The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-29
JURYMEN PROMPTLY
ACQU|I JOHNSON
OF MURDER CHARGE
Verdict Is Reached After
One Hour and Ten
Minutes.
WAS NO ARGUMENT
State That Decision Was
Unanimous on First
Ballot-Jury Is
Commended.
WAS NO ARGUMENT

Gentlemen of the jury. have You
reached a verdict" solemnly asked
Clerk Walter Christian
We have" solemly replied Fore
man John G. Miller.
Then Sergeant John Satterfeld re-
ceived the indictment from the hanas
OF the foreman. and presented IL 10
Mr.. Christian.
We, the Jury. find the prisoner not
guilty" read the clerk.
There was dense silence In the
court room, which WAS crowded Win
sweltering humanity. Johnsons smile
hroadened He shook hands with his
counsel. and then shook hands with
every one else in the vicinity. Those
he could not shake hands with. shook
hands with him, The ladies fell over
each other In getting TO his side.
gentlemen of the jury" said
Judge Richardson. II wish to thank
you for your patience during these
trying days. It gives me great pleas
ure In discharging you.
Thu tury was out one hour and ten
minutes. II was said theye ~sa no
argument in the jury room, but that
ali the jurymen were of one opinion
The case had not been proven. the
Instructions OF the court were reao
and digested. Expressions were made
and impressions given. Then vote
was taken. II was said that the vote
was unanimous on the hrst count
johnson was a free man. He left
the city hall as buoyantly as though
he had not been suffering the tor
ments of mental conflict for six
months behind prison wallis. Next to
johnson himself, the happiest per-
son In sight was Mrs, Smith. with
whom he boarded long time during
his three years at the Medical COL
lege OF Virginia. She had sat be
side him throughout the trial and had
patiently soothed him with her pres
ence. and kept the cooling breezes
tanning against his forehead
While the members OF the jury re-
trained from discussing their reasons
for acauittai. except to say that the
evidence was not convincing, II was
generally believed the alleged con
fession." written by Washington
newspaper man, who swore that II
was written at the dictauon of John
son himself had much TO do with the
action OF the jury.
The johnson case was given to the
fury at 7:25 o'clock yesterday after
noon. after the entire day had been
was chosen foreman, and to him was
handed the courts instructions. Ser
reant Satterfeid and his deputies
ushered them to the cool jury room
on the fourth floor of the city hall.
which had been prepared for them,
and which had been made as COM
Portable as a sultry evening would
permit,
Four able and interesting argu-
H. far
both sides, and interesting points OF
law were brought out. and many
reasonable and some unreasonable de-
auctions were drawn by the lawyers,
At only one point during discus
sion of the evidence was there an IN
terruption That was when Com
monwealth's Attorney Wise was pic
turing the scene at the home OF Mrs.
Stutx when the conversation concern
fnr predestination was being engaged
II. He said that DR.. johnson had in
dicated his leaning toward such a
doctrine, when he said that II per-
SON died by poisoning, the death was
predestined and therefore the one
who administered the drug was not
guilty Of murder.
I'VE have no chance to reply" in
terrupted Mr.. Woodland. Of counsel for
the defense. II wish to object to
this view or the case, winch Mr.. wise
ia trying to impress upon the jury. DR..
johnson held the contrary view"
Mr. Wise did not continue the argu-
ment along that line.
Hopkins Opena.
In the opening. Lawyer Hopkins.
who had taken little part in the case
I'M to this point, delivered one of the
most scathing denunciations OF an ac-
cused ever heard In the court room.
He did not mince words, but pointed
to johnson as most brutal murder
er.
TO my mind" Numbered Mr.. Hop
kins, "I1emuel J. Johnson, the muir
derer, Is not so vile a man as Lemucl
7. Johnson. the slanderer. II. Alice
johnson had been able to express a
choice between losing her character
or her life, she would have chosen
10 lose her life. And her husband
took both. It 10 bad enough to Islander
: living woman. but thousand times
worse to Islander the dead. and a
sIAnderer is a coward Of the basest
and most malicious kind"
Mr.. Hopkins went over the defense
put up by DIR. johnson, and fgura-
lively tore II to pieces. At times his
gestures and his thunderous voice
brought TO mind the scenes from Mae