Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-05-13
A PRETTY woMAN's TRIAL.

lOr Crlal III Cue county OOuil VI Noieu
cumberland. Mrs. Williams, a remark
ably handsome woman, is charged with
the killing of her husband, assisted
by Veihomer, her alleged paramour
Mrs. Williams, nee Jones, was borr
and reared in that county. Veihmoyer
q German, was brought TO this country
when a little boy. She does not look
over twenty-five but is about thirty.fye
wears old; he is scarcely twenty. The
families of the accused parties are very
large, live near each other, and until
recently have been close friends.
Mrs. Williams has been married
about fourteen years, and has one child
"a bright boy of eleven. Il has been
known for some time that she and her
husband did not live happily. Mr..
Floyd 7. Smith once brought suit for
divorce, charging the husband with
adultery, ETC. Before final decree,
however, at a revival meeting, recon-
citation took place.
Iu February, last, while meeting
was being conducted in the same house,
Veihmoyer was seen to enter the
church about o'clock one evening
and appeared little nervous. In a
short time Mrs. Williams and her son
ran into the church, weeping and say
ing that the husband and father had
killed himself. A large crowd was
soon at Mr.. Williams house. He was
found on lounge, as laid out for burial
with a bullet through his head aud
heart, and by his side thirty-eight
calibre pistol, empty.
Shortly an Inquest was held-Veih-
moyer was one OF the jurots-and upon
the testimony Of the wife, child and
physician, the Jury found it to be case
Of suicide. The peculiar position Of
the body when found; the clothing un-
der the head of Williams; the blood
spot several feet from the lounge; the
threats Mrs. Williams had made,
There will be change in this house
before Saturday night" her infideiity,
then known, and the two pistol shots,
one in the forehead, the other oyer the
heart, caused many to think, however,
t. a. it was not case of suicide.
This incepsed Veihmoyer and his
friends. They asked themselves, Why
should he be jailed aud she hailed !?
The friends ol Veihmoyer, believing
that be had been hypnotic by the
winning smile and brilliant flash of the
dark black eyes of the beautiful wo-
man, attracted by them as q needle by
a magnet, that this boy was not as re-
sponsible, even though he assisted in
the alleged murder, as the mature wo-
man. Hence, at the frequent impor-
tuning of his German friends, before
he could see his counsel, Veihmoyer
made confession to several persons.
He stated that on the night ofthe kill
ing he received note from Mrs.
Williams, asking him to meet her
at the barn, as ne had been in the habit
of doing; that Mr.. W had caught
them few nights ago, and cursed her;
that she had intended to kill him. At s
o'clock he went to the baru; in short
time Mrs. Williams and her little boy
were there. She said:
"He is now in splendid position on
the lounge, and I can kill him in an in
stant; if you have not the nerve to Kill
him, | have"
She left him at once, and as she was
going to the house, her son said: "Mam-
ma and 1 have arranged to kill papa to
night, and she is going to do it now."
In moment pistol shot was heard.
He and the boy ran to the house, and
just as they got to the yard gate Sec
ond shot was heard. BY the time they
were about to enter the door, Mrs.
Williams met them and said to Veih-
mover: "You shall not come in, and
caught hold of him and pushed him
back. He went Immediately to the
church, and in q few moments Mrs.
Williams and her son came in and said
Mr.. Williams had suicided. He did
rot mention this before, because the
suicide theory had been so generally
accepted.
The body of Williams was taken up
few days ago, and the bullets found
to be thirty-two calibre, instead of tbir-
ty-eight, as was supposed. The bullet
over the heart, as shown by the post
mortem examination, did not glance,
striking rib, as the physicians testified
at the inquest, but passed through the
heart. The bullet in the forehead pass.
ed through the brain, aud it is claimed
by the Commonwealth that a suicide
could not thus give himself two fatal
shots.
A tremendous crowd will be at court
Monday. Many believe it is case OF
suicide; many think that it was a de.
liberately planned and executed muir
der. There is but little sympathy fol
the woman; everybody pities the un-
fortunate boy in Jail.
They will be jointly arraigned, but il
| is thought there will be severance,
and that the case of Mrs. Williams will
be first tried. Hon. w. A. Jones, who
is defending her, is one of the ablest
LAWYERS in the State, and will leave nc
stone unturned to show that it was q
case of suicide. Hon. Howard Hath
away, who is defending Veihmoyer
will make desperate fight for the life
aud liberty of his client, regardless oi
the confession.
Mrs. Williams is looking careworn
aud anxious, but is remarkably nervy
woman, tripping gaily into court, and
facing the bench and bar without q
tremor. Veihmoyer is pale and limo.
cent looking. When asked if he -realiz.
| ed that he was going to be tried for his
life, he said "AIy God, they will not
| try to hang mel"
1t may bea case of suicide; it may
not. A jury must soon answer, and up.