The Detroit times., 1916-05-22
WAITE UNCON-
CERNED AS
TRIAL OPENS
tcontinued from Page O.eJ

/
for several days. Warren w. Waite
and Frank Waite, father and brother
OF the defendant, were seated far
back in the court room Percy l.
Fisher. the first venireman called
was peremptorily challenged by the
defense. He had said he had a
strong preconceived opinion. He said
he could render judgme Mt. however
on the evidence produced. This did
not satisfy the defense.
The state win introduce evidence
ia prove that Waite, married 70
Clara Peck and having Mrs. Eliza
beth Horton as his studio compan'
ion" in a big New York hotel. actu'
ally did get Mr.. and Mrs. Peck to
New York on a visit and kill them
by poisoning with arsenic.
That he got his wife 70 will her
estate 10 him and was planning her
death, as the third OF the series In
his alleged scheme TO get the Peck
millions.
And that after killing his mother
in.Iaw and engineering the crema'
ticn OF her body 10 prevent the dis
covery Of the cause OF her death. ne
hribed a New York undertaken with
5000 Isl 500 OF this amount was
found where the undertaken told the
police he aid III, to swear that ar
senic wa used in the fluid employ
ed in the embalming Of his father
in-law's Dooy.
With his wife turned against him
snd prosecuting her suit for divorce
and Margaret Horton, HIS studio
companion fresh from the tri
umphs OF a vaudeville engagement
won as a result of the publicity she
gained from her association with
him, Waite faces his fight against
the electric chair without the sup
port either of the woman he married
or the woman he squandered his
money on.
While he lay on cot in Bellevue
hospital. recovering from the effects
OF poisons he had taken in an at
tempt 10 die after the poisoning OF
his father-in-law was discovered
Waite told several stories OF how
il had all happened.
Chief among these was the fable
OF The Man from Egypt. 8.
This mysterious and sinister spir
il, Waite is said TO have assured
District Attorney Swan, was witt
him night and day. goading him or
TO evil deeds.
Nameless and intangible, and pos
sessed of the fendish resourceful
ness of 10000 devils, The Man from
Egypt never has been found. No
is he expected 10 be.
Another story Judge Swan report
ed as having been told him by Wait
was that his fatherin-law was tires
OF living and asked him TO get thu
arsenic for him so he could die.
II was only a few days after th1
death of Peck at the Waite apart
ments on Riverside drive that the
first hint came 10 the authorize:
here and In Grand Rapids that al
was not as IL should be.
This hint took the form Of mys
FERROUS telegram from *. Adams.
in New York, TO the authorities ir
Grand Rapids, advising an investi
CATION before Mr.. Peck's body was
inferred
II has since developed that wher
Waite saw this in the papers, hs
went 10 Margaret Horton at the
school of languages. where they frs
met, and. according to Mrs. Horton
asked her to buy him certain sleep
ing powders" which she says she
did.
Mrs. Horton, who at once begar
giving out columns and columns o
interviews, insisted that the studio
she shared with Waite in the hote
was used only as studio. tina
Waite never was anything more thar
friendly with her, and they they hat
to register under an assumed name
as man and wife, TO get the suite.
Harry Horton, husband OF Tn,
Woman Of Mystery, az first declared
that Margaret was so utterly limo
cent OF the ways OF the world an,
SO incapable OF any wrong that h
felt her association with Waite wa
to be entirely condoned.
Horton said his wife was IAN In
nocent dove among flock Of crows.
Since then, however, Horton hs
been credited with the statemen
that he knew his wife was gettinI
money from someone, but that b
didn't know who. and he didn't lik
to put a detective on her trail.
Mrs. Dorothy van Palmenberg.
friend OF the Horizons, who staunch
ly supported Mrs. Horizons story a
first, later quarreled with her an
gave out a long interview In whic
she told how poor the Horizons wer
when she knew them couple O
years ago and how suddenly and lu,
uriously affiuent they were wher
she met them after Mrs. Horton ha
met Waite.
Mrs. van Palmenberg told OF f1nC
ing lingerie and a silk kimona an
articles OF male attire in suitcas
Mrs. Horton brought to her hous