Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-03
WOMEN MURDERERs

WOMEN MURDERERS
IT HAS long been a self evident
l fact that it was almost impossible
to get a jury of twelve men to
convict a young and attractive
woman of the crime of murder on
any evidence, no matter how COM
plete the case might be. Even
when the fact Of the murder was
not disputed. they would escape on
the plea of emotional insanity. 1t
was argued that the employment
Of women in the jury box would
correct that evil to some extent.
1t was thought they would be less
open to the influence of a fair de-
PENDANT and more willing to render
a verdict in accord with the facts
and evidence in the case. We can
not see that such hope has been
realized. The women seem to split
about even when it comes to a COM
parison with the men of the jury
in such murder cases. Some Of
them of a judicial temper are ready
to vote for a conviction and some,
moved by the strange hysteria that
affects some men in such cases
vote for acquittal with little regard
for the evidence. Apparently it is
not sex influence that makes it
almost impossible to get a verdict
of guilty against a young woman in
a murder case.
These reflections are induced by
reading recent reports of the &C
tons of the jury in the case of Mrs.
Obenchain. The jury, after being
out a number of days. divided six
to six as to her guilt or innocence.
This is her second trial. The
other trial resulted also in a hung
jury and no verdict. The defend
ant on learning Of the disagreement
in the second trial is reported to
have said: IF the taxpayers can
stand this monkey business, / can
stand it a while longer" There is
meat in the sentiment. The tax
payers are burdened very seriously
by these mistrials. We are not at
tempting to pass judgment on the
guilt or innocence of this particular
defendant. We have not followed
the evidence closely enough for
that. But it is quite evident from
the testimony that is uncontradict-
ed that the woman in the case is a
moral pervert. Marrying one man
who had great affection for her,
she got into an intrigue with a for
mer sweetheart. Her magnanimous
husband allowed her to get a di-
vorce from him to marry this man
on her statement to him that she
could not be happy without her for
me love. Then she did not marry
this former sweetheart but con-
tracted another love affair with a
nan named Burch. and the old
sweetheart is killed just after leav-
ing her house where she had called
him. She and Burch are charged
with the murder of Kennedy, and
the divorced husband, who is a
lawyer, flies to the defense Of his
former wife. They are ~reconciled
and to be married once more. All
this was placed in evidence with
out contradiction. Then it appears
that the reconciliation of husband
and erring wife did not prevent her
from contracting a fourth love at
fair with a convict in the Jail where
she was confined, and she places his
hot love letters to her in evidence
to impeach his statement that she
asked him to give false testimony
to help clear her. The convict also
gives up her love letters to him.
1t is a nasty and sordid mess all
through, but the woman wins much
sympathy in spite of it all from
kysterical men and women in the
community, and the feeling evil
IDENTIFY finds representation in the
jury. The Obenchain woman may
not be guilty of murder. but she is
certainly not deserving of much
sympathy on her own showing as