New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-10
Victims Sister Impressed
by Dentists Singing at
Church Service.
SHE KNEW HE WAS
UNDER SUSPICION
Miss Peck Believed Him Inno-
cent Until He Repeated
First Confession.

Four days before Dr. Arthur Warren
Waite attempted suicide to escape ar
rest and trial for the murder Of John
T.. Peck, his aged father-in-law, he at
tended evening service in Grace Church
with Miss Catherine A. Peck, sister Of
the murdered man.
She knew at the time that he was
under suspicion. He knew detectives
were on his trail. But each did not
know the other knew. In spite of this,
as she expressed it TO Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Dooling yesterday, Miss
Peck believed implicitly in his inno-
cence. His manly bearing as he rev.
erently participated in the evening
prayer and lifted up his clear tenor
voice in the singing convinced her that
he could do no wrong.
Confession Changed Her Mind.
an fact" she told Mr.. Dooling, ut
was not until he had made public re-
iteration Of his confession that he ad-
ministered arsenic TO both Mrs. Peck
and my brother that l realized his
utter baseness."
Miss Peck's loyalty to the handsome
young husband of her favorite niece
was substantially corroborated by her
private accounts, which she turned over
to Mr.. Dooling yesterday. These showed
that between June, 1915, and last jan
uary she had given outright or ad-
yanced to him on loans more than sll5'-
oOo OF this s48,75o was in checks on
the Farmers Loan and Trust Company
The rest was in securities which Waite
said he had invested for her in first
mortgages.
She never received dollar from
these investments, and Waite apparent
" spent more than $4,000 Of the cash
in little moro than six months his
included a check for $4,000 which Miss
Peck gave him as a wedding present
four weeks before his marriage TO Clara
Peck. last September. Most OF the Sc
curities will probably be recovered from
brokerage concerns where Waite had
placed them for market investments.
Corresponded Often.
His air Of perfect gentility and
frankness convinced Miss Peck OF
Yates honesty, she told Mr. Doollng.
Until two weeks prior to her brothers
death she saw the dentist at regular
intervals and they corresponded at
other times. With the names OF the
banks and individuals omitted at the
request of the District Attorney, the
following is a sample OF the confidential
business letters TO Miss Peck from
Waite, written two days before the ar,
senic which he administered mad
caused the death of Mrs. Peck:
AS Riverside Drive.
New York City, Jan. 2sth. 1915.
My dear Aunt Kate;
The name and address which you asked
me for as regarding the $4,000 loan Is
BLANK
Put hi, name and address In your check
hook counterfeit beneath my name. so in case
~ snv e1igency you could know 10 whom
10 go. OF course, have carefully provided
for any accident 10 me by having proper
papers drawn and legally attested ana de-
posted in duplicate-one IN my private
vaults and one with the state hesls.ta,'
have also given written instructions that all
nv papers are TO be turned over 70 you
Immediately on any accident 70 me- IheSe
instructions are given 70 the = pam
vault Dept. I am obliged TO keep these
napers instead OF giving them 10 you, as
that is a clause Of the agreement. that there
shall be no third party cognizant OF the
loan" That is 10 protect the credit OF we
Arm. of course. | have not told either the
errn for Mr. the -l that am
betraying their identity 20 another, but
think the circumstances warrant IL, anu !
know you will not approach them unless y
becomes necessary by my death or some sue"
reason. ,.,,.-a
You will see. dear. ! an, earefaily guard .N.
ing your interests-even more earefuly man
/ u,onld my own Doing business FOR another
"a always risky 10 friendship. but you ana
get along pretty well ! have az ue ceI
tihcates you gave me, and which you nave
iis,ed carefully fed away in my box at the
RANK and all these, as well as my
nriv,t. papers, are under the same instruc-
tions. namely. that they shall be delivered 20
you il anything happens 70 me W optalnSu
suficient money on the stocks without sen
a., in ,his had market 20 make the loan.
and I will advise you from time 20 time OF
snv sale or change In sfairs. In the mean
time you have made the bonus OF $1,000.
am ineosing a clipping. which may IN
.erest you. Rather egotistical, you VIII say.
wrote Mr.. yesterday; also Mr..
= the day previous. Noting satisfactory
ia. come out Of my efforts yet. regarding
an exchange or sale OF --- property but
am at il, and also At -
Au revoir for the present. dear. and much
Love tom Yours. ARTHUR.
p ST hope you are getting We ---
matters adjusted with Mr.. --.
The clipping was from Grand Rap
ids newspaper, in which much space
was given to the brilliant career Of
Waite in winning scholarships at Edin-
burgh, where be took a course in dem