Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-25

66sSn III SIates Il llo T. IL j.!
dlxnNd woman. Not Toni agIo l1}xl y:
rrss Nth Her. she sadd ~ me: vii
never ". "a the penit nv. would
accent suicide az the last means - 81
caninr the persecution that has been
mine for ten years. And she has been
r,erseeuted.- The man who took her
from her family and then turned foe IN
stead Of friend is dead, but his influence
lives after him and is represented IN the
prosecution OF Mrs. George Tor his
murder"
Sheriff Zaifer does not believe that
Mrs. George will make good her prom
Use of self-destruction, even IN Inc
event of a defeat in court, but ne saaa
to-day that he would take no chances
and il the woman is convicted sne VIII
he placed under close surveillance
while she is in his control.
SUICIDE lin HER CELL.
Though the cell Mrs. George occupies
is nleasant as cells go it has gruesome
memories which aue said to disturb lis
nleasant occupant. In June, 1883, Con-
rad Doll. a German farmer, living near
Canton. chopped his wife and son to
death with hatchet. He was arrested
and nlaced in the cell now occupied by
the alleged slayer of Saxton. Five
monfhs later he was found one morn
ing with a rope about his neck hanging
dead within the cell grating. In the
register of the sheriff's Office | read the
foilowing record to-day: Prisoner,
Conrad Doll; crime charge, murder;
date of arrest, june Is, 1883; discharge,
November 27, 1888 Remarks-Gone TO
hell by way of rope.
Look FOR AN ACQUITTAL.
while many look for another tragedy
sbonld Mrs. George be convicted even
of manslaughter the majority OF the
residents of Canton predict an acqulttal
FOR the accused, and SO refuse to con-
slider the idea of suicide. Should there
he AN acouittal Mrs. George will at
onca bring suit for a widows share IN
fine estate left by George D. Saxton on
the ground that she was his common
law wife.
Saxton left real estate valued at
ahoo,e $3.50. 900, which was DIVIDED
among the children of his sister, MRS.
M G. Barber, who was made executrlx.
An acnuittal would mean suit against
Mrs. Barber for an accounting ana
demand for partition of the estate.
The Ohio laws are liberal towards
common law marriages, and many be-
lieve that Mrs. George would nave
strong case. The visit Of Saxton ana
MRS. George to Allegheny, where ne
registered them as man and wife Would
be made the basis of the suit.
d THE ARGUMENTS.
tA+tornev T. J. Grant occupied the Whole
day in opening the arguments on behail Oh
phe state in the trial Of Mrs. George. Inc
court room was filled as 1t has not oeeh
ar any other stage OF the proceedings.
Mrs. George sat with downcast eyes our
ing most of the proceedings. she seemed
more affected by Mr.. Grants summing up
of the case than by any other lncloent Oh
the trial..
Dmr.ng the day attorneys for each SIDE
presented their requests as to the cnafSe
of the judge.
The state asked that the jury be in
strueted that the alleged promise to mar
nv and the failure to keep it, the promise
of any money consideration, the aHegeo
settlement in Allegheny, the divorce ana
the payment for it, the relations between
the accused and the deceased and all Oh
the testimony as to Mrs. Georges grew
ances against Saxton shall be cited to the
Jury by the Judge as not being any justin
cation, excuse or defense for the hom--
eide. but merely subjects for consideration
in determining the degree of the homlcloe
and the mental responsibility OF the ac-
cused. The State also asks that the gen
eral weakness of the adbi defense snail
be recsted to the jury in connection with
Instructions that an al.bi to be defense
must cover the whole period of the homi-
eide or must prove beyond all doubt the
impossibihy of the accused being at the
scene of the homicide when it occurred.
The defense asks the court to charge
the jury that the homicide must be proved
and the accused guilty of 1T before any
of the threats are considered against the
accused, and that the threats are only TO
be considered in determining the degree
of the homicide, had it been otherwise
established. They also ask that the court
charge that the cause OF the accused Is
not to be prejudiced by reason of the de-
fendant not having taken the stand in her
own behalf, and that the evidence of one
addicted to the opium or morphine habit
Is not credible.
Mr. Grant most strongly emphasized the
point that the defense in Offering testi-
mony as 10 the state of the mind Of ac-
cused ait the time of making threats, that
state being an emotional one because of
disappointment and grief, had admitted
the commission of the homicide and that
no pretext except in mitigation of degree
of an admitted homicide could such testi-
mony be considered.
After arguing that the defense by cross
examination and direct evidence had tacit-
ay made confession and sought to justify
the crime by evidence concerning Mrs.
Georges relation with SaNton and her
grievances against him, Mr.. Grant re-
viewed the testimony in detail, seeking
to show not only Mrs Georges connec-
ton with it, but by the threats she made