The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-05-20
70 BE TRIED
FOR WIFE MURDER

Colville, Wash, May 6.-On Sun
law. George l.. Pepoon, now confined
i'll the Stevens county Jail. may mar
ry Maud Keller, to whom he has al
ready been married in British Column
bia, and thereby prevent the woman
from testifying against him when he
is placed on trial the following day
to answer to the charge of having
murdered his first wife This is one
of the interesting features of a case
which has attracted attention throu
ghort Oregon, Washington and Ida
he, and the trial of which is awaited
with intense interest.
George L. Pepoon and his wife
were residents Of Newport, this coun-
". The death of Mrs. Pepoon occur
red on August 20, last, and at the
time was ascribed to natural causes.
Shortly afterward, however, Mrs. D.
n. Wolcott. of Portland, the mother
of the dead woman, visited the scene
md brought to light facts which lie =,
TO the arrest and indictment of toe
husband on the charge of having
murdered the wife by putting strych-
nine in her food. Sensational devel-
opments in the case followed in rapid
succession until the evidence became
SO strong that the prosecuting attor-
ney is of the opinion that the accus-
ed husband can not escape conviction
even though he marres the woman
with whom he is now living and
thereby prevents her being called as
a witness for the state
On the day following the funeral
OF Mrs. Edith Pepoon, Maude Keller,
whose conduct with Pepoon had been
the cause OF much comment, applied
fer divorce from her husband who
had left her several years before.
When her case came up for hearing.
Pepoon was the only witness in her
behalf. The decree was granted.
Then, without waiting for the Pc
riod of six months to elapse( as the
law of the state of Washington re-
,quires before a diorced woman can
ae-marrY, Pepoon and the Keller wo-
man went to Rossland, B. c., and
there wedding ceremony was per-
formed. Upon their return to the
town of Newport they lived as hus-
band and wife, although their mar
rage was not recognized by the laws
of this state. The six months requir-
ed by law will elapse on the day be-
fore that fixed for the trial of Pc
poon to begin. If the woman sue
ceeds on Sunday next in having the
marriage ceremony performed in Jail
she will thereby escape beng called
as witness in the murder case, as
the law prescrbes that wife can
not testify against her husband The
prosecuting attorney, however, pro
fesses to have strong enough case
against the husband without the tes-
tinony of the wife.
The prosecution declares that Pc
poems desire to marry the Keller wo-
man was not the only motive that
might have induced him to commit
the alleged murder. 1t has been
learned that shortly before the death
OF Mrs Pepoon the husband had in
duced her to take out life insur-
aace policy for $1,000. Three weeks
after the woman took out the policy,
she was given a glassful of strange
colored liquid, according to the state
ment of the prosecuting attorney.
The liquid, it is said, was prepared
by Ray Wilcox, paroled convict who
was familiar with drugs and poisons.
Fifteen minutes after she had swal-
lowed the liquid, the woman was
dead, the victim, as was determined
by the analysis, of strychnine poison
ing. Almost simultaneously. Wilcox
disappeared, after cashing in Pc
poems check for 500.