St. Tammany farmer., 1914-03-14
District Court Has an
Unusual Criminal Week
Of the Three Murder Trails, All Were Blacks,
Excepting the Case Of Julia johnson,
Which Awakened Much Interest.

OlStf1ct court was in session tli
week. Judge Lancaster on the benct
and District Attorney j. Vol Brocl
prosecuting. Because of Serious ill
ness. the cheerful face OF MIR. Norman
Gtllts was missed in the court room
His duties were taken up by Mr.. l.
c. Noise.
The promised battle for the free.
dom of Julia Johnson was thrown to
the winds when she came into open
court Monday and pleaded kuilty to
manslaughter. The plea was evil
IDENTIFY surpr- Sc to her lawyers as
well as to@the public. After she had
been remanded to jail to await her
sentence, she was visited in her cell
by q representative of the Farmer.
In response to quest on as to why
she had pleaded guilty of man
slaught when she had fighting
chance of coming clear, she stated
that 1t was the desire of her father
and her cousin, and she obeyed the. r
wishes.
Behind the crime is story of love
Tor some one whose name Julia John
son would not divulge. When asked
who was the father of the babes that
had been murdered when they were
born. she said she could not tell, and
when further urged to name the man
she loved, she said: you are get
ting me confused. l don't have to
tell. l don't want to tell.'
Before her trial Julia Johnson was
placed in the parish prison, in New
Orleans, where the Edwards girl
was confined. and remained there un-
til she was brought here to be ex-
amined as to her sanity by the COM
mission Of physicians appointed by
Judge Lancaster. She was asked
what she thought of the Edwards
girl. She replied that that girl would
never go to the penitentiary. When
asked why she thought SO, her reply
was. Well, wait and see il am not
right. When asked If she thought
the Edwards girl would attempt SUI
eide. she refused to answer. and
when the same question was put to
her in regard to herself, after she
had stated that she might 60 to the
penstentiary but would not stay
there, she only shrugged her shoul-
ders.
Julia johnson is % years Of age,
Of the blonde type and somewhat
freckled. She Is of slender build
ana medium height. Tho picture Of
her seated with the commission is a
very good one. She was dressed in
white. having just removed a long
coat which she wore when she en-
tered the room from her cell. She
did not object to hav-ng her picture
taken and expressed desire to have
one when they were finished.
The crime to which Julia johnson
pleaded guilty was clothed IN de-
pravity and born of an untutored
mind. Its opposition to all the in-
stncts OF motherhood; its extinct ON
OF the inbOrn nature of womanly at
lection: its destruction of the ideal
character that has made mother the
fondest word IN the Engl sh Ian
Euage tended to weave about the
deed \ suspicicr that il al: were
known a mantle OF pity might be
thrown about the form OF the fur
lorn woman who crouched in the
shadow of death. VIII spers of. dis t
belief in her guilt had been heard
from the lips of many. b. NJ. Miller
and F. j. Heintz, who had been ap- |
pointed by the court to defend her,
were taken by surprise when she
made the announcement that she
wished to plead guilty to manslaught-
er. She showed no sign of emotion:
gave no evidence of a reai.xatitn Of