The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-03-27
MILO GRAY PLEADS GUILTY
AND,s SENTENCED TO go YEARS
End Of the Case Of the WtstMOrcland
Farmer, Arrested Last Fall for l<tiltng
His Wtfe--IBreaks Down AMI Weeps Ia
COWrt--IIis Conduct in Jnii~-sOmc Of
the Evidence Against Him,

The trial of the case of Milo Gray. ar
rested at Wcstmoreland last fall and in.
Gictcd for murder in the first degree for
killing his wifi ut LandaH n. H., June,
1901, was To- have begun in WOodsviIlc,
\. IT,, Monday before justices Of the
supreme court But at the last mo-
meHt the special jury summoned was
notified not 10 attend If were some
100 witnesses Gray by advice Of his
counsel had concluded to plead guilty
of murder in the second degree, which
he did Monday Judges Carpenter
and Blodgett presided. Lawyer +. W.
Smith, Gray's counsel, asked the
courts permission for Gray to tell his
story of the crime Gray admits the
| killing of his wife, but claims that it
was accidental, occurring as follows -
| He and his wife were riding in his
wagon when dispute arose, his wife
the blow, which knocked his wife out
of the wagon. and when he reached
her she was inscnsible. He made some
efforts to revive her. but failed Fear
of arrest for murder then took posses
sion OF him. and to escape this he took
the body into the cellar of the old
house and covering it with boards left
ii. This was III the evening and he
had no light when at work in this
dark cellar. Afterward he invented
the story that his wife had gone to
Montreal and he sent her trunk there
to corroborate it.
Gray was questioned closely 10y So.
licitor Adams, denying some of the
statements made by witnesses in the
preliminary hearing. Much sympathy
was shown to the prisoner by the au-
dicnce during his testimony, and at the
conclusion Gray broke down and
sobl-ed bitterly. Gray was taken back
To HaverhilI Jail that night, the court
adiourning until Q a. M. Tuesday,
when sentence was pronounced
The first proposition to compromise
the case as made to the states at
torneys was for Gray to plead guilty to
manslaughtcr in the first degree
This offer was not accepted, and, final,
~. Gray authorized his counsel to
offer the plea which he finally made.
There has always been ii doubt in
County Solicitor Adams mind
whether or not the state would be able 4,
to prove that the murder was prcmcdi- |
tated.
Included IN the evidence that would I
have been introduced in the case by /
the prosecution was that of Mrs. ,Jcn- /,
ME \. Westby of Seattle. Wash, n
daughter of Mrs. Gray by a former [
and whom, according to /
Milo's story after the murder, his wife
had gone to visit. When she camc on
from Seattle she brought a photograph
Of herself, taken with the same dress
waist on that was found upon the
skeleton in the deserted house in Ian
daft, that the waist is the same is
plainly demonstrated by the pecnliar
grape shaped buttons upon it.
which have proven an important piece
If evidence in establishing the identity
IF the murdered woman.
Among other things, Mrs. Westby
tells of several instances of Milo's
ibuse Of her mother. She also recog-
1ized the bosom pin found with the
skeleton. aud was ready to corroboratc
he testimony of the party of whom
tray purchased it, Pardon ". Allen of
1averhill, who formerly kept country
tore in Benton.
On Mrs. Wcstby's 18th birthday, IN
So Milo gave her bosom pin and
hell necklace He also presented his
wife with bosom pin, the identical
nc found upon the garments with the
keleton and recognized by Mrs. West
", Mr.. Allen, Mrs. Sarah III. Chase
nd Mrs. Eta +. Locke of Laconia.
The last named person was also ready
o testify regarding Mrs. Gray being
lex abed on farm at Laconia. with
lack and blue marks upon her arms
nd shoulders
At the preliminary hearing Mrs
.ocko testified that Mrs Gray came
nto her sleeping room one night great
: frightened and saving that Milo had n
ried to choke her.
II was on Tuesday evening, Oct. ID
lst, that George Brill, who then lived
! the now deserted Gouyon place at
andatf was digging in his cellar and
i.,.........l IL. i.