  The trial of Scott Jackson began on April the 22nd, before Judge Helm. It is very remarkable that a jury was secured on the first day. Perhaps this promptness has never been equalled in Kentucky. The completed jury was as follows: John M. Ensweiler, grocer, Bellevue; William White, plumber, Newport; John Boehmer, teamster, Dayton; Merty Shea, retired merchant, Newport; Louis Scharstein, grocer, Newport; D. B. Mader, carpenter and builder, Dayton; William Motz, reporter, Dayton; Millard Carr, carpenter, Bellevue; G. P. Stegner, grocer, Newport; John S. Backsman, cutler, Newport; Fred Gieskemeyer, grocer, Bellevue; David Kraut, coal merchant, Dayton. When all the preliminaries had been completed the attorney for the Commonwealth arose and stated to the jury what the prosecution intended to prove. He said: "In the spring of 1895, the accused, Scott Jackson, "The accused, Scott Jackson, became acquainted with Pearl Bryan, shortly after he arrived in Greencastle. By reason of his elegant dress, polished manners and fluent conversation, shortly after his acquaintance with her he became a frequent caller upon her and they were often seen together. Succeeding this the Commonwealth will show, beyond a reasonable doubt, that this innocent young lady became infatuated and yielded her chastity to this man, and later on she advised him of the fact of her condition. It will be clearly demonstrated to you, gentlemen of the jury, that while she was in that condition she left Greencastle and came to Cincinnati, so that her people would not be aware of her unfortunate condition. "That, in obedience to a request from Scott Jackson, she came to Cincinnati on Monday, January 28th. We will introduce a witness to show that he met her at the depot, and that she inquired for Scott Jackson. That he met her on the following morning, Tuesday, January 29th. It will be shown that he was seen not only in Cincinnati, but in Kentucky, and that he was seen with her up to Friday night, and about that time he was with her in a vehicle, and that he took her out to Fort Thomas, where her headless body was found February 1st, 1896. "That Scott Jackson was found in possession of Pearl Bryan's satchel. We will show by two or three persons, to whom he made this confession, that he left the satchel with two different persons after the finding of the body of Pearl Bryan. That upon Friday night a light rain fell, and when the body was found on the Lock property, near Fort Thomas, headless, there was a large quantity of blood lying in clots near the corpse. "The Commonwealth expects to show you the con "We will also show to you, gentleman, that this fellow led a double life—as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Up at Greencastle he was a gentleman, but in Cincinnati, he was in society of ill repute, and he made no discrimination of color in his choice of women. "That a week or two before the crime was committed he displayed a fine dissecting knife, and that he was experienced in the use of a knife that could have done that kind of work. "Through Jackson Pearl Bryan was brought to Cincinnati, and the evidence tracing her will be established beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the decapitation was done by one who is deft in using the knife, as he is known to be." John Hewling, a lad about sixteen years of age was the first witness. He testified to the finding of the headless body on the farm of J. D. Lock. The second witness was Dr. Tingley, Coroner of Campbell County, Ky. His testimony was very important. He described the spot where he first viewed the corpse and testified that the bushes in the vicinity were spattered with blood that had spurted from the headless trunk. Restated that the head had been removed by some one who had practised in surgery. The following dialogue occurred during his testimony: "On viewing the body I found it had been severed rather high. The knife had struck the vertebra, then its course was changed slightly downward." "Did you notice any other cut?" "Yes; one across the fingers of her left hand." "What fingers?" "Her four fingers, near the tops." "Did you observe no cut on the thumb?" "Did you make any other examination?" "Yes, sir." "Can you say whether or not the cuts on her hand were recently inflicted?" "Yes, they were." "I will ask you if, in your opinion (you have described the condition of the body), whether or not the head was cut off at that place?" "I think so." "Can you say whether the head was cut off before or after death? Or, if death resulted from the severance?" "I think the artery was cut while the heart was still beating." In view of the fact that the defense was seeking to establish that the head was removed after death the last remark coming as it did from an expert was very damaging to Jackson. The same witness was asked, concerning the cuts on the hand which he had referred to. "Will you explain to the jury whether the cuts on the fingers were made before death?" "Before death," replied the witness promptly. He was then questioned more particularly as to the result of his investigations as an expert. The fact that Pearl Bryan had been murdered with a knife (though cocaine was found in her stomach by the chemist), was established beyond peradventure by the witness. He also identified the clothing of Pearl Bryan which was produced all soaked with blood. On the second day of the trial the prosecution sprung a sensation. A headless dummy was brought into the court-room dressed in the clothes that Pearl Bryan wore when her body was discovered. The dummy was placed in an erect position at the left of the witness box and facing the jury. A lively tilt followed between counsel as to the legality of this proceeding. The court finally ordered the figure removed and the clothes produced separately. The first evidence of the trial that directly connected the prisoner with the murder was given by John A. Caldwell, Mayor of Cincinnati. Jackson became flushed and nervous and at times fastened his watery eyes on the witness with an intensity that became painful. He stated that he was present when Jackson was examined immediately after his arrest in the office of Chief of Police Deitsch, of Cincinnati. Mr. Caldwell said Colonel Deitsch handed him a telegram; he took it in his hand and leaning over and looking at it for quite a time, with his eyes in this way, cast down, he finally uttered: "Oh, my God what will my poor mother say," then he turned his eyes on Colonel Deitsch. When he asked me the question he rose from his position and began to walk up and down the room. He says to me, "What shall I do?" I says, "Do you ask me the question?" He says, "Yes." I says, "Tell the truth." He said, "Many an innocent man has been in as serious trouble as I am to-night," or something to that effect. I do not know that I get his exact words. After what I have related Colonel Deitsch asked: "Where is Pearl Bryan?" Jackson said he did not know; that he had not seen her since he was home during the holidays. He was asked where he was on Friday night. He said at first he was at his room; he was not certain, but he was there. Then he said he was not out of his room after 7:30 o'clock; he remained there all the evening. He was asked who his room-mate was, and he said Alonzo Walling. He was asked if his room-mate was with him. "The next morning about 10:30 I went to Colonel Deitsch's office, where the prisoner was sitting. Colonel Deitsch asked him where he was on Friday and Thursday nights, and his answers were the same as he made the evening before. I am not positive as to whether it was at that meeting that Walling was brought into his presence, and the conversation turned as to where Pearl Bryan was and as to whether either of them had seen Pearl Bryan the previous week. "Mr. Jackson admitted to Colonel Deitsch that he had seen Pearl Bryan; that she came to the Dental College on Court Street for him; that he was informed she was in a cab, and that he met her afterward, I think on Tuesday, at the Indiana House, on Fifth Street; that he met her again on Wednesday about one o'clock at the corner of Fourth and Vine or Fourth and Walnut. He said in the presence of Walling that he had sent 'Wally', as he called him, to notify her that he was going out that afternoon and he would meet her that evening. Then he said he did not see her again after that Wednesday. "Walling said he went down and saw Pearl Bryan and that he went that evening to Heider's Restaurant, on Fifth Street, and met Jackson, and Jackson told him to go up to the Postoffice and he would find Pearl Bryan, and to wait there until he went to his room and returned; that he went over to the Postoffice and saw Pearl Bryan standing inside the corridor, and he went on from there and wrote his letters. "I want to say that in the meantime, in one of these conversations, I told both of these young men that they did not have to make a confession to any person, that they were at perfect liberty to refuse to answer any of the questions that were asked them. "Walling in this conversation, when Jackson was present, said that when Jackson came back from his holiday vacation he took him in the corner of his room on Ninth Street, where they were rooming, and told him that he was in trouble with Pearl Bryan and that he intended to kill her. When asked how, he said, 'I propose to get a room and take her to the room and give her some cocaine poison and leave her there.' Then again, he says he changed and said. 'No, I will cut her up in pieces and take the pieces and deposit them in different places about the city.' He said that before he saw Pearl Bryan at the Postoffice—I believe that was Thursday evening instead of Wednesday evening—-he said that Jackson had made arrangements to take her over to Bellevue, I think it was, or over to the sandbar, or some place there and kill her, take her head off and bury her. He said that Jackson asked all the physicians as to the effects of different kinds of poisons; that he had a standard medical dictionary in his room and studied the effects of poisons, and that he asked one physician particularly as to the effect of cocaine. "He said that Jackson went to a Sixth Street pharmacy and got cocaine and brought it back, that he took out a small teaspoonful and dissolved it in two teaspoonsful of water and put it in a bottle, as he said, to give her so as to paralyze her vocal organs or throat, and then cut her head "Jackson then said that there was a bundle that he had given Walling. Walling was then asked what he done with it; he said that it was up in his locker at the college; the bundle was sent for and brought in their presence. It was a pair of pantaloons, which Jackson identified as his, and said that he had not seen them for some time; that Walling must have worn them. "I asked the men as to where the other clothes were. Walling says, 'Jackson, why don't you tell him where those things are, you might just as well do it now as any time?' Jackson said that upon Saturday night, I believe it was, they were walking up Plum Street with a bundle and they saw some young physician or one of the students coming towards them, that Walling changed and went down Plum Street to Ninth and out Ninth, and Jackson said he went along little Richmond Street and from there on around to the room, and then down Ninth to Richmond, and out Richmond Street, westward, where he threw the bundle in one of the manholes of the sewer, but he could not state which. The sewers were drained and searched and a bundle brought to the department which Mr. Jackson identified as his coat. He first denied that it was his coat, and said it was Wallings', but afterwards admitted that it was his coat, but that Walling must have worn it." A valise was shown to Mr. Caldwell and he identified it as the one that Jackson had been confronted with. It was the satchel which had once been Pearl Bryan's and the The witness then spoke of the occasion when Walling and Jackson accused each other of having murdered the girl. After this he described the scene and last effort that was made to get a confession from the prisoners at Epply's Undertaking Establishment (see page 84). This ended the Mayors testimony. The mother of Pearl Bryan was then called to identify her daughter's clothing. The scene brought tears to every eye and a sob to every bosom not wholly bereft of human qualities. Allan Johnson, employed in a saloon at George and Plum Streets, gave testimony that proved to be highly important. He knew both Jackson and Walling as visitors to the establishment referred to—and which the witness admitted was a house of ill repute. On the night of the murder the two students called with a woman in their company. The woman must have been Pearl Bryan for the witness identified the clothing worn by Pearl on the night she was murdered. The party, consisting of Jackson, Walling, and Pearl drove away from the house in a carriage. George H. Jackson, a colored man, was called. His testimony was of the most startling character. He told that on the night before the murder he was approached by Alonzo Walling at the corner of George and Elm Streets. Walling inquired if Jackson wished to earn five dollars by driving a cab across the Newport bridge. The colored man accepted. On the next night he proceeded to Elm and George Streets to discharge the contract. A cab soon drove up with Walling on the box. Walling gave him the reins and instructed him to drive to the Newport bridge, giving route. This was done. Then Walling got up on the box with him to further direct the way. Before long he heard a noise that sounded like a woman suffering and they moved around and shook the carriage and they broke a glass, and then I was scared and I put my left hand At length the carriage stopped at the command of a man inside the carriage whom the witness identified to be Scott Jackson. The witness said, "I stopped the horse and the man inside of the carriage got out, and when this man on the front seat jumped down and went behind and got on the other side of the lady then I got down to shut the door and this here man who sat in the rear says, 'Drive down and turn around and come back and wait until I whistle,' and then I shut the door and they moved off; the woman was in between these two men. I went down the hill and turned around, and when I came back I saw them in the act of getting over the fence. It was a kind of a three-board fence." The witness then related that a panic seized him and that he ran away from the scene as fast as he could, leaving the horse tied where he stood. If George H. Jackson's story was true there can be no doubt of Scott Jackson's and Alonzo Walling's guilt. The next witnesses of importance were the two detectives Crim and McDermott. Crim testified first. He said: "I live in Cincinnati. Have been connected with the Police Department about ten years; on the detective force two years. I was detailed on the Pearl Bryan case. I went to the point where the body was found, Saturday, February 1st, in the neighborhood of one o'clock, in company of McDermott and Mr. Plummer, Sheriff of this county. "I went out with Mr. Plummer and he described the John W. Legner was called and testified. "I live in Cincinnati. I kept a saloon at 225 West Ninth Street, nearly opposite where Walling and Jackson roomed. Scott Jackson had been in my place quite frequently; he came for a pitcher of beer." "State whether at any time he left any article of any kind at your place." Little Dot Legner, a child belonging to the saloon-keeper testified that the satchel was much heavier on the first night than on the second. It has been conjectured, very plausibly, that the valise contained Pearl Bryan's head, on the first night. William D. Wood, of Greencastle, Ind., was called. Wood's name has been very prominently connected with the case on account of his knowledge of Pearl Bryan's condition and the part he played in sending the girl to Cincinnati. In answer to questions he stated that he introduced Scott Jackson to Pearl Bryan in August, 1895, and that some time afterward Jackson boasted that he had become intimate with the girl. According to Wood, Jackson left Greencastle in October to take a course of dentistry in Cincinnati and that soon afterward Jackson wrote and inquired if Pearl Bryan was sick. Wood investigated and replied that she was sick. Then Jackson sent a prescription for medicine and said: "Tell her to take two or three good doses before she goes to bed at night." The medicine had no effect. Additional prescriptions Wood then stated that Jackson went to Greencastle again during the holidays. The condition of Pearl was becoming more threatening and it was plain that something had to be done. Then it was that Jackson suggested an operation. The witness testified on this point. "He said that it was very frequently done, done every day and if he had the instruments he could do it himself. Such operations, he said, were every day occurrences and if we got it done she would be all right in three or four days." Before Jackson left Greencastle he tried to make Wood agree to send her to Cincinnati where the matter could be attended to, but Wood claimed that he refused, not wishing to have anything to do with it. On January 4th, Jackson left Greencastle and returned to Cincinnati and on January 25th, Wood received a letter from him in which he said that he had secured a room for Pearl. Wood claims that he gave this letter to Pearl. She read it and expressed her intention of going on the next Monday. Accordingly on January 27th, she left Greencastle on the 1:35 train, going east. On February 6th, 1896, Wood received another letter. He was then on the train in charge of the officers, as an accomplice of Scott Jackson who had been arrested. The letter was destroyed by Wood but he remembered the contents. The letter read. "Hello Bill—I have made a big mistake and we will probably get into trouble. I want you to stand by me." On the day before this Wood received the following strange letter which was produced in court and which we already published on page 77. The witness stated that the above letter never reached him—that it fell into the hands of Chief Deitsch. The letter was most damaging to Jackson's case. "On February 5th, about 10 o'clock at night I met Jackson in charge of a detective officer named Bulmer on the corner of Ninth and Plum Streets, in Cincinnati. I went up to Scott Jackson and said then, "We want you at the Mayor's office." We walked into the Mayor's office—Mayor Caldwell, of Cincinnati—and there was no one present at the time except myself, His Honor, the Mayor, and Scott Jackson. Detective Bulmer came into the office but walked out. I told Scott Jackson I had a dispatch for his arrest. He sat on the settee, and I asked, "Where is Pearl Bryan?" He said, "I have not seen her since the 2nd day of January, 1896, at Greencastle, Ind." The Mayor partly read the dispatch and gave it to me, and I had handed it to Jackson, and said: "Jackson read the contents of that dispatch." He read it carefully, and then said: "Oh my God, what will my poor mother say?" I asked the question, "Do you know where Pearl Bryan is?" He said he did not. He got up off the settee and made the remark over again. "Oh, my God, what will my poor mother say?" He walked backward and forward. He made the remark. "Must I tell about this?" His Honor, the Mayor, said, "Not unless you want too." The Mayor repeated that twice. He said, "Jackson, you need not tell unless you want too." I then again asked him if he knew anything about Pearl Bryan. He said that he did not. Shortly after that conversation the reporters from the daily press were admitted and my interview with Jackson at that time ended." The Colonel stated that on the following day Jackson requested an interview. Following are the Colonels words: I asked Jackson. "Did you have anything to do with the woman down at Greencastle?" He said: "Yes, I did." "Did you write a letter to Wood advising him to give her —— of ——?" He said he did, and shortly afterward got a letter again from Will Wood, saying that it had no effect. And in the meantime he had a conversation with He furthermore described a meeting between Jackson and Walling in his presence in the course of which Walling and Jackson accused each other of having murdered Pearl Bryan. The witness also repeated a conversation between the two that took place in a peculiarly constructed cell, called "The Sensitive Cell." A telephone attachment connected this cell with other apartments in the building, hence its name. This part of the testimony was ruled out by the court. The defense began its testimony by placing Scott Jackson on the stand. All the man's natural shrewdness came to his aid while on the stand. His words were clear, frankly spoken and there was no hesitation in his manner. He acted the innocent man to perfection. There is little about his testimony that is very remarkable or startling as he disclaims all the manner of knowledge of Pearl Bryan's death. Neither does he accuse anyone of the murder. He merely adheres to his theory that Walling is guilty—that is all. He maintains that Walling was confused and panic stricken when he saw the articles in the newspapers describing the finding of the body at Fort He concluded to allow her to remain at the Indiana House temporarily until he could secure her private accommodations. As these could easily be had he took her valise and started away to hunt for convenient quarters. That is how he happened to have Pearl Bryan's effects in his keeping. His narrative was very smooth. Miss Rose McNevin at whose home Jackson was staying testified that Jackson had not left the house on the night of the murder, she stated that she always knew when her fourteen roomers were at home. She is able to remember for two weeks the exact hour of the night when each of her guests came into the house. Her memory is quite a good one. A certain individual who gave his name as Wm. Trusty was introduced by the defense. Trusty claimed to have driven the cab containing Pearl Bryan to Fort Thomas. He stated that she was dead and that Jackson and Walling were in charge of the corpse. He claimes to have been told that an abortion had been attempted and that the woman had died from the effects of it, and that Jackson and Walling had undertaken to get rid of the body. Immediately after testifying Trusty flew for parts unknown. None believed his story. On May 12th, Colonel Nelson began his speech to the jury. It was a most remarkable effort, being intensely dramatic and spell-binding in its eloquence. Colonel Crawford replied for the defense and made an able argument. On May 14th, Colonel Lockhart made the concluding speech for the Commonwealth and the case went to the jury. After a short session the jury returned and informed the court of their joint agreement that they find Scott Jackson GUILTY OF MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
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