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A PROSTITUTE KILLS HER LOVER
cont. 12 October 1898, The trial only took one week for the jury to reach its verdict. The trial ended on 11 October 1898, with an overcrowded courtroom of people who wished to hear Adams' sentence. Mr. Justice Irving addressed the jury by announcing that in light of all the evidence Belle Adams acted in self-defence. He also asked the jury to remember that the life that Adams had led with was not on trial nor was her association with the "mulatto" (Kincaid). The crown presented the theory that Adams was madly in love with Kincaid and it was because of this that she killed him. Mr. Burnes' testimony was vital in this case because he witnessed Kincaid choking Adams' into a state of unconsciousness. The Crown also suggested that Adams was not madly jealous but was rather fearful of her life. The evidence proved that there had been a struggle and that Adams was in fact defending her life. Click HERE to see actual Daily Colonist Article for 12 October 1898. 14 October 1898, Belle Adams was sentenced to five years imprisonment on 13 October 1898 for killing Charles Kincaid. Mr. Justice Irving was responsible for this sentence. Mr. Powell, Adams' lawyer, spoke saying that she had killed Kincaid in the heat of passion and that she had received ample provocation. Mr. Justice Irving "said that the law contemplated in punishment to give an example that would have a deterrent effect upon others and he must bear in mind, in giving sentence, that is should be such that by the memory of her sufferings the prisoner would be prevented from again offending." The jury did not believe all of the witness's testimonies and that Adams's was not defending her life. Rather she knew the type of man that she was involved with, and thus could have left at any time. The jury also rationalised that a woman could not have made Kincaid's wound, as he was a more powerful man. Most likely Belle Adams will be sent to Kingston Penitentiary, as local jails did not have facilities to house women. Click HERE to see actual Daily Colonist Article for 14 October 1898.
Click HERE to continue to the Who's Who of the Belle Adams trial
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