The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-07-09
Killed Wife's Parents at Anduve
in November, 1914
SLAYER SHOWS NO EMOTION
Convicted Man May Be First To Be
Executed by Electricity in
Vermont

NoOuSJUCh, JHly o. 0ultly vi lHui-
der in the first degree was the YER
dict pronounced upon George Warner
IN Windsor county court today, The
jury came in about o'clock after be-
Ing out since noon, and the prisoner
received the announcement with the
stolid indifference which has charac-
terized his behavior all through his
trial.
Spectators crowded the court room,
but if they expected dramatic eli
max to this peculiar trail, all were
disappointed. Not flicker passed
over the impassive face of the pris-
oner, and, If he indeed realized the
rnomentous character of the verdict,
certainly he gave no sign.
Unless reversed by higher court,
the finding of the jury viii stand. and
George Warner will be the first Yer
monter to die in the electric chair at
Windsor, as provided by No. 81 of the
Acts of 1912. Sentence was not pro-
nounced as the prisoners attorney
gave notice of appeal on exceptions.
The murder took place in Simons-
Vile. hamlet in the town of An
dover. November 4 1914, and the mo
tive was alleged by the defense to
haze been iealonSS, due TO the reput-
ed intimacy of Mrs. Warner with a
stage driver. This was pretty effect
lively discounted during the trial, and
the real reason alleged was the sue
ces6fu attempts OF the victims, Mr..
and Mrs. Henry Virgins, to separate
their daughter from her husband who
now faces death in the electric chair
unless cleared by the decision of the
Supreme court,
The case had been on trial since
June IS, aud the only defense was in
sanity. The case against the prison
er was clinched by a confession, al
legged to have been signed by him and
countersigned by a deputy sheriff, in
which he told of the killing in detail
and even confessed the motive.
An expert from the state hospital
for the insane pronounced the man
sane, after close observation under
restraint, and many neighbors swore
TO his ability in the transaction of
ordinary business and the generally
rational character Of his daily life.
The attempt of the defense to show
an uncomfortable frenzy from jealousy
was not successful, the testimony of
Mrs Warner, wife of the prisoner,
aud daughter of the two murdered
victims, apparently having much
weight with the Jury.
Windsor County court has seldom
seen a more dramatic spectacle than
this woman, risking her reputation
and her neighborhood standing and
yet standing up to defend herself
against the aspersions of the defense.
and incidentally drawing the net of
Justice tighter around her husband.
Incidentally, her husband, the fat
ed George Warner, sat before her,
silent, glum nearly motionless, more
like craven image than a man, and
not Il wave of emotion swept his face,
even when his counsel, failing to
break the damaging testimony Of this
singular wife, gave up the task and
let the witness go. Warner still pre-
serves the same speechless and stony
demeanor and neither friend, counsel
nor reporter has been able to elicit
anything of moment from him regard
ing the case.
Judge Fish will pass upon the eX-
ceptions taken by Warmers counsel
and probably allow an appeal before
the adjournment of the present term
OF court.