Atlanta Georgian., 1913-10-12
ly Human Granddaughter Divided
For and Against Mother
BY ANGELA MORGAN.

on October IA. at Plymouth County
! courthouse Mrs. Jennie May Harri-
! son Eaton will go on trial for the al
legged murder Of her husband, the late
| Rear Admiral Joseph Giles Eaton, L.
:. y.
Confined since March 20 behind the
| bars Of Plymouth County farm, Ad-
J miral Eaton's widow springs into
! prominence again. figure OF nation
wide interest.
Not In years has any happening so
shaken the country as the tragedy OF
last March. when. following the sud
| den death OF the retired naval officer
/ In West Norwell his widow was ar
rested and imprisoned, and subse-
| quently indicted BY the Grand Jury
| sitting at Plymouth. charged with
| having poisoned the aged admiral by
white arsenic administered in tea and
coffee at his meals.
The developments in this famous
| case. following quickly one after the
other, revealed a family story of such
weird and yet such intensely human
| elements that the narrative az 1!
flashed from day to day was like a
series Of actual moving pictures. each
film more astonishing than the last.
Country Wide Dragnet Spread.
Events more unusual than any
drama ever portrayed, characters
more striking than any novelist ever
drew, trooped out from the screen;
personalities more vivid than fiction
conceives leaped into light: a whole
array OF fact and incident came to
public attention through statements
Of the family, OF friends and Of neigh
bors in Assinippi, where the family
lived.
A dragnet that covered the country
from South to North and East to
West kept Investigation at a high
pitch. dispatches came from Virginia.
Mrs. Eaton's girlhood home; from
Chicago, her later. residence while the
wife Of d. H. Ainsworth, and from
Washington, where as the admiral's
wife she occupied place OF promi-
nence.
Admiral Joseph Giles Eaton re-
tired, died suddenly at his Assinippi
home Saturday morning, March s.
On March II II became known that
District Attorney Albert F.. Barker. of
Brockton. State Police Inspector John
Scott, OF Braintree, and Deputy Sher-
If John Condor, of Rockland had
been quietly conducting an investiga-
tion in the admirals death.
on March II Mrs. Eaton and her
younger daughter. Dorothy Ainsworth
Eaton, accompanied by newspaper
men, conveyed the body to Oaklawn
Cemetery. Dracut, Cor burial. There
were no services apd no naval escort.
on March 13 authorities visited the
Assinippi home and subjected the
members of the family to a severe
grilling.
Secret Inquest Is Held.
on March Is a secret inquest into
| the death of Admiral Eaton was be-
| gun at bingham courthouse. Both
\ daughters of the widow-the ad
mirars stepdaughters-test at
this inquest.
on Marhh 16 watch was placed
on the Eaton home at Assinippi and
| officers served summonses to the Of
| fetal inquest for the next day
On March 10 District Attorney
| Barker predicted Interesting devel-
opments" The State police began
search Of drug stores for poison sales
On March 20 officials took Mrs
Eaton to bingham, presumably as an
| inquest witness, and there formally
| placed her under arrest
Perhaps no more dramatic scene
was ever enacted than this arrest
Of Admiral Eaton's widow The very
simplicity and quiet of II, the in
| tense stiffness Of the woman, mask
| ing what must have been the crisis
in her life's emotions, made the oc-
/ currence one that will always stand
out sharply In the minds OF all who
saw IT,
Here is the simple statement Of
/ how Mrs. Eaton acted when accused
OF murder:
Deputy Sheriff Condor, reading the
! warrant, touched her shoulder gently
| TO signify that she was his prisoner.
| The widow of Rear Admiral Eaton
! stiffened under the shock of that
| touch, then shuddered a little.
"Murder!" she cried.
! The one word escaped her, then
she grew perfectly composed again.
Where am | going?" she next ask
ed Then; We'll, what about my
clothes?"
As she was about to begin her
| journey to the Jail she murmured,
"Oh, but this is terrible"
AssaiIed by Her Daughter.
! Meanwhile. there has come for
ward to public gaze the two most
attractive and interesting figures
next to Mrs. Eaton, in the case.
| These were the picturesque young
daughters OF the widow, step
daughters of the late admiral
| June Atnsworth Keyes, the elder.
bride OF only a few months at the
time OF the tragedy. wife of Ralph
| Preble Keyes, She is alleged to
have been her mothers favorite.
| Dorothy, the youngest girl, was her
fathers favorite, folks said.
Each daughter told a widely diff
fering story as to the life and actions
of the late admiral June Keyes-
a striking and vigorous personality,
with flashing dark eyes and a high
color that emphasized her state