The Glenwood post., 1908-01-25
The Defendant Is Accused Of
Having Killed His Girl Wife
At Goa! Basin
SAYS IT WAS SUICIDE
From Wednesdays Daily Post.

pleted at the morning session to-
day and opening statements were
made by District Attorney Gentry
and Judge Rucker. the latter for
the defense. The district attor-
ney's statement developed the
Importance of the testimony to be
given by William Barber and
wife. The couple lived in a house
adjoining that of the Taylors. The
woman says she heard voices at
the time of the alleged murder,
and that later Taylor left his
house and went for help.
Judge Rucker says that un-
doubtedly Mrs. Taylor killed her.
self and was not the victim of her
husbands rage.
Taylor is a chunkily built man
somewhat below medium height,
At first sight one would say he
is tlabby, but the great arms and
powerful chest which he willingly
displayed when visited at his cell,
are hard as iron despite his six
months of confinement. lie is al
lowed the freedom of the Jail cor
lidor during the day, and keeps
up system of light exercise tc
keep himself in good physical con
dition.
He is quite willing to talk about
his case. He told of his marriage
with the woman he is accused of
numbering. She was a young girl,
barely eighteen years old at that
time. Her family he described in
very strong language and he re
peatedly referred to the unsavory
reputation of her mother, and
some of her sisters. Nevertheless
he had faith in her and married
her.
They lived happily in Aspen un-
til March 10, 1907, when he went
to Coal Basin to seek work. He
secured position as mine boss
for the Colorado Fuel & Iron com
pany. His wife wrote him regu-
larly every other day. lie has
many Of these letters with him
and they are couched in the most
affectionate terms. In the latter
part of April he began to receive
anonymous letters accusing his
wife of unfaithfulness. Seven OF
these letters came. On May Ii
he wrote her a letter, which he
registered. asking her to come to
Coal Basin, and sending her a
ticket. She sent back the ticket
and asked him to have it extend
ed. Again he sent it on. but still
she did not come, and finally he
went to Aspen. He discovered
that she had sold their belongings
and had gone back to her family.
o They had several interviews. one
of them at the grave of one of his
children by former wife, and she
said if he did not take her back
she would kill herself.
All this was narrated in an en-
cited manner. with frequent di-
gressions, and finally he repeated
his version of the events on that
July day on which the woman
came to her end.
Mysterious Letter.
Two hours after the woman s
death he found letter in wash
stand, which he says was in her
handwriting. Then he found 9th
ers in various places about the
house. These are the documents
purporting to be a confession OF
her misdeeds by the woman. These
papers are now in the hands OF
the court officials. They undoubt-
edly will be introduced in part
At present they are being jeal-
ously guarded. The district at
torney will no allow the press rep
resentatives to examine them, and
the defendant attorney, when
asked for copy, said with 4
smile: "Some of that will appear
in the trial, but until then ! dc
not care to give any of it out"
Taylor calims not to have reat
the entire collection. They were
shown to him at the preliminary
hearing, but he was allowed t'
read only a few lines at random
for the purpose of identifying thu
handwriting, which he says wa
that of the dead woman. Nor doe
he remember much of what HI
read on finding the letters, for hi
mind was too much disturbed, HI
says, to retain any impression o
them. But he says that some o
the things were confessed to hin
verbally by the woman. Accord
ling to his story. she once told hin