Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-27

Canton, O., April 26.-The closing
argument in the trial of Mrs. George
was in progress when court adjourn
ed to-day. Prosecuting Attorney
Pamerene began his argument shortly
after O'Clock and will conclude to-
morrow. 1t lis now thought that the
jury will be charged Immediately after
the noon recess on Thursday. Mrs.
George sat all day with downcast eyes
and was occasionally moved to tears
as the story of her life was narrated.
The court room was thronged, and
many who could not gain admittance
stood in the corridors.
Attorney Welty occupied the morning
in his closing speech in the defense of
Mrs. George. He said to the jury that
if they found the accused guilty of
murder in the first degree they should
not recommend her to mercy, substitute
ing Imprisonment for life for the death
penalty. For her sake and for my
sake" he said, do not recommend
mercy. We do not ask-We do not
want it." The evidence was then
taken up and reviewed on the hypo-
thesis that there was nothing but cir
cumstantial evidence and that was
clouded with doubt in important essen
tials. In commenting on a threat
about going to the Althouse place to
create trouble, Mr.. Welty said it was
fitting that Saxton should meet his
death there on the steps Of the home Of
his companion in wrong aoing.
Mr.. Welty insisted upon the weak
ness of material links in the chain
of circumstances associating Mrs.
George with the murder and the COM
pleteness of the alibi presented as well
as the accounting of burrs and needles
and the condition of the accused when
arrested.
Mr.. Welty concluded his argument
at 2:05 o'clock, and Mr.. Pomerene be-
gan his final address in the case on
behalf of the prosecution.
Prosecuting Attorney Pomerene spoke
briefly on the legal points involved in the
case. He insisted that the extent to
which the testimony of one addicted to the
opium habit should be excluded was for
the jury to decide according to the testi-
mony on the use of the drug, resisting the
proposition of the defense that the court
should order the jury to ignore the testi-
mony of one so addicted. He insisted
that threats should be considered in the
line of a motive for the crime and as prov
ing generalization and elaboration. In
summing up the prosecuting attorney
insisted that the jury should not consider
the character of Saxton; that if the &C
cused was believed to be guilty, the jury
should find so. He dwelt at some length
upon the subsequent results of an ac-
quittal in the face of testimony proving
guilt He insisted that an alibi attempted
and not established is an evidence of fraud
and deception, and declared the alibi in
this case was not proved. He argued
that the accused was not the simple coun-
try woman her attorney represented her,
but that she had been carried away by
her vanity, her ambition and her desires
for which only rich man could provide
He insisted with much vehemence that
when she secured a divorce from her hus-
band, she must either have sworn truly
to the good grounds for that divorce from
her husband or else have fasfied-to the
court, either of which he said was perth
nent to this case. He insisted that her
language and conduct had not been that
of a woman such as her attorney had rep
resented her to be. and recalled the testi-
mony of witnesses who had sworn that
Mrs. Georges words were too profane and
too obscene to be repeated on the wit
ness stand. AS to most of the witnesses
for the accused, the prosecuting attorney
was disposed to be kind and considerable
He charged them with nothing worse
than a mistake as to the time of the in
cidents they n rrated, and this he did
only through the testimony of others.
He was. however, very severe and scath-
ing in his references to Mrs. George.
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