The Washington times., 1913-03-24
GRAND JURY BEGINS
EATON PROBE TODAY
twenty-five Witnesses May Ap-
pear in Inquiry of Murder
Charge Against Widow.

BOSTON, March 24-The grand jury
was to meet in special session at Plym-
outh today to determine whether Mrs.
Eaton. who is IN Jail on a charge of
having murdered he rhusband, Rear
Admiral ]. G. Eaton, shall be indicted
or set free An indictment would bring
the case automatically before the su-
perlor court More than twenty-five
witnesses are expected to appear before
the grand jury.
The State police have been making a
search for Harry Cate, OF Brant Rock,
formerly q close friend of Mrs June
keyes. a daughter of Mrs. Eaton. &C
cording to information given out by
the authorities, Mrs Keyes, then not
yet married, her mother and Cate were
in bathing one day, when Mrs. Eaton
suddenly said to Cate: The only way
to fix this is 10 shoot him. The
prosecution hopes TO prove that she re-
ferred to the admiral.
The intention of State officials to have
a lunacy commission appointed H. ex-
anime Mrs. Eaton received partial con-
frmation when District Attorney Bar
ker, OF Brcckton, conferred with Chief
Justice Aiken, of the superior court.
over certain matters connected with the
case.
Points in Insanity Charge.
It is said District Attorney Baker will
base his contention of insanity before
the grand jury, on:
First-The conversations of years be-
tween Admiral Eaton and DR.. Joseph
Frame, the family physician. 1t is un-
derstood that the authorities have in
their possession a statement from the
doctor which has to do with something
the Admiral confided to him shortly
before his death. In 1903. when Mrs.
Eaton said the admiral had attempted
to poison her by giving her chloride of
potash tablets for a sore throat, the
admiral, to reassure mis- wife, asked the
doctor to examine the tablets The
physician laughed at Mrs. Eatons fears.
Second-The statement of Hannah
Barnes, former housekeeper for the
Eatons, who probably will testify that
the admiraPs death and told her that
the admiral was getting on her nerves
so that something must be done at once
Third - The statement of James
Prouty, a neighbor of the Eatons, who
Will In all probability testify that not
long before the admirars death he said
thai Prouty was a lucky man not to
have a wife who was trying 10 poison
him.
Mothers Statement to Figure.
Fourth-The statement of Mrs. George
Harrison. the aged mother of Mrs.
Eaton, who in her anxiety to tell the
truth revealed startling things in her
talk with the authorities at the inquest.
She will tell her story again to the
grand jury.
Fifth-The letter written by Mrs.
Eaton to Attorney Marshall Gallon in
1911, in which she asked him TO furnish
her with q Sherlock Holmes type of
insanity expert to watch her husband,
whom she characterized as "a danger
GUS, subtle maniac" 1t is expected
that Gallon is already on his way from
Chicago to testify before the grand jury.
In giving out the letter from Mrs.
Eaton, he said while on a visit to Chl-
cago following her marriage to the ad-
miral she had told MIN her husband
had made a deep study Of poisons.
Sixth The statements of various
neighbors and old time friends of the
Fatons VINO havs-already told of Mrs.
Eaton's queer actions, her extravagan-
ces and her strange opsession for poi
son talk