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Argument in the Pearl Bryant Murder Trial. NELSON SCORED THE PRISONER. , Mis Opening Speech Occupied Nearly the Entire Day—Judge Weiw's Lestructions to the Jury Kintiraces Eighteen Separate Items, All of Which Are Objected to by the Dejan Cixetyxatt, May 12,—Argument in the Scott Jackson murder trial was be gun yesterday. At the opening of court Judge Helm read his instructions to the jury. As finally agreed upon there were 18 instructions. To each of the instructions and to all of then, Colonel Crawford inclosed an objection and tool. in exception. The first, second, third and fourth instructions were to the effect that if the jury found that Scott Jackson cut Pearl Bryan's throat with a knife or other sharp instrument or procured Alonzo Walling to cut her throat, or was present while her throat was cut, they should find said Scott Jackson guilty of murder. The Afth and sixth instructions related to the use of drugs for the purpose of procuring an abortion, and said that if the jury found that Jackson believed that Pearl Bryant had been killed by such operation, and did afterward cut off her head, or was present when Alonzo Walling or an other cut off her head, then he must be found guilty of murder. _ ‘The seventh, eighth and ninth clauses instructed for voluntary manslaughter in case the jury found that Pearl Bryan was dead as the result of an operation or taking drugs. The 10th instruction also related to the administration of drugs and said that if the jury found that he killed her accidentally and after ward cut off her head, they must find the prisoner guilty of voluntary man slaughter. The 11th and 12th instruc tions said that if the jury found that Scott Jackson cut off Pearl Bryan's head believing her to be dead already, and for the purpose of concealing her identity, they must find the prisoner guilty of involuntary manslaughter. ‘The 13 instruction related to all state ments made by Alonzo Walling, and ins formed the jury that the prisoner's denial of any or all of these statements must be considered. The last five in structions were formal and technical. They recited the various penalties, For murder, death; for voluntary man slaughter, not more than 21 years, and for involuntary manslaughter, fine and imprisonment in the county jail, Jack son destroyed no excitement during the reading of the instructions. At 10:30 o'clock Colonel Nelson started to make the opening speech for the commonwealth. He said, in be ginning: ‘My pate here, gentle men, is unique, am not the sworn officer of this commonwealth and neither do I represent any person, 1) stand here utterly impartial. Against me at the bar T have no per sonal animosity, I can have none, But T have against the perpetration of this horrible crime that has stained our state with blood; against the human brute who not only killed his poor victim, and who mutilated her body and threw it upon the public highway, as if it had been curion. Life wiit my duty to say that for the aged mother who nurtured this defendant, who traveled down into the dark shadows and the valley of death to give him birth, I have nothing t but the greatest sympathy. For the sister and for the brother in-law who have stayed by the side of this prisoner | T extend my deepest sympathy. But our sympathy must not affect our duty, tho the public to do our full duty. He said that he was unable to recall another crime which had to attracted the attention of the reading world as this one that was soon to go the jury. The whole United States was looking this week to Newport to learn what the in this awful case would do. He said the jury would have but one prop osition to determine, and that was, was the murder of a young woman, the mu tilation of her body, the druping of it upon the public road a crime? The jury would have no difficulty in getting at the facts from the many of technical ity about voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, ‘ He said: “I speak for the citizens of the world, the whole civilized world who has watched this case with bated breath, I tell you now, men of Ken tucky, that I shall not be satisfied, I tell you that the state of Kentucky will not satisfied, the civilized world will not be satisfied, the pursue of this poor, murdered girl will not be satisfied with anything less than a verdict that dive that this human brute (pointing at Jackson, who turned pale) shut hanged the neck until he be dead, dead, dead. If there is to be a farce about this, if this is to be anything les than the fall penalty of the law for this atrocious crime, I tell you frankly, men of Kentucky, that I prefer for you to turn him loose upon this community and thus tell our citizens that murder rank done with impunity in Ken tucky. Jones Nelson then described at length the life of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan ab Greencastle. He spoke of Pearl as | pee “last per a BAN fo ‘thies of those jury who fad children of their own. maid “On that fatal 18th of August—11th, that number that is considered —we find 4 man coming into that l town of man who has across the briny Atlantic, So land she unsophisticated, confiding, trusting, innocent little country girl, living near the pretty Indiana town, Jackson’s nerve was wonderful. Col onel Nelson stepped right up to him and shook his finger in his face, but, save for a slight flushing of the face, the man never changed. Indeed, while Colonel Nelson's invective was most bitter, while his denunciations were loudest, there was a light in his eyes that looked a great deal like a smile Turning to Colonel Crawford, Nelson said: “And you Brother Crawford, let us not misunderstand each other in this case. You have a duty for you client, but do not forget that you also have a duty to your state and to your God. Colonel Nelson then began to pick up the threads of the testimony. He took up first the statement of Dr. Gillespie that Jackson had told him that he had been intimate with Pearl Bryan, and he argued that this statement, made by Jackson's friend, contradicted Scott Jackson's testimony on the stand. He then took up Jackson's testimony and he dwelt at some length on the latter’s effort to place the blame for Pearl Bry an’s condition upon Will Wood. He mid: “Scott Jackson swears that this boy, Will Wood, kept writing to him, pleading to him to help him out of a scraper with Pearl Bryan. He himself had never had anything to do with Pearl Bryan up to that time. You saw this man when his own counsel asked, ‘Were you ever improperly intimate with Pearl Bryan? “With an effrontery that Beelzebub himself might have envied, before the aged parents of this girl, before an aud ience composed largely of ladies, he says in a loud voice I did.’ That makes the man proud of his crime, tell you that comes from a heart utterly black, un afflicted by the pangs of conscience, should think that after that the blush of shame would come to this man’ cheek and never leave it until he went to the grave, I say this without malice with out anger—in the interests of decency , honesty and religion. ’ He then discussed Jackson's testi mony. He said that Jackson had sworn that he had never been intimate with Pearl Bryan until after he had received word from Will Wood that Pearl Bryan was in trouble. He pointed out that Jackson had testified that, after hearing of Pearl Bryan's trouble, he then went out to the Bryan house and became inti mate with the girl. He said: ‘Men of this jury, the story is a lie on the face of it. It is a lie as deep as the bottom less pit of hell, and if you believe that story, I wish to say that you have less intelligence than I thought you had when I selected you as jurors. ’ He compared Jackson and Will Wood, and said that Jackson was 27 years old, Will Wood 19. He said the boy was the pupil of the man, and the darker the defense painted the character of Wood, the blacker they made their own. Hoe said that Scott Jackson was a man 50 years old in experience. He re ferred to the person as a man who has traveled across the ocean, who had been mixed up in the great Pennsylvania railroad robbery, had been in the saloon business in Jersey City, and who had been arrested in Indianapolis in a house of ill-fame. Colonel Nelson then said that according to his testimony of Beott Jackson there was not a witness who had testified for the commonwealth who had not committed perjury. He dared Colonel Crawford to point out one witness who had not been contra dicted by the prisoner, “To make a nap of it, and Colonel Crawfordd “Da,” id Colonel Nelson, “and when you get to it tell it out loud so we toy wll hear it, Colonel Nelson then thanked, in the name of the state of Kentucky, the Cin cinnnati officials for the part they had taken in ferreting out the perpetrators of the crime. He said that the defense had in every way tried to belittle these witnesses. He said: ‘In regard to the other witnesses I was not so much sur prised, but when it came to that man thay above whom there is no higher in the state of Ohio, not excepting of William McKipley, Limeon Mayor Cald well, They tried to impeach him, They See ease him, and all because he said to the prisoner ‘Tell the truth.’ Colonel Nelson then took up again the testimony of Scott Jackson on the witness stand. He picked out all the weak spots in it, and commented strong ly upon them. He dwelt at some length on the improbability of Jackson's story —that he had first seen Powrl Bryan in Cincinnati on Fuesday morning and the last time on Wednesday evening. “Is there, cried Colonel Nelson, any one that is expected to believe this. Does the defense think that there may be one juror on this bench who may be 80 ignorant as to believe this? took up the testimony of Mra, Weeks,the spiritualistic medium, to whow he referred as ‘a Beatnic sweet woman, who stands well in Cincinnati.”* “Do you believe her?’ cried Colonel Nelson, turning to Colonel Crawford. “No, I don't,” said Crawford. “Thank God for that confession. I say, thank God for that, cried Colonel Nelson with a dramatic gesture. He said that Mrs. Weeks was supported by a host of other witness, and should not be contradicted. She was backed up by Mrs. Holmes, Dr. Fortmuir, John Foster, old man Pinkhard and others. He said: ‘The defense bring up Hub Schwarts,a reporter of The Enquirer, to contradict Dr. Fortmeir. Wheh will you believe? That honest doctor and M Weeks of this newspa bas ha nla Caacied, ye shalin,ger face, he fe ars Weeks a liar? Was Dr. Portmeier a liar? Was J.eee a ? Were ! He described Pearl Bryan's dress, and, reaching under the table, he pulled up the checked dress which was found on the headless body. It was dirty and covered with blood, and as Colonel Nel son walked slowly toward the prisoner, saying, This bloody dress, this bloody dress, amid the most intense silence, the see he was so dramatic that a woman a the crowd cried out, “This is dread- The speaker recounted how Jackson threw Pearl Bryan's trinkets into the river, But the vallae, cried Nelson, as he shook the bloody satchel within a foot of Scott Jackson’s face, “that va lise had an electric touch, and he could not let go of it,”* Colonel Nelson concluded by pro claiming that the defendant had been guilty of seduction, murder, mutilation of a deid body and robbery. He spoke for about five hours and finished at 6 o'clock, when court adjourned.
Newspaper Details
Maysville Evening Bulletin
Maysville, Kentucky, US
Tue, May 12, 1896
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Tanisha C.
USA 17 Jun 2026
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