The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-30
Not Guilty by Reason of In.
sanity Is One, Carrying
With 1t Commitment to
an Asylum for Life.
JURY RETIRES TO GO
OVER THE EVIDENCE
Woman Portrayed as a Low.
ing Wife by Counsel for
Defense; Called a Rattle.
snake by Prosecution.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. Oct 2e.-The
case Of Mrs. Jennie May Eaton,
charged with the murder Of her hus-
band, Rear Admiral Joseph @. Eaton,
was given to the jury shortly after 6
o'clock tonight.
Various exhibits including bottles of
arsenic and letters written by Mrs.
Eaton, were taken to the jury room to
be considered by the jury, in accord
ance with the instructions Of Chief JUS
tice Aiken,
Almost the entire day was taken up
with the arguments of counsel, the
charge of Judge Aiken occupying only
half an hour at the end,
William A. Morse, counsel for Mrs.
Eaton, spoke for four hours, drawing q
picture Of the defendant as a loving,
self-sacrificing wife, entirely justified
in her beliefs about her husband.
Says Charge Not Proven.
"she was martyr and her only
fault was that she Ioved too much, "
her attorney declared, while he por~
trayed the admiral as mau Of double
personality, one in whom corruption
was concealed under the mask OF, gen-
tlemanly bearing. He asserted that the
prosecution had not proved single
count in its murder charge against Mrs.
Eaton.
"The accused woman" he said,
"does not avail herself of any claim OF
insanity to avoid condemnation, but
bravely demands verdict on the
facts"
Mr.. Morse argued that the evidence
showed the death Of the admiral could
not have been caused by an insane per-
son.
District Attorney Albert T. Barker,
after outlining the evidence against
the accused, asked that if the jury be-
lieved the defendant was irresponsible
she be found ''not guilty by reason of
insanity"
"She is more dangerous than rat
tlesnake md there is no telling whom
she may bite next If she is allowed her
freedom,' he added.
The district attorneys argument oc-
cupied three hours.
Charge of the Judge.
After Judge Aiken had delivered his
charge, he gave the case into the jury 3
hands at 6:13, announcing, however,
that the jury might go to supper be-
fore beginning the deliberations. In
his charge Judge Aiken said there were
four verdicts possible:
Not guilty; not guilty by reason of
insanity; guilty Of murder in the first
degree; guilty of murder in the second
degree.
Judge Aiken explained that a verdict
Of "not guilty by reason Of insanity"
carried with 1T "an order from the
court committing the prisoner for life
to an Insane asylum"
In connection with a verdict Of
"murder in the first degree" the
Judge said the jury must be satisfied
that there was deliberate premedita-
tion,
Judge Aiken commented upon the
fact that the Eaton case was unique in
that the government is the party con-
tending that the defendant Is Of un.
sound mind. He said 1t usually was
the defense that claimed insanity,
"Malicious intent must be proved,
but a motive is not necessary" added
the court,
The charge to tho jury followed
bitter denunciation OF the testimony of
the defense by District Attorney Bar.
ker.
"Poison Woman's Weapon"
After saying Mrs. Eaton was the
only person who hnd opportunity to adj
minister fatal arsenic doses, the dis
trict attorney exclaimed Poison is a
woman's weapon.