Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-19
Of GUILTY
AND SENTENCE FAILS
To MOVE DEFENDANT
n Haven't a Word to Say, "
Remarked Convicted Wom-
an = Judge Hill Assesses
$4,000 Bond Pending Appeal

Convicted of verbal blacknaiI in an
attempt to extort $5e0,0o0 from Mayor
Asa G. Gambler and sentenced by Judge
Ben n Hill to serve a year at the state
farm at Milledgeville and pay a fine of
$1,000. Mrs. Margaret A Hirsch was .
taken back to the tower late Saturday
afternoon and incarcerated in the quar-
tiers she has occupied since her arrest
on February IA, when she, with J. w.
COOK, was indicted by the grand Jury
Her face showed not a trace of emo
uon as she heard the verdict guilty"
from the lips OF the foreman of the
jury that for three long days had lis
tened TO the voluminous testimony and
heard the four dramatic addresses by
counsel in concluding the case She
sat stolidly cycling Judge Hill as he
pronounced the maximum sentence and
Dy not so much as the CULVER of an eye
lash did she betray any feeling other
than that Of absolute eomposure .f
Mrs. Hirsch fingered in the court
room for some time after the sentence
had been pronounced and the majority
OF the spectators had left, as she wish
ed to confer with her counsel, who were
busy filing notice of a motion for a neR
trial and getting Judge Hill to assess
bond pending the appeal Her bond was
liked at $4,000 and Attorney J. r.. BED
good stated for Mrs. Hirsch that she
expected to make bond within a day or
Two. Since her arrest on February IA
she has consistently refused to accent
bail, which had been fixed at $1,000.
preIerrlnS to remain prisoner in the
tower.
Glad Sentence Was Passed
After sentence had been passed upon
her and she was being taken back tn
JAN she conversed spiritedIy with the
officers
Il am glad Judge Hill didn't put me
on probation and am glad he passed
sentence right after the verdict, for /
would have hated to stay in snsnense
if he had delayed the sentence for a
DAY or two as is done sometimes" she
remarked
On arriving at the Jail Mrs. Hirsch
went Immediately to her quarters in tba
women'S hospital ward and warned the
Jallers not to allow any one to visit her.
unless she gave explicit Instructions
20 ADMIT them. Heretofore her counsel
nave given passes to visitors desiring
to talk with her in jail.
]. w. Cook. Jointly indicted with Mrs
Hirsch and convicted on February 81.
waited IN the corridors and in the court
room after the sentence had been pro-
nounced. but the pair had no CONVEX
sation whatever. Cook is under $4,000
bond, having also been sentenced to
S0h 70 a year IN the state penitentlary
and pay fine of $1,000. His motion
for a new trial will be heard by Judge
Hill on Saturday of this week.
Mrs. Hirsch's attorneys filed notice
for motion for new trial. and Judge
Hill set this hearing for Saturday,
March 80. 80
The jury was out exactly "a min
utes. They retired from the courtroom,
at 1921 O'Clock. At 3:45 o'clock 1t was
an f1,N
port their verdict Judge Hill admon-
ished the spectators in the courtroom
to make no demonstration of any kind.
The jury filed in promptly, took their
seats, and the foreman announced the
verdict at s:46 O'Clock
Sentence pronounced
Judge Russell, of counsel for the de-
Tense, asked for a poll of the jury and
it showed that they were unanimous
In pronouncing sentence, Judge Hill
said:
Blackmail is very terrible crime
1t is as bad as robbery To attempt
to rob a man of his character for
the purpose of extorting money is
worse than highway robbery. Many
man would rather face the pistol
of robber than to face exposure
even false, by a blackmailer.
wish to compliment the COUNSEL for
the defense upor. the very able man
ner in which they have conducted
the case. Counsel have been loyal
and eloquent beyond description.
The court has endeavored to give
the defendant a fair and impartial
trial If have made any error,
1t was one of the head and not of
the heart, and if such an error is
brought to my attention 1 will cor
rect it. I believe the jury also has
given her a fair trial. The court
has some doubt as to what to do
with this defendant She cannot
work on the public works of Full
ton county. rs il is obvious that
she is a woman of delicate breed
ing. 1 am not going to put her on
the public works, therefore, but am
going to send her to that depart
ment of the state penitentiary at
Milledgeville. where female prison.
ers are confined. It is the order
of this court that she be there con-
J fined for a period of twelve months.
and at the expiration of that time
The closing day of the trial was by
far the most spectacular of the three
during which the courtroom battle con-
tinued. Dramatic incidents came thick
and fast, and lively tits between the
lawyers enlivened the proceedings,
these oft-recurring contentious finally
CS1AoAHS AO5E mn u lIHpOSG 90 IHlcS
on both Judge Russell and Attorney Ar
mold for their persistence in INDUCING
in verbal encounters without address
ing the court. A second fine of SO
each was levied by Judge Hill only a
few moments after the first episode.
and the attorneys we're warned that
further infractioHs of the rules would
result in more serious consequences to
those involved.
While the crowd OF spectators was
kept on tiptoe with sustained interest
In the trial, good order was maintain
I'd throughout by Deputy Sheriff Joe
Schilling. Special Officer James Cost
and the corps of bailiffs. Judge Hill
gave strict orders that there should be
Continued on Page 8, Column IL