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The Georgia Record. VOL. I. JULIA MORRISON ACQUITTED Jury Declared Her “Not Guilty” of the flur= der of Frank Leiden. CLOSING SCENES DRAMATIC After the Verdict Was Rendered i*liss Morrison Made a Speech of Thanks. The Julia Morrison case, which has been on trial in the circuit court at Chattanooga, was given to the 'jury at noon Wednesday in an exhaustive charge from the court. Great inter est was taken in the closing scenes of the celebrated trial. The courtroom was packed with curious humanity long before the judge called the law yers to attention and ordered the trial to proceed. The morning hour was taken up with the concluding argument of coun sel, two for the defense and one for the state. The first speaker was William Cumming, for the defense, who fol lowed the same lines pursued by his associate counsel of the day before. The great speech for the defense was made by Colonel Joe Clift, the patri arch of the Chattanooga bar, and in his time one of the most powerful criminal pleaders in the state. The entire interest of the morning centered in this speech, and when Colonel Clift arose to begin his argu ment, he was greeted by loud and pro longed applause, which brought an order from the judge to the sheriff to arrest the men applauding. “I will have to arreat the whole court room,” answered the sheriff, and there was another burst of applause. After-a brief exordial, Colonel Clift proceeded to a review of the evidence which he brought out into powerful light, and the jury was at all times at tentive and thoroughly impressed. He began with the company at Peeks kill, N. Y., where they started on their tour and followed them to Chat tanooga; recited the daily insults and foul epithets Leiden had applied to the woman; bis threats to do her bod ily harm, and finally at Chattanooga his knocking her down and threaten ing to kill her. And then when she was going to the stage to appear in her part, though late on account of sickness, to which several witnesses had testified, he ad vanced upon her with a drawn stick as if to strike her. She had no pistol in her hand as was testified by several witnesses, and no one saw the pistol until after Leiden had cursed her and threatened her with his cane. Then it was, goaded to desperation, in fear of her life or great bodily inju ry, that her mind became surcharged with the weight of her injuries, she lost control of herself, and drawing her revolver, which she always carried for protection,she instinctively as even the dumb brute would do, used it to save herself. No proof had been ad duced to show that she was a violent woman; all the testimony was to the contrary, and this was to be taken in her favor. At the conclusion of Colonel Clift’s speech Samuel B. Smith closed for the state, summing up the evidence, and making application of the law in such cases provided. He made no new points, but argued the case purely on the provisions of the law. He made a strong arraignment of the accused, and made an effort to show by the testimony that Miss Mor rison knew what she was doing; that she had gone to the opera house on the fatal night to kill Leiden; that she • had bided in the lower part of the stage for an opportunity to kill him where it would not be witnessed, but no opportunity coming to her she bad gone to the stage with murder in her heart and the instrument for carrying out her purpose in her hand; that without warning or a word she had fired upon a defenseless man and had killed him. At the conclusion of Mr. Smith’s speech Judge Estill, although the noon hour had arrived, proceeded to charge the jury, which occupied about an hour. The charge was long and was given to the jury in writing after it had been read at 12:50. Court then adjourned until 3 o’clock. Before 1 o’clock the courtroom was again crowded to its utmost limits with men and women, and among them there was but one general expectation, the verdict would be an acquittal, in which events proved the belief was well founded, At 3 o’clock the prisoner arrived at the courtroom and exhibited an air of supreme confidence that she would leave it free to go where she pleased, instead of retracing the unhappy route to the Hamilton*county jail. While the jury was deliberating the court was busy with other cases on the regular docket. At 4 o’clock the Morrison jury was ushered in. A deathlike stillness en sued and their faces were searched and researched by hundreds of pairs of eyes that the verdict might be read, if possible, in the countenance. For seven days that same group of twelve men had been scrutinized by thous ands of spectators in Judge Estill’s court to note the effect, if any, upon them by each telling piece of evidence and each convincing point of logic enunciated by the lawyers who spoke in justification or condemnation of her alleged crime. Never perhaps in any courtroom did a more mobile, stoic and expression less set of human faces appear in a jury box. The best reader of char acter was set at defiance, for not in a single instance did one of the twelve faces in the jury circle betray the feel ing of the heart and head. So they came through the aisle before the judge and when, after responding to their names, Judge Estill said: “Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a verdict?” “We have,” replied Foreman Mc- Nabb. “What is your verdict?” asked the court “Not guilty,” was the answer. Miss Morrison, who had leaned far over in her chair, caught the low re sponse of the foreman, and the effect of his words upon her were dramatic in the extreme. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, while her face turned from the whiteness of death to almost a crimson hue. The crowd in the court room cheer ed and a rush was made toward the woman to congratulate her. Advancing to a position just in front of Judge Estill, Miss Morrison delivered in a most touching and elo quent manner a brief speech, which she bad evidently prepared, for she spoke rather rapidly and without hes itation. She said: “May it please your honor, I wish to thank you and the gentlemen of the jury and all who were instrumental in my acquittal today for your just and generous decision. May God in His mercy be ever as just to you and yours as you have been to me today. In the same measure I wish to thank my attorneys for their noble efforts in my behalf. As for the prosecution I wish to say that I fully forgive them and bear them no malice for their strenuous efforts for my conviction. “As to my persecutors (turning to w-ard Mrs. George J. Antz, the beauti ful sister of the dead actor, who was overcome with emotion and suffused in tears), I leave.them to their con sciences and their God. To the poor bereaved sister I say that God knows that were it in my power to restore her brother to her I would certainly do it.” Mr. and Mrs. James at once repaired to the Tschopik house, where they had stopped on the first night of their ap pearance in Chattanooga, and where they will remain for a time. ROBERTS REACHES DESTINATION. llis Advent at Seat of War Expected to Alter the Situation. A London special says: During the interlude of apparent military inactiv ity and official secrecy, Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener have arrived at the seat of war. It is assumed that their clear vision, supported by 30,000 fresh men who are due to arrive in South Africa within thirty days, will alter the situation and that the fourth month of the campaign will witness the beginning of victories for the British arms. ATLANTA, GA . SATURDAY, JANUARYJ3, 1900. REBELS READY TO ASSIST. Copy of Dewey’s Report Sent From Manila Last Year Presented In Senate. Responding to the senate’s resolution of inquiry, the secretary of the navy sent to the senate Thursday a copy of i Admiral Dewey’s report from Hong Kong, dated March 31, 1898, relative the capture of Manila, then under consideration. He stated that his own squadron was in a high state of efficiency. Speaking of the Spanish forces he said it numbered about 15,- 000 soldiers of all arris in all the is lands, of which half were in the vicin ity of Manila. “The islands,” says she report, “are now in a state of insurrection, and my informant states that even the Spanish soldiers, who constitute only a small part of the whoie, are disaffect ed. Both ships and fo'ts are in need of ammunition. I believe Ism not over confident in stating -that with the squadron under my command the ves sels could betaken and.the defense of Manila reduced in one day. “There is every reason to believe that with Manila taken, or even block aded, the rest of the is-ands would fall either to the insurgents or ourselves, as they are only held now through the support of the navy, and are depend ent upon Manila for supplies. Infor mation has just reached me that there are 5,000 armed rebels in camp near Manila, who are willing to assist me.” METHUEN “IRRESPONSIBLE.” British General’s Mind Said to Be Unbal anced and lie Will Be Retired. A special cable to The Chicago Tribune from London nays Lieutenant General Lord Methuen, commanding the column advancing,to the relief of : Kimberley, gred is- - command within two; weeks. Later he will be sent to Gape Town and eventually ordered home. When he reaches England he will be retired. These facts have been confirmed by an official of the war office. Lord Methuen’s case is a sad one. Always a man of rather frail physique —although a clever boxer and all-round sportsman—his constitution began to show signs of breaking down almost immediately after he took command of his division. Three days after the battle of Bel mont, General Wolseley suggested to the w r ar office that Methuen be reliev ed. His advice was not needed. The wisdom of the aged but keen com mander-in-cheif of the British army is now realized by the war office who scoffed at his suggestion. Friends of Lord Methuen insist he is only in broken health; that the strain of many campaigns has shatter ed his naturally nervous system. Those who know’ the circumstances and the situation on Modder river equally well and who are willing to state facts plainly, say that Methuen’s mind is unbalenced. CHOATE CABLES REPLY. Our Ambassador Explains England’s View of Flour Siezures. The answer of the British govern ment to Mr. Choate’s representations respecting the seizures of American flour and other goods on the three ves sels, Beatrice, Mashona and Madeira, has been received. Just as the officials of the state de partment anticipated, it amounted to a partial answer and is very satisfac tory so far as it goes, disposing of the character of some of he goods seized, but not finally deciding broadly whether or not foodstuffs are to be re garded as contraband of war. In brief ( Mr. Choate reports as follows. , “That the answer is highly satisfac tory; that it is broad and liberal in terms. The position assumed by the British government is that foodstuffs in transit to a hostile destination can be regarded as contraband of war only when they are supplies for the enemy’s ' forces. It is not sufficient they are , capable of being used for the benefit , of the enemy; it must be shown that they are so in fact through their desti nation at the time of the seizure. “The British government d<ei not claim that any of the American goods ( on the German bark Maria and the British bark Mashona were contra- , band of war. The British government , is investigating the fact in connection with the goods seized on the third ves sel, the Beatrice.” TO NAME FELLTICKET Georgia Republicans Will Enter Campaign This Fall. STATE CONVENTION HAS BEEN CALLED Besides the Nomination of a State Ticket Delegates To National Conven tion Will Be Chosen. At a recent meeting in Atlanta the Georgia Republican state central com mittee decide d to hold a state conven tion at the capitol, and in compliance with the instructions and as a result of the action of the committee, the following call has been issued by Chairman Pro Tern. Johnson: Headquarters Republican State Cen tral Committee, Atlanta, Ga. —To the Republican Voters of Georgia: In ac cordance with custom and in obedi ence to instructions of the state central Republican committee, directing a con vention of delegated representatives of the Republican party, to be held in the city of Atlanta, state of Georgia, for the purpose of electing four dele gates at large and four alternate dele gates to the national Republican con vention, to be held in the city of Phil adelphia, Pa., on the 19th day of June, 1900, and for the further purpose of nominating a candidate for governor and candidates for other state house officers, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before it, a state conve .tion of the Republican party is hereby called to be held in the city of Atlanta at 12 o’clock m.,Wednesday, March 7,1900. Each county shall bo entitled to twice the number of delegates that it has representatives in the lower TnTni?TiT.f~llie gcaerar a&.ui—Wy state of Georgia. The committee further directed that all notices of county conventions or mass meetings shall be-posted at the courthouse of the respective counties of the state holding such con vention or mass meeting at least ten days before such convention or mass meeting shall be held,and each county shall give such further notice as it may deem proper for the information of its voters. That no person shall vote or partic ipate in any mass meeting or conven tion called in any county of the state for the purpose of electing delegates under the call, or for electing dele gates to a county convention convened for the purpose, unless he be a legal and qualified voter of his county at the time of holding such mass meet ing or convention, or was a duly reg istered voter at the time of the pres idential election of 1896. That duplicate certificates of the election of delegates, signed by the chairman and secretary of the conven tion or mass meeting electing said delegates, shall be forwarded by the secretary of the convention or mass meeting immediately to the secretary of the Republican state central com mittee. All notices of contest shall be submitted in writing, accompanied by a statement setting forth the grounds of contest, which shall be filed with the secretary of the Republican central state committee not later than three days prior to the meeting of the Re publican state convention; and no person shall sit for a delegate by proxy to the convention unless he be a bona fide resident and voter of the county represented. W. H. Johnson-, Chairman Pro Tern. J. H. Dbveacx, Secretniy. According to call the Republicans of Geo-gia will take, an active part in state politics this fall. It is declared that candidates for governor and other statehouse officers will be nominated at the state conven tion. If this plan is carried out it will be the first time in a number of years that the Republicans have put a state ticket in the field and will bring them more prominently into the arena of state politics. Considerable interest attaches to the naming of a straight Republican state ticket and is declared by prominent members of the party that an active campaign will be inaugurated. One of the principal features of the convention will be the naming of the delegates to the nat : onal convention which meets in Philadelphia, June 19th, and the indications are that there will be warm contests for these places. NO. 29. “BALLOT RESTRICTION” The Subject of a Strong Speech In the Senate By Horgan, of Alabama. The feature of Monday’s session of the senate was the speech of Senator Morgan, of Alabama, upon the general subject of ballot restriction in the south. The senator from Alabama took as the text for bis speech the res olution introduced several days ago by Senator Pritchard, of North Caro lina, or rather the substitute which that senator has since submitted in place of his former resolution. The substitute reads as follows: Resolved, That an enactment by constitution or otherwise by any state which confers the right to vote upon any of its citizens be cause of their descent from certain persons or classes of persons and excludes other citizens because they are not descended from such persons or classes of persons, hav ing all other qualifications pre scribed by law, in the opinion of the senate is in violation of the fourteenth and fifteenth amend ments to the constitution of the United States, and of a fundamen tal principle of our republican form of government. In opening Senator Morgan said that this resolution reveals the fact that we have reached a danger point in the history of the republic which we cannot avoid or neglect. The next apportionment of representation in the house must be made by this, or the fifty-seventh congress, said the senator, and the principles on which the ap portionment will be made will be a question of the gravest importance in this year’s election. He believed the question ought to be considered in advance of these elections. The people should decide involved in these resolutions at the elections of this year upon propositions submitted to them in some form. “I am convinced,” said the senator, “that no other tribunal except the people voting in the elections has the right or the power to finally settle this question here presented in the resolu tion offered by the senator from North Carolina.” “ST. JACKSON’S DAY.” Celebrated By the Jacksonian Club at Omnba, Nebraska. “St Jackson’s Day” was appropri ately celebrated in Omaha, Neb., Monday by the Jacksonian Club. Three separate functions were down on the programme. The first was an informal reception held at the club headquarters in the afternoon, at which W. J. Bryan, Congressmen Carmack, of Tennessee; Overmeyer, of Kansas; Weaver, of lowa, and sev eral other Democratic lights, were the guests. Mr. Bryan was the chief centre of attraction, and during the twe hours the reception lasted several hundred Democratshad paid their respects. At 6 o’clock a dinner was tendered Mr. Bryan and a few other notables at the Omaha Club. At 9 o’clock occurred the annual banquet of the club in the parlors of the Paxton hotel. Covers were laid for tbres hundred, and there were no vacant places. An elaborate menti was served, and it was near midnight before the speaking began. The speech of the evening was made by Mr. Bryan in response to the toast, “Our Nation.” SOUTHERN PROGRESS. Lilt of New Industries Established the Past Week. The more important of the new in dustries reported for the past week include coal mines in Alabama and West Virginia; copper mines in Texas; cotton mills in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ten nessee; a cremating furnace manufac tory in Georgia; an electric light com pany in Arkansas; an electrical supply company in Texas; flouring mills in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas; gold mines and a handle fac tory in Alabama; a hardware company in Texas; an ice factory in Arkansas; lumber mills in Kentucky,Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas; a machine shop in West Virginia; a planing mill in Georgia; a silk mill in North Carolina; a steel roofing plant in Tennessee; a telephone exchange and a tent manufactory in Texas. — Tradesman (Chattanooga, Tenn.)