Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-10-24
ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE,
rRAtL GIRLS MURDER IN A pAuNio.
lhs Urime for watch unitort w. Hss eIt,ne
ts being Tried iu the Criminai
Court OF Baltimore


ts being Tried iu the Criminai
uourt OF Baltimore.
The assemblage that filed the criminal
court in Baltimore on Thursday was com.
posed of fashionably dressed members of
the demi monde, and fast looking men.
la the dock stood Gilbert w. Hazsltine
charged with the murder Of Mamie
Thorpe on July 10, In Pearl SHOWS bagnio
i'll that city. The prisoner was stylishly
dressed, but betrayed considerable ner-
vousness. His mother. q fine looking old
lady, sat beside him. Ex-Governor
Whyte is leading counsel for the defense.
In his opening statement Deputy State
Attorney Cans said that the prisoner and
young lawyer, Van Witsen, were travel
ing North. In Toronto they met May White
aud Mamie Thorpe, whom they brought to
Baltimore. After detailing the tragedy
he declared that the murder was brutal
and deliberate. May White, pretty
blonde, was the leading witness. She re-
lated the journey to Baltimare. At Pearl
SHOWS house, in Baltimore, they had q
good time drinking champagne.
After dinner Hazeltne was in the front
bedroom with the two girls. He asked
witness for ring she wore and she re.
fused. He drew a revolver aud fired ut
her. Mamie Thorpe, who had been lying
on tho bed with her, jumped up, cried
"Oh, my God"' staggered to the next
| room and fell dead. Hazel.ine fired again
| and the ball took effect in witness hip.
Os the morning of the arrival of the party
in Baltimore witness told Hazetine to be
good friends with Van Witsen. He applied
harsh term to Van Witsen, and said,
"He or I'll have to go" She said, "Why
If you should kill him you would get
hung" Not in Baltimore" said he.
"Iou can kill three or four people in Bal
timcre and not get hung" The statement
caused litter in the court room. The
state closed its case Monday. The defense
will probably try to prove insanity.
The leading facts surrounding the crime,
as disclosed at the coroner's inquest, were
that on the morning OF July 10 last Mamie
Thorpe and May White went to the house
of Pearl Snow, accompanied by Samuel Z
Van Witseu,a young lawyer of Baltimore,
and Gilbert W. HazelJine, the accused
The four had that morning arrived il
| Baltimore from Toronto, Canada. Var
Witseu stayed but short time at Shows
| house, but the other three of the party
remained oil dsy, indulging freely, as al
| legged, III drinking wine. Some time in the
afternoon Hazeltine produced revolyerl
and declared his intention of shootiul
some one. One of the inmates of tn,
house took the pistol from him and had tht
cartridges withdrawn and thrown away
Shortly before five o'clock Hazeltin,
asked for his pistols and they were re
turned TO him. Pearl Snow, however
taking the precaution of first examining
his pockets to see that he had no cartridge
concealed about his person. The pistol
| were given him in the front room of tn
| sprnnI n pr
| White, Snow aud other inmates of tn
house had been sitting. After receiyiu
the weapons Hazeltine went down stairs
and on returning in a short time requeste,
all IN the room 60 leave, except Thorp
and White, as he had something 10 say Z
them.
After the other woman had left Hazel
tine closed and locked the door. He thet
asked May White for a diamond pin sh
wore III order that ho might pawn it an(
get more money. This being refused h
opened fire upon her while she and Mami
Thorpe were reclining on bed in tn,
room, aud both under the impression til
then that the pistols were uploadod Th
first shot struck White in the left thigh
the second iii the right side of the face
The murderer then fired at Mamie Thorp
who had sprung from tho bed in terror
The first shot struck her in the left arm
a second struck her in the right side O
| the back. An inmate of the house, hearin
the shots rushed toward the room only t.
find the door locked. The lock was finall
forced aad Officer 1 homas Mills, who ais
had been attracted by the shots, appeared
GA the scene and took Hazeltine, and ais
Van Witsen, who, it seems, had returne,
10 the house, and was at the time of tn
shooting asleep in the back room, int
custody. When the door was broken ope
Mamie Thorpe rushed from the room
exolaiming, " am dying = She expire
few minutes after.