South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-18
GIRL ONSTAND
AGAINST HER
MOTHER

- h-OO II Mass OCAs Is -
Damaging testimony against Mrs.
Jennie May Eaton. on trial for the
murder of her husband. Rear Admir-
al JOS. G. Eaton. was given Friday by
her own daughter Dorothy.
The 16 year old school girl, testi-
flying unwillingly for the prosecution
swOre that on the day before her
step-father died her mother had be-
came angry at him. 1t is the conten-
ton OF the prosecution that in a fit
of jealous anger Mrs. Eaton admins
tered poison to her husband in his
food.
At the outset Judge Aiken who has
taken a fatherly interest in the girl.
suggested that she remove her hat
and the girl walked directly to her
mother, who unfastened the veil. 1t
was an odd spectacle for a murder
trial Mrs. Eaton's face was very
close as Dorothy said:
Thank you, mother"
That's all right, dear" answered
Mrs. Eaton.
Dorothy testified Thursday that her
mother was easily angered. unreaSon-
0bAA JNeAAOuS dilu IlcU communal ndllu-
clnations that the admiral was trying
to poison the family
Mrs. Eaton sat quietly in her chair
but occasionally leaned forward and
caught Dorothy's eye. The girl al
ways smiled back, but these incidents
appeared to upset her
In beginning his examination the
district attorney placed emphasis on
the relations between the older sis
NTrc IL.
the household. Dorothy said that
both June and her mother had often
expressed the belief that the baby
adopted by the Eatons in 1909 was
poisoned by the admiral. despite the
fact that the medical experts had re-
ported their inability to find any trace
of poison.
Not the Only One.
Mrs Eaton, Dorothy continued,
baby was not the only one in the
family who had suffered from poison.
but that she and June had been given
poison by the admiral
To bear out these statements Mrs.
Eaton had shown the girl marks on
her body which she said had been
made by the admiraFs hypodermic
needle. TO Dorothy the marks looked
like ordinary scratches, she testified.
The witness said her mother often
wiped off the plates before eating,
explaining that she was afraid the
admiral had sprinkled them with poi
son.
Dorothy said Mrs. Eaton had dis
charged more than half a dozen
maids with whom she accused the ad-
miral of flirting. The names of 9TH
er women of whom Mrs. Eaton had
apparently been jealous were men
toned by the witness. The admiral,
she went on. always denied the
charges of Irritation, treating them as
a joke. while Mrs. Eaton on the 9TH
er hand, seemed easily provoked on
the subject
Admiral Had Tea.
Bringing the testimony down TO the
night of Thursday, March 6, the day
before the admirars death, the dis
trict attorney questioned the girl
about the supper. Dorothy said she
and the admiral had tea. but that
Mrs. Eaton did not. She thought the
admiral prepared the beverage, but
she was not sure. They also had pork
for supper. 1t was this pork. which
Mrs. Eaton claimed had caused her
husbands illness.
The admiral seemed to be in a hap
py mood at the supper table. and in
the library directly afterwards told
many jokes and stories. In a little
, while. however, he complained of
nausea.
That night, Dorothy went on, her
mother told her she must go right TO
| bed. Dorothy complained that she
had lessons to do, but her mother in
sisted. Admiral Eaton, however, fin
! ished the girls algebra lesson for her
and took the completed problem up
to her bedroom.
When Dorothy came home from
school the next day she testified she
| found the admiral in his room in a
| semi-conScious condition. She started
| to get him hot water bottle, but her
mother objected, saying that she had
done all that could be done and that
no one else should be bothered.
After supper Dorothy said Mrs
Eaton told her she could sit up only
! an hour and must be in bed by s
| o'clock. Dorothy again protested on
/ account Of her lessons but without
avail. The admiral. she said, tried tC
| help her with her algebra, but he
/ appeared unable to grasp the prob
| lem and asked Dorothy 10 give him
something easier. She did so but he
still seemed unable to understand and
said he would have TO give 1t up.
Awakened i'm Night.
i Mrs Eaton slept with Dorothy that
night. locking the door behind hel
as she entered. Later Dorothy was
/ awakened she said, by her grand
mother, Mrs. Virginia Harrison
knocking on the door and calling.
! Come quick, Jennie, The admira
/ has fallen out Of bed"
Mrs. Eaton and Dorothy rushed &C
| the admirals room and found hin
on the floor partly conscious. Mrs
Eaton stayed with the admiral while
/ Dorothy returned TO bed. She wa:
aroused later by her mother, whC
cried:
"Oh, Dorothy. l think the admira
is dead"
Dorothy then telephoned the doc
tor and the undertaken.