The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-06
GREENE IS ON TRIAL
Aged Wife-Murderer Brought
Into Court.
DEFENSE TO BE INSANITY
Work of ImpaneIIing Jury
Now in Progress.

NUW III w 6Oo'
Thomas Greene, who cruelty murdered
his wife on the depot platform at Furley
on the morning of December % last and
then turned the smoking pistol on him
self in a vain attempt at suicide, was
brought into the court room Yesterday
morning TO be tried for murder in the first
degree.
In the endeavor to select competent
and acceptable jury, all of the regular
panel had been exhausted and a special
venire had to be issued for thirty others.
An day yesterday, after the arguments
had been made in the Chris Shores case.
was>consumed in examining juIymen, and
it seems that this feature of the case VII
occupy great deal more time yet, as the
jury was not selected at adjourning~ time
last night.
Insanity will be one If the pleas of the
defense, as every witness examined yes
terday was asked the usual questions on
this point and one of the attorneys ad
mitted that this would probably be the
strongest defense that could be made.
Greene was brought into the court by
the court bailiff and given a chair at the
west end Of the attorneys table. He wore
a heavy overcoat, a colored shirt and
soft hat, but was more neatly dressed
than when he went to Jail. He sat in the
court room apparently oblivious Ito the
seriOUs Oat11ra Of bic p,-;7,7a and occa-ioro
ally he would look at the jury, but with
a blank expression. His countenance was
poor. and he kept his eyes on the floor
most of the time. At times he was very
nervous. His hands would tremb,e and
he was jerky and i'll at ease, though ap
parently not from anything he heard in
the court room. Occasionally he would
put his hand to his head and press stead
lily on his temple for few moments, and
then he would say something to himself.
The special venire subpoenaed to appear
for examination for this case consisted
Of the following citizens: G. E. Carr, c.
Fl. Wickham, w. J. Tatman, Daniel Har-
mon, VIII Dunn, W. J. Krietzer, r. B.
Kerr. S. W. Balch, John Wilson, Frank
Oliver I. n. Dean, Ed Horner, S. Slade
w. NJ. Wallace Daniel Tterney, George
Blood Albert steanes, w. F. Fakes.
James Corey, ]. P. Royal. George Rob
bins, Joe Eager, Orie Manifee, D. L.
Green, Winnie Booth, John Schumacher.
H. A. Ried, William Dunkin.
The crime for which Thomas Greene is
to be tried is the murder of his wife.
Sarah E. Greene, last December. The
crime was brutal and cowardly the like
OF which had never before been known in
the quiet little village of Furley. Mrs.
Greene had come to Wichita a few days
before the tragedy to see a lawyer with
regard to the proper procedure necessary
in divorce suit, a petition for which she
was going to file against her husband.
After she left Furley, Greene smashed all
the furniture in the house and then came
to Wichita. Mrs. Greene went back to |
Furley. and after seeing what her husband |
had done, she came back and ordered At
torney Hamilton to draw up the petition |
for divorce. which he did, and it was
signed and filed that day When Mrs. |
Greene took the morning Rock Island /
train back to Hurley on the morning Of /
the goth Of December, Greene was on the /
same train. He had a revolver in his /
pocket with which to kill her. but q |
waited until they reached Furley, and as |
MS wife stepped from the train he walked /
up behind her and shot her just behind /
he right ear, killing her almost instantly. |
Then he turned the weapon upon himself /
and fired The bullet glanced and he was /
knocked down, but not seriously injured. |
He shot at himself three times without eff |
feet, and seemingly Disguised at his poor |
craftsmanship, he walked up the track. |
picked up a coupling pin and began beat |
ng himself over the head The murdered /
wife lay on the platform enveloped in a !
pool Of her own blood. a gruesome, somber
spectacle Of the ending of twenty-five /.
years of welded life.
Ruth Greene. one of the daughters who !
at home, said after she heard Of /
he tragedy that her father was not in his |
light mind. She said he had been hit with !
l derrick. and that the doctor had said
here was a tumor on his brain. Others /
aid il was the demon Of jealousy prey
ne upon Greene's mind There had been
'umors OF the wife's infidclity circulated
about the little village. and Greene men
ioned after the tragedy that Charles Nc
OoweH had wronged him. but now that
lis wife was dead he could not do it any
more. The coroner and Sheriff Simmons
arrived on the scene a few hours after the
occurrence. ard the murdered wife was
AIKEN to the little blue house which had
,een her home. and the husband and mur
lerer was taken in another direction-to
all