Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1938-07-21
MURDERER GETS
FIRST DEGREE
Fred l.. Brown, Who Strang-
led 17-Year-Old Spouse
is Sentenced to Hang
CHILD GIVEN GUARDIAN

With first degree murder YER
dict carrying no recommendation
for mercy from the jury in hand
the Circuit Court of Dorchester
County Thursday sentenced Fred
L. Brown, 48-year-old farmer con
victed Wednesday night in the
brutal Staying of his 17-year-old
wife, an expectant mother, to be
hanged, The jury held Brown was
sane now and was sane when he
strangled his wife and dumped her
weighted body in Nanticoke River
June IA. After the jury brought
in its verdict following an hour and
half's elaboration, Chief Judge
Benjamin A. Johnson adjourned
the court The defendant. who had
shown no emotion in reiterating a
confession that he choked his wife
to death then weighted her body
with pillow points and threw it into
the river, faced the jury with an
expressionless face as the verdict
was read. Just before the jury
went out at 10 p. m, the defense
attorney, James McAllister, plead
ed for a manslaughter verdict. Nc
Allister contended no premedita-
ton had been shown and insisted
the defendant was insane. The
psychiatrists, Dr. Manfred S. Quit
macher, chief medical officer of the
Baltimore Supreme Bench, and DR..
Kenneth l.. Jones, supervisor of
the Eastern Shore State Hospital,
said their examination of him
showed paraniiac indications of
persecution and that Brown lived
with chip on his shoulder"
Mrs. Brown was killed June IA
after her return from Cambridge.
where she obtained warrants
against her husband charging him
with disorderly conduct and cruelty
to a cat. She told States Attorney
J. German Hill he had plunged a
pitchfork through pet kitten.
When Brown was asked about the 1
kitten by Hill on cross-examina- i
ton, Brown replied: II don't know
when l killed it. 1t was lazy cat |
and wouldn't catch any mice even
if they ran in front of his nose.
killed about Is or 20 cats in the
last few months"
Defense Attorney McAllister at
tempted to show that Brown in
jured his right hand the day of the
and, when Mrs. Brown at
tempted to leave their home that
night taking their 13-months old
son with her, the Browns grappled
and she hit his injured arm, there
by causing him to fly into rage.
Thirteen months : old Jimmy
Brown had a new and permanent
home Thursday night while his
father became resigned to execu-
ton for numbering Jimmy's moth
er. The blond, blue-eyed boy was
brought to DR.. Coils home after
his fathers arrest. DIR. Coll is
county physician. The Coils have
one child, Thomas Henry Coll, 16.
The document was signed in the
county jail shortly after Brown
was sentenced to be hanged for
strangling his young wife, who was
another child. Taken to
jail, Brown Immediately stripped
off his shirt, sat down on an over
turned basket, and said to an in
What's done is done
I'm not afraid of hanging and I'm
not particularly worried about it.
I'm only sorry about my boy. I'm
arrangements to have him
put with a good, decent family. |
And that don't mean I'm turning |
him over to his mothers family.
He's going to grow up to be some {
thing better than his old man." An
to save Brown from death '
On the gallows is planned. (