Semi-weekly herald., 1912-07-29
READY TO TRY MRS. GRACE.


READY TO TRY MRS. GRACE.
ATLANTA, Ga, July 27.-The
criminal division of the superior court,
Judge l.. S. Roam presiding, will meet
here next Monday and the opening of
the session is awaited with unusual
and statewide interest, for the first
case to be taken up is that of Mrs.
Daisy Opie Grace, who is charged
with having attempted to murder her
husband, Eugene Hamilton Grace.
This intense interest in the case is
due not so much to the social promi-
nence of the defendant and her alleged
victim, but to the peculiar circum-
stances surrounding the case and the
mystifying features which promise to
make the trial one long to be remem-
bered
Mr.. and Mrs. Grace came to this
city from Philadelphia, their former
home, about eight or ten months ago.
According to statements made by Mr.
Grace since the shooting, his wife,
who is an unusually handsome and at
tractive woman, used to be one of the
numerous sirons of the Great White
Way of New York, where he became
acquainted with her few years ago.
She fascinated him and, after brief
courtship, he married her and took
her to Philadelphia, where he held a
responsible position. Less than year
ago Mr.. Grace, who is well to do and
has property interests in the south,
decided to remove to Atlanta, where
he owns some valuable real estate.
Grace and his wife made a good
impression and freely mingled in local
social circles. They seemed to be de-
voted to one another and nobody ever
suspected that bloody tragedy lurk-
ed behind the all-deceiving mask of
happiness. The catastrophe came in
the night of March 5. What really
occurred within the secrecy of the
Graces' beautiful home on West Elev-
enth street, is still mystery, the So
luton of which at the coming trial is
awaited with intense interest Be
yond general denial of the charges
made by her husband Mrs. Grace has
volunteered no statement that would
throw any light upon the events of
that night. Mr.. Grace, however, has
not been so reticent.
According to his statement, made
on the day after the shooting, when
the doctors expected that his death
would be merely question of a few
hours, Mr. Grace was in bed, asleep,
when his wife shot him. Awakened
by the shot, ne found himself power
less to move and begged his wife to
according to Mr.. Grace's story, but
instead of calling a doctor, she took
the next train for Newman, the home
of Mr.. Grace's mother. There she
was arrested upon the charge of at
tempted murder, and brought back to
Atlanta. Later she was released un-
der $4,000 bail.
Mr.. Grace was desperately wounded
and at first the physicians entertained
no hope that he would live for more
than a few hours. But his splendid
constitution helped him to fight off
death. He was taken to a sanatorium
where he gradually gained strength,
although his lower limbs remained
completely paralyzed. After a month
or more he was taken to his mothers
house at Newman, in this state, where
he continued to improve. Although
the physicians have no hope of his
complete recovery from the injury
caused by the bullet, he is able to
get about with the help Of crutches.
The victim of the tragedy has dis
played great bitterness against his
wife since her arrest and has sup
NIied practically all the evidence in
the hands Of the prosecution which is
TO be used at the trial. He openly
declared thai his wife was an arven-
turess ana had duped him into marry
ing her, although she did not love him
and cared only for what she could
get out of him. He stated that some
time ago lie had insured his life for
$27 900 upon her suggestion and made
the charge that she had tried to mur-
der him 10 get possession of the
money, which would have enabled her
to return to her former friends in
New YORK.
Mr.. Grace, who has come to At
lanta from Newman to attend the trial,
although under the law he is barred
from testifying against his wife,
charged that his wife had drugged
him on the evening before the shoot
ing and had induced him TO write a
letter, addressed to her at Newman,
in which he was made to say that he
would not 90 to Philadelphia as plan
ned but would remain another day,
because a friend would stay at his
house Tuesday night-the night Of
the shooting. This letter was mailed
by Mrs. Grace, but did not reach her
and forms now an important item in
the evidence in the hands of the prose-
cution The case has aroused great
deal of feeling as evinced by the fact
that short time ago bill was in
troduced in the legislature by Repre-
sentative Harrell, which would allow
either husband or wife to testify
against the other.
It took Raw Collins a couple of