East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-02-03
TESTIMONY ENDS IN WARNER
TRIAL. ARGUMENTS BEING MADE
CASE EXPECTED TO GO TO JURY THIS EVENING
Courtroom Crowded as Accused Woman Tells of Search
For Will and Alleged Plot to Defraud
Her of Her Inheritance.

With the courtroom jammed clear
to the Railways, attorneys for the
state and defense are this afternoon
submitting their arguments conclud-
ing the third trial of Mabel Young
Warner on a charge of forgery. Both
sides concluded their testimony and
rebuttal by noon today after the state
had failed to continue the case until
Monday morning in order to bring up
witnesses from Portland to establish
the reputation of w. w. Williams,
handwriting expert.
At 1880 this afternoon, r. j. Slater,
special deputy prosecutor, opened the
argument for the state and occupied
the attention of the jury for a half
hour as he reviewed briefly the salient
points in the testimony by which the
state hopes to prove that Mrs. War
ner not only knowingly uttered a
fraudulent will but had carefully laid
a plan by which "to perpetrate a gi-
gantic fraud"
Mr. Slater was followed by Joe Skra-
BILE for the defense who began his
plea with an eloquent appeal and he
twill be followed in turn by r. r.
Johnson for the defense and Sam E
Van Vactor for the prosecution. 1t
is expected that the case will be turn
ed over to the jury late this after
noon but there are not many that be-
lieve a verdict will be returned before
Monday morning.
Defense Concludes Testimony.
The defense concluded its original
testimony at $3.50 this morning after
introducing witnesses to impeach w
w. Williams, the Portland handwrit-
ing expert. Mrs. Warner, however,
played her trump cards yesterday af-
ternoon by her own dramatic recital
of her life history and by the intro
duction of L. B. Thompson, a hand
writing expert of Spokane
In her testimony she denied much
of the evidence submitted against her
and the denial was couched in most
vigorous terms. Thompson declared
that Young was one man in million
in his ability to write his own sigma
ture exactly alike time after time.
This testimony was intended to offset
the testimony of the states experts to
the effect that it was an impossibility
to produce three signatures identically
alike without tracing.
Thompson also gave his opinion
that the fourth will is in the genuine
handwriting of ]. w. Young but he
would not make the definite announ-
cement that such was fact, declar-
ing that there has been so much for
gerry in connection with the case that
he was 10th to make a positive state
ment. However, he did brand
wills No. and No. 81 as forgeries
but, by comparing them with letters
written by Mrs. Warner, declared that
the defendant had not written them.
Attacks Williams Reputation.
H II. Collier, formerly an attorney
of this city but now living in st.
Johns, Warren Merchant of the same
town and John w. King of Yamhill,
were all placed on the stand and testi-
fled that the reputation of w. w. Will
liams for truth and veracity is bad.
on cross examination the state
brought out that Golfers brother once
acted as attorney against Williams.
With this testimony the defense
concluded its original testimony and
the state began its rebutal by intro
ducing evidence to establish the repu-
tation of Attorney John Lawrey. r.
Alexander, George Peringer, c. E.
Roosevelt, ]. w. Maloney, Lot Liver