The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-01-08
Twice Did Mrs. King Weaken When
About to Murder Her
Husband.
HIRED MAN TO KILL HIM
No Woman Has Been Sent to Death
In State of Georgia Since
Early Seventies.

~
Macon. Ga, Jan. 7.---Repudiatine
her confession that she had planned
the crime and forced Nick Wilburn
TO kill her husband, James King, the
wealthy Jones county planter, Mrs
Ka.herine King declares that Will
burn alone is responsible for hei
husbands dean and that she was
forced in the plot by Wilburn, who
threatened her unless she consented
to get King out of the way.
Mrs. King, who is still in the
Jones county Jail at Grays, has ac-
copied the services Of State Senator
w. d. Mcneil OF Mason, employed by
her brother, w. s. simmons, Macon
merchant. to defend her and en-
deapor TO save her from the gallows
Simmons went to his sisters aid
Only after the Rev. j. r. Lee, a Bap-
tist minister, had prayed with him
to forgive and help the woman
Joan f. cooper, a noted criminal
lanyer, has been engaged by Will
tagns aged father TO defend him
The cider Wilhurn declares that his
scl must not suffer alone for Kings
death. .ss-n 81
Women of Jones county are oifef-
ing aid TO Mrs. King, the wife ei
tho special prosecuting attorney be-
ing one OF them
The gallows, which has not
claimed a woman victim in Georgia
since the early seventies, may claim
another before the new year has
run its course If Mrs, King is con-
vitted of the crime she now denies
do you think you will hang?"
Mrs. King was asked. Il suspect
Will" she replied
II hope Wilbnrn hangs and that
they will let re see him die.
Mrs. King, a woman of thirty-Gye
mother Of six children, q few days
ago confessed to the murder OF her
husband, with two motives in her
heart, q paltry $4,000 life insurance
and an opportunity to crafty her in
fatuation for the man whom she
hired to commit the actual crime
The story from Mrs. Kings own lips
is one OF the most remarkable recitals
in the annals of the Georgia courts
Twice did the wife put into effect
her plot to bring about her husbands
death, The first attempt failed be-
cause she weakened at the last mo-
ment and worked as tenderly to save
his life as she had planned deliber.
ately TO slay him. Her instrument
was the same in both attempts. Nick
Wilburn, twenty-five-year-old
farm hand. was her accomplice and
her choice for a second husband.
Stryehnine given to King by Will
burn in glass of whisky was used
in the first attempt on the planters
life. But when King came reeling
Ihome, deathly sick from the effects
OF the poisonous drug, the wife, who
had directed the attempt to slay
him, was overcome by her affection
and gave him an emetc which saved
| his life,
Kings own shotgun was The see
ond instrument Of death chos by
the guilty pair, and it did its work
Wilburn, stealing upon the planter
snatched the gun from its owners
hands and shot him down. The
slayer arranged the body to indicate
an accident and stole back to whisper
his story to the waiting widow. M
eve had seen the murder in the field
none beside the two conspirators sus.
pected the plot; but the ancient
adage that murder win out wa
proved true once more, and VIII
burns own pale face and trembling
lips We're witnesses against him.
He was arrested, thrown into Jail
questioned by cool-headed officers
and there, as craven under accusa.
tien as he had been in conspiracy, he
confessed his crime and blamed thf
woman. Her arrest and confession
followed on the heels of her ac-
completes story.
! with God Almighty as my helper
will tell you the truth said Mrs
King. in her published confession
81 cannot meet my God with a liz