The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-24
Daughter of Thomas Vance
Gives Damaging Testimony
in Murder Case.
SHE TELLS OF ASSAULTS
MADE UPON HER MOTHER
Husband Said TO Have Cursed
Wife and Threatened to
Take Her Life.

Unaffected by the gravity of the
situation and apparently little realizing
that she might be swearing her father S
life away, little Lena Vance, only l2
years old in Judge Armstrong divis-
ion Of the Third district court, Monday
afternoon, recounted with all the graces
of childish prnttle all the details of the
alleged assault OF Thomas Vance upon
his wife November 20, 1907, almost a
year ago 10 the day, by which it is
hoped by the state 10 prove the prisoner
guilty of murder in the first degree,
and wife-murder at that. 1t Was, in
deed, case of daughter against father,
and the court attaches and other specta-
tors lost none of the tense drama and
tragedy Of the situation.
According 10 the little girls testi-
mony, her father, who was employed by
Junk dealer, came home for lunch at
1925 p. m. the day of the alleged as
sault. As he sat down at the dinner
table Mrs. Vance placed an almost over
flowing cup of coffee at his side.
Didn t | tell You not TO fill NJ, my
cup of coffee2' Vance calculated in
anger, according to the girl 5 testimony.
If you did, didn hear you, ;" Mrs.
Vance replied.
YOU'D better say you heard me-"
81 won't, because ] didn't hear
you,' was Mrs. Vance 5 reply.
His Hand Is Stayed.
Vance then jumped up, the little girl
testified. and hurled the cup at her
mother. The cup missed her, crashing
into pieces against the wall, but tho
contents struck her in the breast. The
m9ddened man then picked up a chair
MS If TO strike the defcnseless woman,
but apparently his hand was stayed by
her half plea, half command:
:. Don t you nit me with that chair; ;,
CO d you, III kill youl "
ness, but put the chair down. Striking
Mrs. Vance on the shoulder with his
fist, her father felled her mother to the
floor, the witness said, the falling WON
an striking the stove.
Screaming, her mother got up and ran
TO the door and out Of the house, shout
ing for the police. When she attempt
cd to re.enter the house Vance tried
10 hold the door against her, but she
reached and got into the house before
the catch caught. When she did get
back into the house Vance grabbed her
by the throat, threw her to the floor,
and kicked her, the daughter said.
1'Oh, Tom you we killed me!' the
mother cried, and the struggle ceased.
Then her mother got up and sat on
chair, Vance ate his dinner in silence
and then went back to work. Her
mother dressed herself and the baby,
Albert, 3 wears old, and went uptown.
She returned about 'clock and Vance
about $50 clock, the little girl testi-
fled. Her father and mother slept apart
that night, the latter arising about 6:30
o'clock the next day 20 get breakfast.
Her father ate about an hour later and
went TO work.
Sister Is Sent For.
The little girl then was sent for her
mothers sister. Mrs, Amanda L. Vance,
who did not arrive until about 1880
o CLOCK. In the meantime her mother
laid down, the witness said, but before
head of her bed. Vance came homo
about noon and went to the middle door
leading to Mrs. Vance room and
looked in. From this place, tho state
will claim, Vance placed the poison in
the glass of water from which Mrs,
Vance is alleged TO have drank and
been poisoned. An hour afterwards
Vance went back to work, the witness
said. Her mother soon became III and
sent her for next-door neighbor, Mrs.
Clara Wund derlich, who since has moved.
Towards night DR.. A. a. Kerr was
called.
On cross-examination the little girl
testified that her mother had not been
well for six months, Presumably to
show that the mother might have made
mistake and administered tho poison
she is alleged to have taken herself, the
defense brought out from tho girl that
considerable medicine was kept in tho
cupboard for various ills that shc had
been afflicted with and that children
are heir TO. The bichloride OF mercury
tablets, the witness recalled, wero kept
in trunk. The mother frequently had
asked hor husband to destroy them, but
ne had replied that they were frequent
~ useful to treat slight wounds.
Suicide Discussed.
The little girl denied that her mother
had declared at one time that she would
kill herself, but admitted that she had
said that she would rather be dead
She also admitted that her mother IS
sister, Mrs. Amanda II. Vance, had
scolded her for testifying at the pre-
liminary hearing that her mother had
threatened 10 kill herself, and had told
her to say that she had heard her
mother say she would rather be dead
than alive. She lived with her aunt
from the time OF the trouble to the
preliminary hearing, and admitted that
her aunt talked about the case almost
every night.
Her mother was also quick tempered,
she admitted, and had used improper
language, which she did not like TO re-
peat, at the time of the trouble She
did not remember that her father had
said, when her mother attempted to get
back into the house after the first as.