Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-01

Here is the story of Daisy Grace's
diaboical plot to murder her husband
as Solicitor Dorsey termed it in open
court-the states theory of the plot and
the crime, as the counsel will sum it
up The truth or falsity of the state
ments must be decided by the jury. 1t
is, of course, completely denied by the
defense;
Daisy Opie Grace. widow of Webster
Opie and wife of young Eugene Grace
had been away from the lobster palaces
of the East for nearly year, and was
firing of her boy husband and the quiet
life of Atlanta. They We're living in the
Clements house on North Boulevard
when she persuaded Grace to take out
two life insurance policies in her favor
amounting to $4,000, a sum far in eX-
cess of his means. She intended to
realize on these policies far sooner than
Eugene or the insurance companies had
dreamed and at once began her plans
to that end
Using a Smith Premier typewriter
which had been left in the Clements
hame when they leased it, she wrote a
letter. addressed to Dear Wife Daisy"
and signed Gene" the signature being
made on the machine This was a clev-
erly worded document which should at
once provide an aibi for Daisy and fix
the suspicion of crime upon another
for Daisy had even then planned to
murder Eugene for his insurance money
The Down and Out Friend"
The letter said that Gene had found a
down and out" friend who was going
home to spend the night with him, and
that Gene would not leave for Philadel-
phia that day. as he had expected. The
letter was not dated, for Daisy could not
know just when it must be used
Then they moved to the home at 20
West Eleventh street. and in March
Eugene made plans for trip to Phila-
delphia, probably at Daisy's instigation.
She planned going to his mothers home
at Newman on the same day.
on March 4. the night before the
fateful day Daisy persuaded Eugene
Grace to write, at her dictation a lit
tie note addressed to her. The note
told of his love for her and said my
friend is with me at the house tonight"
1t was intended to corroborate the type
written letter referred to above How
Daisy persuaded her boyish husband to
write this foolish missive can not cas-
lily be explained but he told his law
yers several months ago that he had
written it at her suggestion. as a Joke
The Shooting of Grace.
Daisy put these two missives in an
envelope she persuaded Gene to ad-
dress to her at Newman. Then she hid
them in her handbag.
Next morning. after giving Gene an
overdose of narcotic medicine. she took
his own blue steel revolver and shot
him in the left breast while he lay
asleep in the bed. She pulled the COW
ers over the wound and saw that he
was apparently dead. Then she called
the negro girl to come up and build
fire. She wanted to prove to the serv-
ant that Gene was "all right" then.
But Gene turned little and groaned
aloud What this must have meant tc
the wife is only known to herself but
perhaps she believed his death could be
only a matter Of time She went on
with her plans forbade the servants to
enter the upper rooms. hurried them
away from the house for their day off,
locked Eugene into his room, and went
downstairs,
Then Daisy went downstairs and put
the revolver in window snl in the
drawing room The Insurance policies
Wereo My few months old. and the
companies Will not pay the premiums