Evening star., 1936-12-15
ARGUMENTS END,
GOODWIN MURDER
CASE GIVEN Jury
Prosecution Calls Killing of
u. S. EmpIoye One of
CrueIeSt Ever.
INSTRUCTIONS ALLOW
ONE OF THREE VERDICTS
Defendant Repudiates "Confes-
sion"-Charges He Was Beaten
by Police.

The first degree murder case
against Norman w. Robinson, 81, COL
ored, charged with numbering Mrs.
Florence Goodwin with a furnace
shaker September 18, was given to
jury of nine men and three women
at 12:40 pm. today. Instructions
from Justice Peyton Gordon permit
ted verdict of not guilty. guilty of
first-degree murder, or guilty of sec
ond-degree murder.
In his closing argument to the jury
Assistant United States Attorney
Irwin I. Goldstein characterized the
staying of the 42-year-old Govern
ment employe and rooming house
proprietor as 'one of the cruelest
murders ever DONE"
The physical circumstances under
which Mrs. Goodwin was found in her
rooming house at 1l02 Sixteenth street
indicated her skull had been crushed
by repeated blows Of the heavy iron
furnace shaker.
Confession Repudiated.
| Robinson repudiated his purported
confession that he had murdered Mrs.
Goodwin. He said police beat him so
badly he did not know what he was
doing.
Robinson was the only defense wit
ness. He said a policeman held his
hand and forced him TO sign the
statement which was introduced in
evidence as a confession.
When he re-enacted the crime at
Mrs. Goodwin's rooming house, ll02
Sixteenth street, he had just been
beaten by investigating officers. he told
the jury.
He admitted he had been janitor
at the Sixteenth street house. but
| said he liked Mrs. Goodwin because
she had been very good to him.
Brutality Denied.
Goldstein put three witnesses on
the stand to rebut the allegations
of brutality They were DR.. Richard
Rosenberg, deputy coroner; Capt. Ira
E. Keck, assistant chief Of detectives,
and Detective Sergt. William r. Ellery
of the homicide squad. All three
denied that Robinson had been beaten.
| The confession" and the blood.
stained furnace shaker used to batter
out the life of Mrs Goodwin were
offered as evidence yesterday.
Found Dead on Couch.
The dead woman, who was employed
in a Government department and also
conducted the rooming house on
Sixteenth street, was found on
couch IN a rear second-floor room
about 10:30 am. on September 18 by
roomers. Her skull had been crushed,
evidently by repeated blows. The
room had been ransacked.
The next day Robinson, who had
been temporarily employed as jani-
tor by Mrs Goodwin last Summer.
was arrested, but was not told why
police wanted him. Six days later he
signed the alleged confession, which
contained a complete account of the
Staying. In that six days. police had
located bloody clothing in his room
in the 1400 block of Ninth street, and
had analylzed scrapings taken from
under his fingernails. Goldstein said
he thought it would be unnecessary to
introduce the scientific evidence with
which police bolStered their case.
Detective Tells of Statement.
Detective Sergt. Aubrey M. Tolson
told of how Robinson broke" under
continued questioning.
I'VE kept on talking to him about
the bloody clothes and where he had
been on September l8, when suddenly
he said I did it, Tolson told Justice
Peyton Gordon and the jury.
"At that time the murder of Mrs.
Goodwin had not been mentioned to
him by any one. I asked what he
did and he replied, I killed her
asked him who he killed and he said
the woman asked him what wom-
an and he said Mrs. Goodwin
Lieut.. John H. Fowler, police bal
listics and scientific expert, said he
arrested Robinson September l9 at
Tenth and o streets. On the way
the twelfth precinct, where Robinson
was locked up. Fowler purchased two
pill boxes in which he placed the
scrapings from the colored mans
| ffngernails.
Shirt Is Identified.
He identified in court the blood
stained shirt found in the room Rob-
inson had occupied. Then he told Of
the first re-enactment of the murder.
1t was at the precinct. he said. DR..
Rosenberg played the part of the VIC
tim. Robinson later was taken to
Ninth street and Rhode Island ave-
nue.. where he allegedly had said he
threw away the back door key to the
rooming house by which he obtained
entrance. The key had been intrusted
to him while he was janitor there. It
could not be found.
Robinson allegedly showed the off,
GERS how he entered the house, where
he found the furnace shaker, and how
he crept up to Mrs. Goodwin's room
early In the morning before those in
the house were astir, Fowler testi-
fed. Robinson said the room for
merly had been used as q dining room
and he was surprised to find Mrs.
Goodwin lying on the couch, accord
ing to the officer.
I'VE asked him If anything in the
room had been changed from the last
time he saw 1t, and he looked around
and then said the clock on the mantel
was missing and the lamp had been
moved from the table to the window