs
Ocey Snead, whose lifeless body wa
found in a bathtub.
AS girls and young ladies the!
had lived in Cuthbert years ago
their father being a Methodist min
lister, and a number Of our older cit
liens remember them and believe
them innocent Of the grave charge
against them.
Being refined, educated ladies
thew felt their Incarceration keenly
Miss Virginia Wardlaw died before
the trial, the case seemingly having
been postponed unnecessarily from
time to time. 1t is thought her re-
fusal to eat becau-e Of modification
occasioned by her imprisonment has
tened her death.
At he trial Mrs. Martin, at the
suggestion of her counsel, pleaded
guilty to involuntary manslaughter
and was sentenced to six years i'm
prisonment. 1t seemed that she did
not realize the nature of her plea,
for when sentenced she protested
her innocence strongly. 1t is sus-
pected that her mind had been af-
fected.
The case against Mrs. Snead was
quashed.
The Leader has been going to Mrs.
Snead for several months, and in
letter recently containing a remit
lance she wrote:
Il wish to thank you sincerely for
the consideration you have shown
my family Chat of Rev. John B.
Wardlaw) in avoiding the publica-
tion in your valuable paper in
community where my father was so
well known of the sensational and
untrue statements which for the past
fourteen months have been publish
ed so freely in the daily press con-
corning his daughters, who have suf-
fered undeserVed Incarceration and
unjust persecution.
The plea my sister, Mrs. Martin,
counsel was that of an involuntary
council was that of an involuntary
act involving no moral turpitude,
which she understood to mean that
she might have exercised still great
er care to prevent her daughters
suicidal tendency. But the plea was
no sooner made than it was changed
by the court and by the press to
plea to a graver charge, at once
wired all over the country and so
acted upon by the court.
"They have granted me my freed
ON, but no glazing headlines an
nounce the fact, such as were used
when they were manufacturing the
unjust charges and the scandals and
publishing them to the world. A
statement about an inch in space in
an obscure part of the paper was
made, and this is about all that was
done to counteract the above named
cruelties, falsehoods and persecu-
lions which caused the death Of one
Of my sisters.
Excuse me for giving expression
to my feelings, but my thoughts and
pen would not stop"
Mrs. Snead enclosed the following
clipping from the Newark News:
Mrs. Snead Is Given Freedom.
On proceedings that occupied but
a few minutes Judge Ten Eyck at
the court house today quashed the
murder Indictment against MIS-
Mary w. Snead, aunt of Ocey Snead,
the East Orange bathtub victim A
formal order discharging her from
custody was signed at the same time
The discharge of Mrs Snead closes
the formal record in this county of
the now famous case The motion
to quash was made by Prosecutor
Mott Mr.. Mott also had the court
to quash the indictment that had
been found against Miss Virginia o.
Wardlaw, sister of Mrs Martin and
Mrs. Snead, who died in the house of
detention last summer Albert Snead
made the following statement
Il am glad to have my mother
indicated in this way without the
necessity of having her going
through the npleasantness of a
court trial. However, knowing as l
do the nobility of my mothers ma
ture, and believing absolutely in her
innocence, l have never for a mo-
ment had the slightest fear that the
trial, if it had taken place, would re-
suit other than in her complete vim
dicatiOn. And l believe l am safe
IN saying not only for myself, but
for every one who has ever known
her, that there is not one whose faith
in my mothers innocence and in the
purity of her character has beer
shaken in the least by the accusa.
tions that we're made against her
and on account Of which she has
neen held in custody The nolle
pressing of the indictment does no
come as a surprise to me, as | wa!
personally assured by the prosecu
tor more than two weeks ago tina
he was ready to release 1ny mothe,
at any time thereafter that she Nigh
request it. However, on account O
the mental condition of her sister
Mrs. Martin, my mother requested
TO be allowed to remain temporarily
with Mrs. Martin in order to minis
ter to her"
This is a very sad case. Withou,
more knowledge of the facts thar
that gained through the newspapers
we incline to the opinion that these
three sisters have been harshly deal
with. Was If npcnesarv in or5or =