Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-08-16
Woman Obtains Freedom at Hands
of Jury in Alexandria County Last
Night-Was Held for Completely
in Murder of John Po Werres.

in Murder of John Po Werres.
Stolidly, Mrs. Kathleen Burgess
accepted her freedom from the
hands of the twelve men last night
in the Alexandria County court
house before whom she was tried
for murder.
Scarcely stirring in her seat, Mrs.
Burgess sat steadily through her
trial for the murder of John P.
Werrcs. Washington iitney driver.
Not once was she seen TO exam
inc the faces of the jurors anxi-
ously. She turned her head neither
to the right or left.
There was not perceptible
change in her demcanor when the
verdict was read l'%r attorney was
! the first to reach out and grasp her
hand, She rose and tu.aed to leave
the courtroom, when Judge Cool
rick called to her in fatherly
voice:
Judges Counsel.
Don't go out into the world
again to live the old life. Go back
to your aged father and mother. Ash.
their forgiveness for the shame you
have brought upon them, and De a
good daughter, leading a good am
yirtuous life. Don't think that, be-
cause you have been under the shad-
!ow of red crime, you cannot live the
past down. You arr young, just II.
You are healthy young woman.
Your future is not destroyed, 1t Will
be what you make it."
Inc young freed prisoner Rad nc
words to utter. The men of the
jury rushed up to her and shook her
hand. The foreman Of the jury,
Franklin Stealn, earnestly besought
her to turn to new life.
''If you cannot live a decent life
in the your home environment, leave
it, he said. He pleaded with her
FOR quite an interval, but whethc"
his fatherly interest in her struck a
responsive chord, it was hard to de-.
termine. She smiled, and that was
all.
Spent Night in Jail.
Kathleen Burgess spent last night
in Jail, voluntarily. There was no
other place for lcr to go.
Her mother and her twn sisters at
tended the trial yestc">.ay afternoon.
But when the court adJorr"el | for%an
hour at 6 o'clock they lef. apparent
y for their dinner, and !!;;,l not re-
turn
Mrs. Burgess, relatives and ac-
quaintances .fromAher hon:e own in
Laurel, Md; were:n not there when the
ve" 'ict was read.
Mrs. Wcrres There. nn
!. Mrs. John P. Werras was there.
Her appearance in the courtroom
was startling. She wore heavy wells
Of BLACK. Her. color, was actually
livid. She stared searchingly over
the courtroom, and. discovering
Mrs. Burgess, pointed at her and
asked: SIS that the woman?' She
shook. violently as she took the
oath.:. 1T was: with the greatest diff!
Guilty that she answered questions
and when she was asked to Identify
the hat her husband wore, she scream
ed, and, crushing it to her. kissed it.
Otchr articles were identified by her
and she was led, qu:vering, from the
courtroom.
The State rested its case after
offering but few witnesses. The
defense offered none at all. Mrs.
Burgess herself did not go on the
witness stand and neither did her
mother.
Only One Verdict Possible.
The jury after receiving instruc-
tions from Judge Goolrick asked
that the arguments of both sides
be dispensed with.
II his instructions. the ;u!ge said
that if the jury belie"ed that the
defendant did not strike the de-
ceased. as alleged in the Indictment.
and did not aid and ahet in the
killing ofIthe deceased, then they
mast find the defendant not guilty
and they must acquit her"
Under such instructions the jury
had no other alternative but to set
/ the woman free.
Mrs. Burgess left the Alexandra
county jail this morning and returned
70 her home in LAUREL. Md.
Before leaving she said:
81 am going to follow the judges