Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-09
MURDER PENALTY CUT
BY NEW CODE OF State
After January o, 1920, Jury May
Bring In Verdict OF Twenty
Years In Prison.
FOR LARGER GRAND JuR1Es
Jurics in Misdcmcnnor Cases Re
duced From Seven to Five-Ncw
PROVISION ms to Distribution OF
Personal Estate OF Married Man.

after January 1925 be asSrse nay Sy
confinement conf in the penitentisrv for any
me OF the suhsta. ptiai changes m The
A ASH SEde adopted by the last General
, ,sce The Assembly Of 1914 amended
me law to allow. the crime to be pun
last winter added the twent toyeaG
s sfrm to the so provisions for tho dlspo-
degree murder. Section 1881 author
'zes the shorter term.
aba m;.os with several other, interesting
pmSes rer5r recent I'm Of the new
cd rsn, want ant, One Of the states attorneys
convictions of guilty persons who now
e escaped penalty because the merest
inflicting the death sentence. The pen
atty for murder In the second degree
t i T fern c6 of Years from tiye to TWEEN
murder in the second degree when the
which quite often happened under The
The new Code Increases the mini
from nine to eleven. and reduces juries
in misdemeanor cases from seven to
section as5s. the second in i0a see,io IN
,one, of the FIRST exercises o: the act
IN the penitentiary occurred when the
cs aeanss p mat Asa nEe III hs Of
Goochland. who slaughtered his broth
home ' witb mha an hnuled him
bered body in postholcs on his own
been an oversight. the attempt to put
ing with respect to the distribution OF
new Code. made it impossible for q
man to will his personal estate away
the" ss TdS TO c a9d G hsr left H h
See :,! n, 5S , gives the widow, i the
will within one year. 'lf such re-
Se for BE her n the w
have such share OF her husbands
personal estate as she would have
wise she shall have no more thereof
/ than is given her by the WILL"
IL NO CHILDREN. WIDOW
MAY CLAIM WHOLE ESTATE
Section 527s. however; says that Il
tho husband left no WILL that is. died
;t-itate. the widow is entitled TO her
thirds" il the husband left legal chill
by. the present law. the widow is en-
titled to half the personal estate; but.
by the new law, she is entitled to the
whole, the same being true OF the wifcs
property by the present law. the change
! being for the purpose OF equalizing the
distribution in the case of man or wo-
man and not discriminating against
the woman rs the present law does
tut the result OF not harmonizing the
renounce the will and take as If there
were none. In which case she gets
the entire personal estate II there
are no children and onc-third of it If
there are children. If the woman makes
n will. leaving out her husband. he can
rot renounce and inherit as If the wife
will all her personality away. while the
husband cannot, lest she renounce the
Will and take one.third, or all. accord
ing TO whether there are children or
not.
BY section 51o6 OF the new Code in
divorce cases. dispositions no longer
must be taken before 4 commiss Toner
in chanccry. but may be taken before
notarics. Process. however. must he
section 6l7S allows Circuit and Corpo-
ration Courts. or their judges In vaca-
ton. the right 10 appoint any number
convenient dispatch of business. This
removes the necessity of the passage
of special act of the Legislature for
an increased number OF commissioners.
Except III liquor cases Circuit and
Corporation Courts are, by section 1881
given concurrent original Jurisdiction
with justices of the peace. AS the law
now stands, justices have exclusive
original Jurisdiction OF most INSIDE
meanors. This is but a restoration of
the principle of the Code OF 1887 or
the liquor cases, tho courts of record
have exclusive original jurisdiction.
Chanccry Judges are given the same
power in vacation that they now have
during term time by section 6307.
Section 6251 authorizes the trial
court TO enter up. final judgment IL 1t
sets a verdict aside because contrary
to the evidence. If there is sufficient
evidence before the court to enable ii
TO decide the case upon it's merits. This
for writ of error. This dtspenscs
with second trials and is in the inter
est of economy and speedy justice said
an attorney. who also predicted that
this would cause demurrers to the evil
dance fall