Greene, NY Affair - 1845, Part 13 - final

"Not Guilty"

Acquittal of Johnson

New York Herald, May 18, 1846

The trial of John Johnson, for the murder of Betsey Bolt, which has been going on for some time past in Binghamton, Broome Co., and which has created so much excitement throughout the State, has resulted in a verdict of "Not Guilty."

Chenango Telegraph, May 20, 1846

The trial of John Johnson was brought to a close on Wednesday evening last, and resulted in a verdict of "Not Guilty."  ….Johnson succeeded in showing where he was on the day on which Mrs. Burdick charged that he burned and pounded up the bones.

The American Journal of Insanity

Officers of the New York State Lunatic Asylum, 

Utica, NY, vol 14, 1847-8

"The testimony was brought to a close on Tuesday evening.  Mr. Dickinson summed up for the Defense on Wednesday forenoon--Mr. Birdsall for the People in the afternoon.  Mr. Collier, for the Defense, occupied Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.  Mr. Cook closed on the side of the Prosecution; and after a full charge from Judge Gray, the jury retired about four o'clock P.M., and after deliberating about half an hour, returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY."

Note by Journal Editor:  ….Nothing has occurred since the trial, of which we have heard, calculated to throw light upon the mysterious circumstances of the affair. That a woman in a deranged state of mind disappeared as stated, several years since and has not since been found--and that another woman disappeared from her home in the day-time, and was found imbedded in a brook in a swamp, with her hands bound and a gag in her mouth and nearly dead, are facts.  How these occurrences were produced, we leave for others and for time to explain.