The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-11-26
NETT|E SUTTON TEST|F|ES
AGAINST MRS. bEEbE
Aged Woman Trial for Completely in the Murder of
Which Her Daughter Was Found Guilty of First De-
gree Unsatisfactory Shows Jim Sutton Was
Trying to Dodge Behind Her When Shot.

Up to this noon only one witness
had been upon the stand in the Beebe
trial. That was Miss Nettie Sutton.
The state completed It's direct EXAM
nation within firty-five minutes, af-
ter starting in at three O'Clock yes
terday afternoon. To accommodate
Attorney Thomas, adjournment was
then had and the cross-eXaminatiOn
was postponed until this morning,
when the entire time was taken by
the questions of the defense ana the
replies of Miss Sutton.
Little was brought out different
from the story as told in the TOtten
trial. 1t might be said that the tes
timony most damaging to Mrs Beebe
was ELECTED from the witness by the
defense this morning in its effort to
discredit Miss Sutton's reliability.
One new feature was that Fred,
James and Nettie Sutton are children
by first marriage of James H. Sui
ton. All the rest of the children
are half brothers and sisters of the
deceased The present Mrs. Sutton
was stepmother to Jimmie Sutton,
but the relation seems to have been
a pleasant one.
Miss Nettie said she was not we'll
acquainted with Mrs. Beebe, owing
TO being absent from the home most
of the time except in the summer for
the past four years. The last two
aud half years she has been teach
ing most of the time Prior to that
she was attending school in Spokane.
Witness declared she and her
brother had not talked at any length
about what they were going to do
when they started toward the fence
10 cut the wires on the tenth of last
August. Nor had they held any con-
versation with their father about the
matter after his return when he fail
ed to get through with the load of
wood.
II was before he reached the fence
that Mrs. Totten threatened Jim and
he said, If you shoot me, I'll throw
this hammer at you
He was moving rapidly toward the
fence and Mrs. Beebe was hurriedly
walking in the same direction. They
reached the spot almost at the same
time with the young man in front.
He started right to work at cutting
the wires. She said, pointing to the
trespass sign, do you see that sign?"
lie replied that he did not care for
The sign and kept steadily at the
task. She began hacking at his hands
with her own axe. Witness was I'M
able TO remember whether Mrs.
Beebe used the handle or the blade
in hacking at Jim's hands.
At this point the attorneys were
reproved by Judge Grimshaw for an
alleged alteration in which they
were indulging. They were admon-
ished that they should make their
complaints direct to the court AT
t-'r an appeal to the records, Attorney
Thomas acknowledged that Frank
Reeves was right in his memory OF
the testimony as given by the wit
less.
Miss Sutton recalled that while her
brother stood at the fence working,
Mrs. Totten poured upon him a con-
tnuous torrent of abuse, winding up
by saying. You should have been in
the penitentiary long ago 1t was
then that Nettie spoke to her for the
first time and asked why Jim should
be in the penitentiary. 1t was then
that Mrs. Totten said for the first
time to Nettie, Shut up or I will
shoot you, too
During all this time WHICH Mrs
Totten was abusing Jim while at
work, Mrs. Beebe was also hacking
at his hands with her AK.
Finally Mrs. Tctten said to her
mother. Get out of the way and we
will shoot him." Mrs. Beebe then
made some move TO get ont of the
way. Jim tried to dodge behind her
two or three times but she got out
of range of the gun when the shot
was fired.
The witness recounted the arrival
of the automobile containing the
sheriff, prosecuting attorney, coroner
and the reporter of the Daily World
She was standing up at the top OF
the hill at the time by the load of
wood which her father had abandon
ed. Mr.. Kemp, the prosecutor, went
to her and she told him some of the
details but not fully. A little later
she came down to the foot Of the hill