The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-15
HER Trial IS 1t HAND
Mrs. Annie Georges Defense
to be Emotional Insanity,
GEORGE SAXT0N'S CAREER
How He Made the Running of
Women a Life-Work.

the murder of George D. Saxton, brother
of Mrs. Mckinley:
For this you shall de-" said a woman
to a man-and the man died
Now the woman is going to be tried for
murder and half the country will hang
upon the verdict, for the man who died
was the brother-in-law Of the president Of
the United States. and the woman who
killed him is the most beautiful woman in
Ohio.
George D. Saxton was shot in Canton,
Ohio, on the night OF the 9Th Of October,
1895. Mrs. Annie George is going to be
tried for his murder on the 4th Of April.
Public sentiment in Ohio has been grad
ually working to a pitch of great excite
ment and every other day the Canton
papers print some new bit of hearsay evil
dence which is to be introduced at the
trial States Attorney POmerene has re-
ceived the assistance OF Attorney James
S. Grant to help him prosecute Mrs.
George. Attorney Grant was for years an
intimate friend of the murdered man, and
ne is straining every nerve TO secure the
conviction of the woman who killed his
friend. Attorneys John We-ty and James
Sterling. who are acting for Mrs. George,
will not give out the slightest intimation
of their line of defense, but it is common
talk in Canton that they Will plead emo
tional insanity, brought on by intense and
prolonged mental agony caused by George
Saxton's cruelty to the woman whose life
he ruined.
George d. Saxton was one of the richest
and most prominent men in Canton. His
father was deep in politics, and his sister
married William Mckinley over twenty
years ago. He had money, exuberant
good health, more animal spirits than he
knew what to do with, plenty of brains,
and a more than usual allowance of good
looks-but he was the most cordially hated
man in Ohio. He was a great, big, strap
ping, gOod-looking, rudy blonde. He had
a ready fund of surface good humor, and
he could tell good story with any man
in a good storytelling state, but no man
who knew him liked him, and no honest
woman who had heard the story of his life
spoke to him.
It's an ugly story and one that will not
miss much when Mrs. Georges attorneys
get their turn at telling it in open court.
The best friendss that George Saxton ever
had told him time and again that some
woman would kill him some day, and that
the jury who tried her would release her
on the plea Of iustifiable homicide.
Women always liked George Saxton. The
first woman who seriously cared for him
was little Allie. the belle of Canton. Lit
tie Allie Shofer was a radiant blonde with
great soft, brown eyes alight with gentle
kindness, and a mass of shining hair the
color of a sheaf of ripe wheat in the sun
shine. Her father was a fine old French
gentleman of the old school, fun Of the
grande air. and simply radiating genial de-
light at the joy of living. Little Allie
Shofer was the prettiest girl in town.
Everyone loved her. and she had no room
in her girlish heart for an unkind thought
for anyone. She was an intimate friend
of George Saxton's sisters, and George
Saxton fell in love with her. Everyone
was delighted when their enga cement was
announced and little Allie Shoffer was
ike a pretty child in her smiling happi-
ness.
She was too happy. George Saxton did
not care to see women smile. It bored
him. SO he began to neglect her. He took
other women out. Allie Shoffer smiled
wistfully, but she said nothing. Every
evening she ran out on the porch and
waited for him. Sometimes he came, as
he promised he would; sometimes he came
late. and sometimes he did not come at all
Little Allie Shoffer began to droop, as a
lily droops in a close room. But she would
not hear one word against the man she
-
all kindness. TO hint the truth about him
one day, and the delicate, gentle. little
thing flashed out at her like a tigress.
One night Louis Shoffer persuaded Allie
to go TO the theater with him. They sat
in a box. Allie Shoffer sat in the front
of the box and held her head high on her
delicate throat and tried her best to look
happy. Just as the curtain rose George
Saxton came into the next box. He had a
woman with him. The woman was not
over-young and she was gaudily dressed,
and her hard face was painted. Around
her neck was a foolish. little gold chain
and locket which Allie ShOffer had given
George Saxton as a betrothal gift.
Allie Shoffer turned as white as death.
Her great. soft eyes blazed. Before her
and snatched the chain from the woman's
neck. Then she fell in a dead swoon.
Her father carried her home. Her peo-
pie tried TO reason with her, and told her
70 rejoice AT the escape she had made. bat
Allie Shoner turned her white face tc the
waI-aud died.
All Canton went 70 pay the last tribute
Of respect to the poor SRI who died of a
broken heart. As the little wasted body
was zing lowered into the grave man
pushed his way through the crowd. It
was George Saxt0n. old Louis Shoffer's
white face turned crimson He turned on
the man with a savage oath. but Allie
ShoHer's brother caught his uplifted arm.
"Dont. father" he said. Think how Allie
loved him"
George Saxton spent the evening az a
Low. concert house in Akron. but for Two
years r. went every day TO the graveyard
and put a knot Of fresh flowers on the
grave y the girl he had killed.
This AZ hsppeueS twenty years ago. and
when George Saxton vas killed last Octo-
Der they laid him or his bed. and a, the
foot q 1t they found the picture q a
young and beautifu, girl in bhe very flower
ct her youth. a picture O. Allie ShoHer.
Several weeks after Auie's death her
sister Mary put all the presents George
Saxt0r had given her into q box. placing
on the top 2 COPY q the then new song.
Under the Daisies From thar day Ms
Day has never spoken 70 George Saxtoa.
and for more than ten years the sEo fam
lies were estrange5. and II is on,y since
President Mckinley and Judge Day have
been such close political associates that
Mrs 9IcNinley and M-s. Day have been