Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-08-02
MAGILL AND Wife ARE.
INDICTED FOR
MURDER
Grand Jury Finds Evidence
That They Caused His
Former Wife'S
Death.
SIX COUNTS IN
EACH INDICTMENT
Poisoning. COnspiraCy.dnd Smoth-
ering Charged Against Banker
and Bride Whom He We'd
ded Two Months After
Alleged Suicide.

Clinton, H., August 2.-The grand
jury today returned indictments
against Fred Magill and his present
wife, Fay Graham Magill charging
them with having caused the death
of Mrs. Pet Magill, the former wife
of Fred Magill. There are six counts
in each Indictment as follows:
THAT Pet Magill was murdered by
the administration of strychnine pois-
THAT the murder was done by ar
senic.
''That she was smothered with d
quilt
That she was strangled to death
by chloroform.
THAT she committed suicide as
result of a compact and agreement.
That her death was caused by
the defendants by some means un-
known to the jury"
The Maglls will be held in jail
without bond.
Suspicion Aroused.
Mrs Magil was supposed to have
been found dead in a spare room by
her husband on the morning of May
81. Pinned to her clothing was Il
note saying she had taken drungs ana
no one was to blame but herself. a
verdict of suicide was returned and
the case was dropped.
shortly after the death of his wife
sold his house and lot and drew his
last dollar from his fathers estate,
thus accommodating $4,000.
With this money he left Clinton,
accompanied by his daughter and
Miss Graham, who led her relatives
to believe she was going to Chicago
to secure work.
The first intimation of the ,par-
riage of Magill and Miss Graham
came in a telegram from Denver;
Following the wedding the bride and
groom. with Miss Marguerite, left for
a leisurely tour of the west. This
sudden departure aroused suspicion
and warrants We're issued accusing
Magill and his bride of murder.
Fay MagiIrs Connection With Crime.
Ever since the discovery of Pet
Maglls body and the simultaneous
appearance of the letters supposed to
have been written by her the the
orists have been working overtime as
to the authorship of the communlca-
tions. The adherents to the suicide
theory claimed that Pet Magill her-
self wrote them.
4 friend of Magill said today
when it came to the last act Fred
Magfll was afraid. He did not want
to write the letters, and so he hinled
to Fay that she might try her hand
at them. I do not say she did II,
but IL is not beyond reason. She Is
a stenographer by training and a
mighty smart woman. What would
prevent her obeying Fred in this as
she has in other matters?
According to this authority, the
state has obtained a specimen OF the
young wifes handwriting and VIII
turn it over to the experts as soon as
the Pet Magill epistles are obtained.
The latter are believed to be in the
possession of Marguerite Magil, Fred
Magilrs daughter. The state is wor-
ried over the disappearance OF the
notes.
Was Their Il Conspiracy.
The state believes that Fred Magili
executed a diaboical plot in which
he. by suicide persuasion, Induced ms
wife to agree TO commit suicide IN
n compact with him, he breaking MS
agreement at the last moment, Whi4e
she died. thus making it possible Tor
him TO marry his pretty stenogra-
This remarkable theory is being in
yestigated by the states attorney VINO
has charge of the prosecution Oh the
prodigal young banker
Never in the history or crime
much less in the busy brains of I'M
aginatlve writer's of fiction, has there
been such a remarkable idea eXecu'-
ed or exploited.
If it proves true then Magill muir
dered his wife by inducing her 10
murder herself.
Also, if this sensational theory -
borne out Magill, thinking himself
free of the charge Of murder, actual
ly assisted his wife in her tragic
preparations and then calmly retired
to his own bed until her sleep should
have become the sleep that knows
no waking. She must have died in
the belief that her husband was ly-
ing by her side.
Suicide Pact.
Mrs Magilrs mind had been weak
ened by illness, and there was added
melancholy in the fact that she was
aware of her husbands attentions 10
his stenographer, pretty Fay Gra-
ham.
ON Decoration day Magll took mis-
wife to a cemetery, and, 1t is said,
spent the entire afternoon there talk
ing Of death and the quiet tomb, un-
iii the poor wOman's already broken
mind became imbued with that one
idea 1t is alleged that he then pro-
posed a suicide pact, that both should
end everything.
To this. So ii t. charged by the
states attorney, Mrs MagiN consent
ed. and on that evening Magill de-
Hberately helped his wife in the ar %
rangement of her death, and then
went quietly away until the deadly
chloroform should do its work.
If this horrible tale is true, what
can be done with Magin?