The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
or KILLING TRGDUCER.
MIS-. RiRDSONG TAXES WITNESS
>TtND ~ EER OUN DEFENCE.
svcgrs she Was Driven 4" Attempt Her
avn Iicc, Thcr 10 kHi Dr. Butler.
WI y "hc Heard OF His Boosts ~
Wis LubrHld,d by Anciher woman.

gNn itrc, JhFr 10 hm NV. tu''VV'
WI y -hc Heard OF His Boosts and
WIS Ipbrp!d,d By Anciher woman.
UAzrLpuRs- Miss. Dec. s--Mrs. Bird
,,p,. Oh, Is on trial for murder because
nc ,hot pr. Thomas Butler IN his office In
'.,rt.celo in November, 1905. took the
witness stand this afternoon in her own
la'ouce.
4 Will swear before my Lord she cried,
'laa. t,ore were never any wrong rela-
.,gy, between DR.. Butler and myself
Mr.. Blrdsong said that on the Nsdnes-
.lsv before the Filay on which DR.. Butler
vas killed Mra. Nora Garrett had come to
her and had toli her that DR.. Butler or the
plrft before n q boosted in the public
street. that she was q base woman, that
ne bad been intimate with her and that
he had al engagement with her that night
~ he absnucc. of her husband.
Overwhelmed With shame, shs said. abe
attempted 10 take her life With morphine.
ort shs vas foiled by pr ompt medical at
tanriou.
On the nest day she "a id that the same
Woman cams to her, upbraided her. &C
c,lsed her OF being q bad woman and ex-
pressed her opinion OF her. she said she
did not sleep all that night, TO such n state
Of humiliation and nerv GUS indignation
was she wrought.
On the following morning she went to the
office Of Dr.. Butler 70 AJAX him il he had
made the remarks OF which Mrs. Garrett
he'd told her. She said that when she en-
tered his Office, after some person who was
there had left, Butler seized her and at
-enp.ed 10 drag her into a back room. and,
tearing that he was about to commit an
assault on her. she drew her revolver from
. satchel hanging on her arm and fired at
him.
She said that she frequently carried
ne rist I with her for protection and always
',eTt IL in the satchel, as her husband was
SWAY from home n great deal Of the time.
She did not know IL any Of the shots struck
Dr.. 2, tier or not. She said her first in
etinct was 20 protect herself. She said
she remembered nothing after he had
seized her until she came 20 her senses
81 Jail and did not remember anything
excel / that she had taken the pistol from
her satchel and had begun firing.
She said that from Wednesday, when she
-y-s tCld Of DR.. Suffers alleged remarks,
rmtl the following Friday she could recall
little Of what had happened and her mem
ory on certain points was not clear.
Previous to the introduction OF Mrs,
B,rlsong the defence offered evidence re-
CARING remarks alleged to have been made
ny DR.. Butler concerning his relations with
Yrs. B.risong.
An g. ort was made 70 prove. by A. Sell
man, that DR. Butler, While intoxicated
had boastel in his presence that he had 8
clandeStine meeting with Mrs. Birdsong al
night, but the Court ruled that his and al
II 49,. -,,,Il - ~ ,~t rrl,,.a-
unless it we're shown that DR.. Butler:
boasts we're communicated to Mis-. Bird
song.
The testimony OF Luther Grice, Mayor oi
Montict 10, % the same effect was similarly
excl ded. although an attempt vas made
TO show that Mayor Grice had communi.
Gated DR.. Butlsr's remark 70 a friend.
whose wife had told Mrs. Birdsong OF il.
Several nei: b, OTIS and relatives of the
defendant were placed on the tand 10 prove
che theory OF emotional insanity. Theil
evidence was 10 the effect that Mrs. Bird.
song had acted in a very peculiar and IRA
rional manner on the day prior to the shoot
ing. tut they attributed this to morphine
she had taken.
The attorneys for the defence did no
appear worried over the surprise Of yester
DAYS session when DR.. Afford, introduced
by them, declared that in his opinion Mrs
Birdsong was not insane before the killing
and that she had told a falsehood when sh,
said she had taken morphine with inten
70 commit suicide.
Mrs. Mary Hoffman testified that she had
called at the home Of Mrs. Birdsong's
mother the day before the tragedy. Sh'
said she found Mrs. Birdsong i'll in bed from
she effects of morphine taken with suicida
intent the same morning. Mrs. Hoffman
asked the defendant why she tried to eni
her life.
Le.ause I nave so much trouble t.
witness testified Mrs. Birdsong had said
The witness testified that she then said u
Mrs. tirdsong: Il have been hearing tai
about YOU and Dr.. Butler Il know it;
know il. Neighbors are hearing the sam
Thing, and are stunning me- Mrs. Hod
man says Mrs. Birdsong answered.
The prosecution, strengthened by Judg
Niller's decision to-day to exclude all test
mony tending 10 show that DR.. Butler ha'
boosted Of his alleged intimacy with tins
defendant unless il he shown also ths
these boasts were made known to hel
turned its efforts to proving that Butler
equation was unblemished and that h
vas uniformly chivalrous in his trestlnen
# women.
The stale is also making a strong poir
cl the TACT thai Mrs. Birdsong followe
4sr already u~ortally wounded victim o,
a his office 70 h : verands, where she 90
listed her revolver, after he had Eleade
for mercy, anu hrei three more shots
hi a..
With the evidence Of Mrs. Birdsong
both sides closed except for the arg
ments. Il is reported that the case ma
be submitted without argument, OWN
20 the illness OF the Hon. +. NJ. Miller, q
iesaing attorney TOR the defence.