The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-18
MRS. EATON WAS
HYSTER|CAL TOWARD
ADMIRAL At TIMES
Mother of Accused Woman
on Stand = COrrObOrates
>. Other Testimony of
the Prosecution

GreenviIIe. October I7.--City Clerk II.
j. Fhasard has been appealed to by Of
ficials of Plymouth. Mass. for informa-
tion relative to Rear Admiral Joseph
Giles Eaton. whose wife IL on trial
there. as his alleged slayer, which is
desired for use In the prosecution.
Before the civil war no adequate rec-
ords were kept, and what few records
were made were destroyed many years
ago when the Butler county courthouse
was burned. Old citizens here recall the
fact that a Professor Eaton came to
Greenville before the war between S..e
states. and while here a child, said to
be the late rear admiral, was born to his
wife.
Plymouth Mass, October 17.-Mrs. Vir-
ginia Harrison of Alexandria, Va, men,
Der of a prominent family of that sta te.
was called by the prosecution today to
tell about conditions in the home of her
daughter, Mrs. Jennie May Eaton. who is
being tried on the charge of numbering
her husband, Rear Admiral Joseph Giles
Eaton, U. S. N, retired, by giving him
poison.
Mrs. Harrison said her daughter mani
Tested "hysterical tendencies' toward the
admiral at times. During the last -four
years the witness spent much time al
her daughters home in Assinippi She
testified she had considered her son-in-
law always very much of a gentleman"
Her daughter, she said, seemed actually
to believe that the admiral dabbed in
drugs and was insane Mrs. Harrison
saw no signs of these things She had
seen the admiral intoxicated. she testified
but never detected any signs of the drug
habit. She first noticed the admirars final
illness on March before he had eaten
the roast pork which Mrs. Eaton claimed
was the cause of that attack.
Witness in Tears
Today was the first time she had seen
her daughter since Mrs. Eaton left home
March 20 to attend the inquest at Hing
ham, where she was arrested on the
charge of murder. Often, as she an
swered the questions of District Attorney
Barker tears rolled down her cheeks
Whenever she seemed on the verge of
breaking down, Mrs. Eaton would lean
forward and smile reassurngly
Mrs Harrison took the stand after her
16-year-old granddaughter, Dorothy Aims
worth, had finished six hours of testi-
mony. She corroborated much of what
Dorothy. had said about friction in the
household.
Court was kept sitting beyond the usual
hour in order to let Mrs. Harrison finish
her testimony, but attorneys for the de-
Tense said they might call her again.
The district attorney sought to bring
out in Mrs. Harrison's testimony cor
roboration of Dorothy Ainsworth's
statements that her sister, June, ex-
ercised great influence over her moth
er. Both witnesses said that June's
absence from the Eaton home was due
to the admrafs objection to her pres
ence and that June was the cause of
much of the discord between the ad-
miral and his wife.
In cross-examination of Mrs. Harri-
SON. william A. Morse counsel for the
defense, asked whether the cause of
the admiral's dislike for June was her
repulse of an attempted attack on her.
Chief Justice Aiken ordered the ques-
ton stricken out.
Quarreled Before Death
Mrs. Harrison testified that Admiral
and Mrs. Eaton quarreled on the Mon
day preceding his death.
Mrs Harrison admitted that Mrs.
Eaton was very jealous of the admiral
at times.
Regarding Mrs. Eatons statements
that the admiral was insane. Mrs Har-
rison testified that her daughter want
ed him examined and that she had
nurse come to observe him. Mrs Eaton
also wrote to her mother in Virginia
that she thought the admiral insane
and intmated that she feared him.
Mrs. Harrison said she hurried to her
daughters side and not finding any
thing out Of the way, told Mrs Eaton
her fears were without foundation
Many times, said Mrs. Harrison, she
heard June and her mother express
fears of poisoning. Mrs. Harrison said
the admiral was very fond of his Wife