The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-27
MRS. GEORGE NEEPS
As Her Attorney Pleads for
Her, Depicting Her Wrongs.
HE BEGS FOR NO MERCY
Jury Should Either Release or
Sentence to Death.

Canton, Ohio, April 26.-The closing argu-
ment in the trial of Mrs. George was in
progress when court adjourned this even
ing. Prosecuting Attorney Pomerene be-
gan his argument shortly after o'clock
and will probably occupy the greater part
if not all of tomorrow forenoon in COM
pleting it. It IS now thought that the
jury will be charged Immediately after
the noon recess tomorrow. The day was
without special incident so far as the &C
cused was concerned, Mrs. George sat
all day with downcast eyes and was occa-
sionally moved to tears as the story of
her life was narrated. The court room
was thronged from early morning TO the
hour of adjournment, and many who could
not gain admittance stood in the court
house corridors all day 10 get what they
could hear and see a long range.
Attorney Welty occupied the morning in
his closing speech in defense of Mrs.
George. He said to the jury that if they
found the accused guilty of murder in the
first degree, they should not recommend
her to mercy, thus substituting imprison-
ment for lift for the death penalty. For
her sake, and for my sake" he said, "do
not recommend mercy. We do not ask it,
we do not want it,
The evidence was reviewed on the hy-
pothesis that it was nothing but circum-
stantial and clouded with doubt in i'm
portant essentials. In commenting on a
threat about going to the Althouse home
to create trouble. Mr.. Welty said it was
fitting that saxton should meet his death
there, on the steps Of the house Of his
companion in wrong-doing. Mr.. Welty dis
cussed the testimony bearing on the homi-
eide. He insisted upon the weakness Of
material links in the chain Of circum-
stance associating his client with the
crime and the completeness of the alibi
presented. as well as the accounting for
burrs and spanish needles and the condi-
ton of the accused when arrested.
Mr.. Welty concluded his argument at
2:05 o'clock and Mr.. Pomerene began his
final address in the case on behalf Of the
prosecution. Mr.. Pomerene spoke briefly
on the legal propositions of the case, al
though he cited a number OF authorities
for the judges consideration in connection
with the charge to the jury. He insist
ed that the extent to which the testimony
Of one addicted to the opium habit should
be excluded was for the jury to decide ac-
cording to the testimony on the use of the
drug, resisting the proposition OF the de-
Tense that the court should order the jury
to ignore the testimony entirely Of one
so addicted He also took ground oppo-
site to that of the defense on the matter
of threats insisting that these hreats had
been considered in the line Of a motive to
the crime and circumstantial evidence
thereon, as we'll as on the question of the
degree of premeditation and elaboration.
In summing up the case TO the jury the
prosecuting attorney insisted that the
jury should not consider what the charac-
ter of Saxton was or was not, and that if
tn accused was found guilty the jury
should so find, dwelling at some length
upon the subsequent results of an acquit-
tai under such circumstances when tes-
tirnony had proven guilt He insisted that
an alibi, attempted and not established,
is an evidence of fraud and deception.
and insistd that the abb in this case had
not accounted for the accused at the mo-
mentous time involved. He argued that
the accused was not the simple country
woman ner udu Represented mex,
but that she had been carried away by
her vanity, her ambition and her desires
for what only a rich man could provide
her. He insisted with much vehemence
that when she secured a divorce from her
husband. she must either have sworn
truly to the good grounds for that divorce
from her husband or else have falsified
to the court, either Of which, ne said, was
pertinent to this case. He insisted that
her language and conduct had not been
that Of a woman such as her attorney
had represented her, and recalled the tes-
timony Of witnesses vino had sworn that
Mrs. Georges words were too profane and
too obscene to be repeated on the witness
stand AS to most of the witnesse sfor
the accused, the prosecuting attorney was
disposed TO be kind and consderate. He
charged them with nothing worse than a
mistake as to the time of the incidents
they narrated and this he did only through
the testimony of others. He was, however,