The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-01
Defense Of Mrs, Grace VIII be rha.
Her Husband Attempted to KIN
HmseIf by Shoot
Ing.
FOURTEEN WITNESSES
Grace Held up as Monster and the
Jury VIII Probably Favor
the Woman In tho
Case.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service. /
ATLANTA, Aug. 1.--Eugene Grace
shot himself following bitter dispute
with his wife. was the explanation of
the shooting OF the prominent Allan.
tan which Mrs. Grace's ATTORNEYS to-
day outlined as their defense to the
charge that Mrs. Grace attempted his
murder.
Attorney Branch OF the defense
counsel, suddenly changed his plans
when court met today, springing the
new defense for the first time since
the mysterious shooting on March S.
1t had been planned to place Mrs.
Grace on the stand as the first Wit
ness for the defense, but the attorney
decided at once to lay the foundation
Tor their charge of attempted suicide
by calling witnesses whose identify,
they have carefully guarded up to
this time. Mrs. Grace said she hoped
to take the stand late this afternoon.
Attorney Branch, for Mrs. Grace
surprised the prosecution when he
declared that the defense expected to
provo that Grace shot himself, in a
suicide attempt, following a quarrel
with his wife. The dispute, he said
had arisen over the power of attorney
which Mrs. Grace gave her husband
and which Grace expected to take to
Philadelphia with him on March 8, in
/ disposing Of Mrs. Grace's property on
Spruce street, Following this contro.
/ versy. Grace shot himself, the attor-
ney declared.
The defense then announced It's list
OF fourteen witnesses. Among these
We're Included two physicians and a
tarined nurse, who are expected to
give testimony that Mrs. Grace will
shortly become mother.
long controversy was precipitated
by Attorney Branchs bitter denuncia-
tion of the prosecutions course. He
insisted that every fibre of the
states case was rotten" and that their
theory that Grace was shot during the
night was utterly untrue and wholly
ridiculous"
Solicitor Dorsey objected to
Branch's criticisms, but Judge Roam
permitted the defense attorney to
continue
I'VE will show" Mrs. Grace's coun.
sci continued, that the charge that
Grace was drugged was false and that
Grace himself bought a patent medi-
cine for his cold. We will show that
he got up on the m orning of March 5
after the prosecution claims he was
shot and wrote check dating it
March 5. He talked over the tele-
phone at 10 o'clock that morning. We
will show that instead of trying to
keep people away from her home Mrs.
Grace was moving about just as she
did every other day. She was playing
the piano at 10 when a negro servant
formerly employed by friend, called
to learn their employers present ad-
dress.
I'VE will show that Grace was shot
after II O'Clock and that he was not
'doped.' 1t is ridiculous to say she at
tempted to kill him for his life insur-
ance. We will show that Mrs. Grace
spent thousands Of dollars on him
and that he did not work In year
she spent between $4,000 and $4,000
on him, setting him up in business.
He made her promise under oath
not to reveal all the miserable facts
and disgrace him. She kept her
promise because he had mania for
society. We will show that the alibr
letters were written by Grace"
Here Branch digressed to indicate
that he would not call Mrs. Grace to
the stand until tomorrow.
Grace, Branch declared, was plot
ting to get all his wife's money. Part
of this plot was to secure power of
attorney from his wife, under author
ity of which he could have sold every
bit of her property.
THAT is the only 'diabolicaI plot in
this case" the attorney asserted.
while this husband was travelling all
over the country, stopping at fashion
able hotels, Mrs. Grace was paving
the bills She did 1t, in spite of the
fact that he repeatedly and cruelty
beat her.
I'VE will show you that it was
Grace who wanted to take out life in
surance so he could boast about being
rich"