Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-06-22

/ ATLANTA, June %. - Twelve
southern men have voted to hang a
southern woman.
This in Georgia, q state famous
ior the chivalry of its mer toward its
women.
Date Of her execution is set for
July 28.
Good grounds exist for the state
! ment Of Colonel William Schley How
ard, prominent Atlanta lawyer, that
women are tumbling from their man
created pedestal and must pay the
same penalty for crime as men be
cause Of
Woman suffrage and invasion Of
mems fields in business!
He cites Georgia's we'll known an
tiPathy toward the suffrage move
ment, in interpreting the verdict in
the case Of Mrs. Cora Vinson. She
shot and killed her husband, DR.. W.
D. Vinson, in his Atlanta office last
March.
Il have never asked jury to send
a woman to the gallows," said Solci-
tory General John A. Boykin to the
jury, "and | won't begin now. There
fore | ask verdict of guilty with
recommendation of mercy" His re-
quest was, in effect, for a life SEN
tence.
Yet the jury returned with a ver-
dict of guilty without recommended
ton for mercy. There was nothing
for Judge John D. Humphries to do
but sentence Mrs. Vinson to hang.
Lawyers. officials and citizens
were amazed at the action. q the
jurors. As such crimes 60, this was
no more shocking than scores for
which women have been freed or sent
to prison. Only once, 50 years ago,
has q White woman been hanged
in Georgia.
Col. Howard, native Georgian,
keen student of public opinion, three
times a member of congress, and en-
gagged by DR.. WILSON'S son to aid the
state in prosecuting the young
man. stcpmother, plays an active
part in the trial. He watched every
move. Here is his Interpretation of
the causes back of the jury's YER
dict:
'The men of Georgia have always
been noted for their chiValry toward
women. They have held women on
pedestal. In the past this chivalry
has been carried into our jury
rooms. 1t has been almost impos-
sible for a jury Of men to find a
woman guilty of a serious crime.
But of late years." Col. Howard
continued, the women of Georgia,
like women Of other states, have
shown a tendency to come down
from this man-created pedestal.
They have demanded equal rights,
in politics and business. In every
way they have indicated their desire
to be treated as men
why then should a woman-sole-
ly on sex groWds-be accorded any
special privilege by jury?"
Col. Howard's views are partly
borne out by an expression from
f. L. Bradley, who was foreman of
the Vinson jury.
81 believe" said Bradley, that q
woman should pay the same penalty
for crime as a man. There have
been recently several atrocious mur-
ders of husbands by their wives
The women have gotten off with
light sentences, owing to the fact
that a prison term for life means
the convict is eligible for parole
after three years. The jurors felt
it their duty to their sworn wore
and the state to bring in this yer
dict"
1t was established that Mrs. Vim
son killed her husband after pre-
meditation. She had persuaded hin
to deed her his property. Not long
ago he applied for divorce.
The doctor was G5, his wife IA
Both had previously been married
when they went to the altar 20 year:
ago. For the last years they livec
a quarrelsome existence, culminat
ing in the divorce action brought by
the doctor few months ago. Tt
block the divroce, the wife unsuc
cessfully tried to have herself ad
judged insane.
Was it his property or the mar
she wanted?
81 loved my husband" says. Mrs
Vinson.
81 didn't care about his property
| just didn't want some other wo
man to have him. | didn't mean tc
kill him. Pm sorry l did it."
Sane? Yes, she is sane. Married
first at Ia, she had only the educa
ton that falls to mountain-borr
woman whose childhood was spent
/ in the cotton mills. But she is in