The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-04-13
ORDERS ACQUITTAL
FOR JOHN GOSSETT
Kenneth Denies That He Committed
an Assault
News and Courier.

News and Courier.
Abbeville, April 9.-Direction of
verdict Of not guilty for John Gossett
one of the principals in the alleged
criminal assault case here by Judge
Thomas H. Sease late this afternoon
emphatic denial of Kenneth Gossett
the other principal, that he had Grim
inally assaulted the prosecutrix, but
acknowledged that he had become un.
duly familiar with her, without pro.
test from her, were the outstanding
features in the trial here today.
DR.. C. C. Gambrell of Abbeville, a
physician of twenty-five years prac-
tice and distant cousin Of the prose.
cutrix, was the first witness fo: the
state in the Gossett case. He told of
being called in to treat the girl on
the morning Of March Is, following
the alleged criminal assault. He de-
scribed the condition of the young
woman, he told of her suffering from
chorea better known as St. Vitus
dance, which lowered her vitality and
made her exceedingly nervous at
times.
On cross examination James II.
Price reading from medical text
books and works on medical juris-
preudence, brought out from Or.
Gambrell that although there are
four recognized tests for criminal as
sault he had used only one and that
was the most unimportant and liable
to inaccurate diagnosis. He describ-
ed the condition of the girl as such
that it might have been due to other
than criminal assault. he claimed
that he did not find any bruises on
the girls body such as il she had been
choked, treated roughly or been
pulled around by the arms or limbs.
The sister Of the prosecutrix, who had
received nine months hospital in
structions as trained nurse, told Of
finding her sister in their home cry
ing and that the prosecutrlx told her
Of what she said had happened to
her. She described the dress the girl
wore on March IA, as torn and rip
ped. It was exhibited in court. On
cross-examination the witness denied
that home medical treatment was
given the prosecutrix until after the
visit of DR.. Gambrell on the morning
of March Is at the instructions Of
the physician. This was in direct con-
fict with the testimony of DR.. Gam
brell this morning and tended to i'm
peach the allegations of the prosecu-
trix as made on the stand yesterday
afternoon.
Treatment of Prosecutrix.
The witness admitted when pressed
by the defense that the dress her Sis
ter wore could have been torn by her
lifting her foot to some high step or
jumping ditch, as it was very tight.
Under gruelling fire from the de-
fense the prosecutrix's sister admit
ed that she had not given her sister
an antiseptic to prevent possible con-
tamination, had not bathed her, had
not called the physician until next
morning when her sister appeared to
be in pain because her controlling
thought was to get the author of the
alleged crime, her mind crying out
for vengeance.
Charles j. Bruce, United States
deputy marshal, and T. l.. Cam, de-
putty sheriff of Abbeville county, who
arrested the two Gossetts, sub
stantiated the testimony of Sheriff J.
Olin Sanders of Anderson, yesterday
in which it was sworn that Kenneth
Gossett said in the Anderson jail that
when the youths were being taken to
Columbia Kenneth Gossett at Spar
tanburg voluntarily told him that he
had not assaulted the girl bu. had
merely put his hands on the person
of the prosecutrix, which, he said,
was not resented.
Thomas P. Thompson, master of
Abbeville county, gave a detailed de-
scription of the road and scene
where the alleged crime was commit
ted.
The state rested its case at 1925
o'clock this afternoon when J. L.
Perrin, clerk Of court of Abbeville
county, was disallowed by the court
to answer a question put to him by
the plaintiff.
Asks for Directed Verdict.