Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-01
SNOWDEN FOUND GUILTY
OF. BRANDON MURDER
First Degree Verdict Given Within
Twenty Minutes
COURT SUSPENDS SENTENCE
Prisoner Near Collapse Expected TS
Breakdown And Confess Still
In TowSon Jail-Star Wit
nesses Under Guard.

gA dohM DENWueut IJt0AGNs ANGlSGU Oh
the murder of Mrs Lottie May Bran
don. OF Annapolis, on August s last,
to reach a verdict of guilty in the first
degree last night at Towson.
The verdict came somewhat as a
surprise. inasmuch as FIVE alternative
yerdicts were permitted the jury,
whose foreman was Granville Simp-
| son, Of Bentley Springs
The trial had proceeded for two
weeks before Judge Frank / Duncan
and was characterized by frequent
clashes and sensational charges be
tween the opposing attorneys. a.
| Theodore Brady and T. Gus Grason
represented Snowden states Attor-
ney Nicholas II. Green, OF Anne Arun-
! del, and States Attorney George Hart
man, OF Baltimore County, were the
prosecutors.
SnOwden's Nerve Breaks.
Snowden ordered to stand and
raise his right hand, listened to the
verdict with the same stoIidity he
has shown all during the trial, but
when removed later TO the Towson
jail to await sentence, his nerve broke
and he is now on the verge of col
lapse
Spectators, many of whom were OF
the eoloreG race, heard the decision
of the jury without any attempt at
demonstration. The crowd left the
Court House in an orderly manner
Mary Perkins and Edith Credit, both
colored, star witnesses for the prose
cution, were kept in seclusion and
under heavy guard all during the
night.
Judge Duncan charged the jury at
S.25 T. NJ informing them that they
might choose any OF the following
verdicts:
Guilty in the first degree
Not guilty
Guilty in the first degree without
capital Dunishment>
Guilty in the second degree.
Guilty OF manslaughter.
/ Asked For First Degree.
The prosecution asked the jury for
a verdict of first degree murder with
out qualification The defense, of
/ tOuISSl doAtU ltI dCQulttdA.
Before the jury was recalled to an
nounee the verdict, Judge Duncan ad-
| dressed the audience as follows:
This is a grave case. l wish to
warn every person present against
any uttarance or demonstration ap-
proving or disappearing the verdict
/ Any one who makes sound or causes
disorder will be apprehended imme-
diately by officers and detectives now
scattered about this room"
Immediately after the verdict was
transcribed on the court records, the
defense requested a suspension OF
sentence The request was granted
May Ask New Trial.
Attorney C, Gus Grayson Will make
a motion sometime today for a new
trial in the Snowden case The de-
Tense has three days in which to make
such motion, and it is not likely that
the Court will render its decision on
this motion for several days
In the meantime Snowden Will not
be sentenced, nor win he be sent back
to Annapolis until this phase of the
case has been disposed Of
It is generally believed at Towson
that the defense does not expect TO
succeed in its effort for a new trial.
Snowden this morning was up very
early. ate a hearty breakfast and very
soon thereafter requested the warden
of the jail to ask Mr.. Grason to come
to see him.
Valentine Brandon, husband of the
murdered wofaan, expressed satisfac-
tion with the verdict. adding, i hope
i Snowden will confess and tell us how
he accomplished the horrible crime.
Detectives John Kratz,, Joseph
/ Dougherty and Harry Pohler, who
worked up the evidence in the case
said they felt the jury had vindicated
their efforts
The jury retired at $50 p II. after
strenuous day, during which the
defense closed its case and the prose
cution offered witnesses in rebuttal
States Attorney Hartman, of Bal.
timore County, and States Attorney
Green, of Anne Arundel County, both
asked the jury at the close of their
arguments for straight first-degree
verdict without qualifications TIL
defense, through A. Theodore Brady
and T. Gus Grason. asserted that the
evidence submitted during the entire
trial had been circumstantial, and
that verdict OF acquittaI was ths
only fair way OF treating the prisoner
Throught is all the accused man sal
as IL in daze.
lrewd In Courtroom.
Green's argument was most elo-
/ quent, but so was that of Brady A
great crowd had gathered TO hear then
both. Brady told the jury that Snow
den had been victimized. inasmuch a:
he had been the scapegoat for tbs
police authorities, and that his arres
covered up their ineficiency Greer
elicted applause from number O