Arizona republican., 1909-03-15
HAWKINS WIDOW
 WEOS OLD SOLDIER
Romance of the Wife of a Murderer Who Was Hanged in Tucson.

A wedding which has local interest says the Tucson Star. took place al Sawtelle, California. March 9. the parties to the affair being Electa Bessie Hawkins and Varnum West colt, an inmate of the Soldiers Home at that place. The bride gave her age as 21 and the groom announced i his to be s when the marriage took place before Recorder Walter Downs of Sawteile.
 For several years the aged veteran ! of the Civil War had courted the pretty woman. Although nearly four times the age of his bride. Westcott Is exceedingly active and enjoys TO- bust health. He was before the mast for 20 years, having com manded the bark Sena. in which he rounded the Horn in 1S49 Like his bride, Westcott has been married be- | fore
 Mrs. Hawkins is a daughter of c. F.. Chase. also an inmate of the Sol diers' Home. Chase at one time was one of the most prominent mining men in Arizona, but lost his money
 
 Chase have been ward mates at the Soldiers Home. Chase's daughter and Westcott met. however. several years ago. It was love at first sight on the part of the aged veteran and the love was returned by Mrs. flaw kins. who was barely more than IS years old at the time. Marveling at the former soldiers remarkable his tory. which she learned from various sources, Mrs. Hawkins decided he was the man who should be her hus- band.
 Two days prior to the wedding Westcott bought cozy little home at Eleventh and Ohio streets. Saw telle. He will live there with his bride just as soon as he can make arrangements to leave the home He secured an eight-day leave of ab- sence following his marriage. so that he could take his bride on a honey moon.
 Besides being a soldier. Westcott is a traveller and a pioneer. He came to California at the time of the gold excitement. At one time he owned a thousand acres of the famous San Andreas ranch in Santa Cruz county. He has encircled the globe twice In 1898 he went up to Alaska, although well on in years.
 Electa Bessie Chase will be re- membered quite well as the wife of D. W. Hawkins, who. with his wife were implicated in the murder of AL bert Leonhardt on East Alameda street late one night in 1907. The murder was a mysterious affair and it was not until several months later that the truth became known.
 Hawkins, who had been a conduc- tor on the Tucson Rapid Transit line. and his wife were arrested on a charge of burglary. During their confinement in jail Hawkins. backed by the wife. confessed to the mur- der of Leonhardt, duplicating one Earl Metzler. who had also been a conductor on the same road. with gone to California. where he was ar rested and brought back to Tucson and held for trial.
 Hawkins tols a number of sensa- tional stories of his life. before and after the trial The plea of guilty on his part ended in his being sen leuGeu 10 be udIEtu- lt Nllt was given her freedom in view of her condition. becoming a mother prior to the trials, which were postponed several times.
 The hanging of Hawkins. who ad- mitted his many crimes. and gave his age at 22 years while in jail in one of the interviews accorded a Star re- porter, took place in the jail yard last August in the presence of a large number of persons. admitted by invi- tation, and many small boys and oth- CTS from points of vantage on the court house roof and other roofs the yard.
 The widow and her child were pro vided with transportation and they left before the hanging for Chicago to make their home with the par ents of Hawkins. Later Mrs. flaw Hins drifted to Sawtelle, and the is given above.
 The father of Bessie Chase left here over a year ago to become an inmate of the home. He had been an engineer at the city water works and the university in recent years. His wife was left here and has been seen about the city since her hus- bands departure. During the incar- ! ceration of Hawkins the mother as sociated with Bessie, who was kept in | iail but q short time