The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-14
THREATENED TO KILL sAXTON
DELIBERATE PREPARATIONS
WERE MADE BY MRS. GEORGE.
Witness Says She Was Nearly Dis
tracted By Her Betrayal and De
sertion-had Promised to Marry.

Canton. o., April 13.-The feature of to-
days proceedings in the trial of Mrs.
George was the testimony of Attorney
| w. o. Werntz. who had represented her in
a number of civil actions prior TO the
| tragedy of last October. when George D.
SaXton was killed. and who, until a little
less than q year ago, was the law partner
of James S. Sterling, one of the attorneys
now defending her. He sought to evade
testifying on the ground that what he
knew had been told him by Mrs. George,
and was a privileged communication be-
tween counsel and client The defense
insisted upon the same ground.
long argument enSued. ending in q
declaration from the bench that counsel
could not be retained in connection with
a contemplated crime and without pro-
feSsiOnal engagement there could be 40
professional condolences.
Under this ruling the witness told in
answer to the state Of Il series of threats
and plans for their execution on the part
of Mrs. George against the life of George
d. SaXton, and the defense brought the
remainder Of the converse tion out. which
proved to be three recitals of Mrs.
Georges version of her relations with
SaXton and the wrongs she claims to have
suffered at his hands.
we talked about the AIthouse case, -
said the witness. She said she was GO
ing out TO the AIthouse residence to raise
and she said she would not so. She said
she had a 3S-calibre revolver in her trunk
She had bought 1t in Chicago. She did
not say what she was going to do with it
Il had another conversation with her in
my office the afternoon of that day. She
said:
- When the suit for damages for alien
atfng affections brought against SaXton
by Sample G. George is settled, there will
be a funeral or a wedding
She asked what effect it would have
on the suit if she killed Saxton. 1 told
her the result might be the same but if
she was going to kill him, she had better
wait until the case was settled. She said
if she shot him she would make a good
job Of it; would give him al the balls
'Wnat did she say she would do with
the revolver"
She asked if it would be a good plan.
to have two revolvers; throw one at his
feet and shoot him with the other. [ told
her in view of the threats she had made
against SdXtOn, no one would believe she
had killed him in self-defence.
The answer as to what the witness told
her was objected to and stricken out.
''She asked me how it would do to shoot
him in the back and throw the revolver
away.
Another conversation is TO be fixed by
this witness if the state succeeds in es-
tablishing the date, which could not be
done today.
In cross-examination. witness said Mrs
George had told him in the course of the
conversations that Saxton had promised
to marry her as soon as she got divorce
from her husband. and that he had per
suaded her to get divorce, furnishing
money with which she vert to Dakota to
get the divorce; that after this he had
abandoned her prosecuted her and had
her arrested; that she was left without a
home; that she had separated from
husband whom she loved until SaXton
alienated her affections.
She also said that after these occur
Z, J. IN
burg where they settled their differences
and each agreed to Withdraw all actions
pending; that she kept her agreement,
but that he had not. failing to dismiss an
against her visiting his block,
to give her boys property in the city
worth 100 and TO support her till he set
tied with her former husband on pend
ing suit. and then marry her. she also
said that Saxton had pursued her Tor
several years before she yielded TO MS
advances: that he had given her pres
ents which she at first refused, but that
he had finally accomplished ffer rum ano
left her without means OF support Ior
herself and children.
During these conversations Mrs. George
was excited and sometimes in tears. the
witness said
other conversation in which Mrs. George
asked what the penalty would be II sne
killed Saxton. and said she would 90 II II
there was nothing worse thdIl ten years
in the penitentiary. She said she mad
suffered everything but death at SaXton's
hands.
Mrs. Mary Finlay, with whom Mrs.
George roomed for over two years, was
on the stand when court adjourned. She
had testified on behalf of the state 10
Mrs. Georges having on three or tour
to the writing of the letter to SaXton
which was followed by proceedings IN the
United States court for improper use OF
the mails.