From Days Gone By June 16, 1922

June 16, 1922.
    Although attornys for the State did not ask for the death penalty, the jury trying Mrs. Cora Lou Vinson in Fulton Superior Court for the murder of her husband, Dr. W. D. Vinson, Saturday night, brought in a verdict of murder, without a recomendation for mercy, which carried with it the death penalty.
    Judge John D. Humphries immediately sentenced her to be hanged on July 28th. Mrs. Vinson showed no signs of emotion over the death sentence and continued to chew her gum with her accustomed regularity. This is the first time the death penalty has been passed on a woman in the history of Fulton County, according to officials at the court house. No case in Fulton County has been harder contested and the fact that Solicitor Boykin in his argument to the jury declared that he had never asked for the death penalty for any woman and would not in this case, makes the verdict a great victory for the State, which had contended throughout the trial that it was one of the most dastardly crimes ever committed in the county.
    William Schley Howard, connected with the prosecution; also refrained from asking for the death penalty in his argument before the jury.
    Following the conclusion of arguments by Sam Hewlett of counsel for Mrs. Vinson, Judge Humphries charged the jury of murder, voluntary manslaughter and justifiable homicide. The case went to the jury at 5:30 Saturday afternoon, after being on trial since Wednesday.
    Judge Humphries read his charge as Judge Newt Morris, attorney for the defense, had asked that the Judge write out the charge before giving it to the jury. The law provides that counsel may ask the court to do so.
    In closing for the State, Solicitor General Boykin declared that he would not ask for the death penalty for the defendant, but added it was the duty of the jury to return a verdict that would insure a life term for Mrs. Vinson, who in the discretion of the prison commission could be paroled after serving three years.
    "Rube" Dent, the road man, is now in Laurens County with the highway department, building roads under the district supervision. Misses Sarah Lou and Maggie Gillis left for their home in Soperton having vacated their rooms over the Farmers Bank. Going to the county officers convention at Savannah is Clerk Joe B. Williams, Sheriff Lewis Davis, Tax Collector J. Nat Riner and Ordinary U. R. Jenkins.
    Dr. Chas H. Kittrell has been gone to Montreal, Canada the past ten days to familiarize himself with port conditions of that city. As a legislator from Laurens County he led the plans which have been successfully put over so far in establishing a state-owned port to be erected at Savannah. Dr. Kittrell is a live wire and is doing more than most Georgians for his state's future.
    Miss Gertrude Proctor, Johnson's new county agent was in Savannah attending a convention. She is getting along fine with her work in the county so far.