The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-14
SHE PLANNED IO Kill
Mrs, Georges Former Attor-
ney Tells on His Client.
KEPT A REVOLVER HANDY
Her Alternative Was "a Fun
eraI or a Wedding"

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 &
| number of civil actions prior to the trag-
edy of last October, when George D. Sax
ton was killed, and who until little less
than a year ago was the law partner Of
James S. Sterling, one of the attorney.
now defending her. He sought to evade
| testifyihg, on the ground that what ne
! knew had been told him by Mrs. George
and was a privileged communication be
tween counsel and client. The defense in
sisted upon the same ground. a long ar
| gument ensued, resulting in a declaration
| from the bench that counsel could not be
retained in connection with a contemplate
! ed crime, and without a professional en-
| gagement there could be no professional
| condolences. Under this ruling the witness
told, in answer to the state, of a 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 conversation
out, which proved to be three recitals of
Mrs Georges version of her relations
with SaXton and the wrongs she claimed
to have suffered at his hands.
William +. Cook was put upon the stand
today when the trial was resumed, and
his cross-examination, Interrupted yester-
day by adjournment, was continued. Moth
ing important developed. Attorney Lorin
c. Wise testified to seeing Mrs. George
get on a car on which he was riding the
evening of the tragedy, and to seeing her
leave the car at Haslett avenue at 3
o'clock He also described the topography
Of that section of the city and the routes
to the city with particular reference to
the stress over which it is claimed the
assassin passed.
W. O. Werntz, an attorney for Mrs.
George in a number of cases before the
tragedy, was called 70 testify as to what
Mrs. George had said 20 him of her alleg-
ed contemplated crime on the Monday be-
fore the tragedy. He claimed the privilege
Of confidence between counsel and client.
The defense made the same claim and had
concerned. The state claimed there could
b no confidential relations in a contem-
plated crime, and some controversy follow
ed. Tt was sought by the state to show
by this witness that Mrs. George detailed
to him plans for the murder and asked
him how they would do. The judge took
the question Of the admission of Werntz's
testimony under Amusement until the af-
ternoon session. At the afternoon session
Judge Taylor announced his decision
which admitted Attorney Werntzs con-
versation with Mrs. George before the
tragedy. His ruling was, in effect, that
counsel cannot be employed in relation to
the commission Of crime, and without
such professional employment there can
be no professional confidence.
Mr.. Werntz then said, in answer to the
states question: ''We talked about the
Althouse case. She said she was going out
to the Althouse residence to raise he'll with
SaXton. I told her not to so, and she said
she would not 90. She said she had s.
calibre revolver in her trunk: she had
bought it in Chicago She did not say
what she was going to DO with it. She
did not say what she paid for It.
'I had another conversation with her in
my office the afternoon of that day. She
said: When the suit for damages for
alternating affections brought against Sax
ton by Sample C. George is settled there
will be funeral or a wedding She ask
ed what effect it would have on the suit
if she killed Saxton. I 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 all the balls she had
What did she say she would do with
the revolver"
she asked me Il It would be a good
plan TO have two revolvers. thrown one al
his feet and shoot him with the other.
told her chat, in view Of the threats she
had made against Saxton. no one would
believe she had killed him in self-de-
Tense"
The answer as to what the witness told
her was objected TO and was stricken ont
'She asked me how II 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-
iahIishiuS the date, which could not be
done today.
In croSs-eNaminatioD witness said that
Ms. GeorEe had told him in the course or
the conversations that Saxton had prom-
i~ed 70 mary her as soon as she GOT a
divorce from her husband. and that he
had persuaded her to get divorce. fur-
Hi~alnE money with which she went IN