The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-03-26
WHOLESALE POISON
CAMPAIGN NOW IS
CHARGED 10 WAITE
Dentist Had Enough Deadly
Drugs to Murder Score and
Studied Their Use.

Waite for months. foh~ y, nooling.
acting district attorney. asserted today
In discussing the case Of tho young
dentist. who on Friday confessed no
bought the poison which killed his mil
lionaire father-in-law. John E. Peck.
1--WE are satisfied now" said Dooiing,
that he sought the lives of at least
four other persons"
He would not give tho facts that led
him to this conclusion, but this much
already. Is known:
Waite since last December has come
into possession OF quantities OF poison
sufficient to kill at least a score.
Some of this was bought through
receptions like that he practiced to OBJ
tain the dram and half which was
found IN Peck's stomach.
Other poisons were obtained through
prescriptions In which arsenic and
other deadly drugs formed a constitu-
ent part The young graduate dentist,
trained In chemistry. ia believed to have
resolved these poisonous ingredients out
OF the prescriptions.
Studied Books on Poison.
For a long time Waite has given all
his spare hours to the study of stand
ard textbooks which treated AZ poison.
The composition OF poisons. the method
OF applying them. and their effects on
the human system all were carefully
perused, aA-bokmarks in the volumes
showed. Arsenic In this broad study
OF poisons was the specialized subject.
II became known today through Mrs
Margaret Horton. who was registered
WuENN h ala
the name of "Mr. and Mrs. Walters"
that Waite had made her an involun-
tary agent in obtaining these medicines.
She had several prescriptions filled for
him. 1t Is understood.
Mrs. Horton was questioned In the
office. OF the district attorney by Dool-
ing and George N. Brothers, another
assistant district attorney, for more
than an hour.
The young woman, recently a concert
singer. In her talk with Dooling and
Brothers assumed the attitude that she
had had q narrow escape for the crimi-
nal tendencies of Waite.
Her friendship with him. she pro-
tested. to her inquisltors, was entirely
platonic. She did not know until long
after they first had taken a room In
the Hotel Plaza that she was known ns
MRS. Walters" u..
u.
duce me to take medicines" she said.
Il believe now he intended to kill me-"
Tells of Meeting Dr.. Waite,
She told how she had met DIR. Waite
at the Academy OF Music Christmas
week. She remarked upon his attention
at that time. and told how she refused
TO ride to her home in his automobile
that night. She said he often spoke
OF his wife. DR.. Waite. said the young
singer. Invited her TO mis- home to meet
his wife.
Before her marriage to Harry Mack
Horton she was Margaret Weaver. a
native OF Cincinnati, but who was raised
with her brothers and sisters in Mis-
soula. Mont. Her words conveyed to
the District Attorneys assistants a pic
ture OF DR.. Waite, the fascinatorI boast
Ing of his practice. talking stocks and
bonds. '.
While Mrs. Horton narrated her. story
with an apparently engaging frankness,
information, reached the District At
torney from other sources, seemingly
serving to, demonstrate, that she was not
teling all she knew.
For instance, without her. telling It..
IL became known that on March Is,
when Waite returnedt from. Grand Rap
ids. he expected her to meet him at
the station. She was not there when
he arrived. so he called UP the Plaza.
When he could not find her he walked
all through the 'concourse OF the Grand
Central Station. Afterward he reached
her on the telephone.
Told to Leave Plaza.
''Clear out of the Plaza Immediately
he said. IT am being Swallowed by de-
tectives."
She paid the bill, which amounted to
more than $500 On Tuesday she met
him. This was the day the newspapers
first told of the suspicious directed
against him.
Did you. do this thing?" she asked
him.
'of course not" he answered. You
Mrs. Horton was able to give corrob-
grafton of several features in the evil
dence-necessary elements. to the prose-
cution Of Waite for first degree murder.
In the light of recent revelations she
believes that Waite's interest in her was
actuated solely through cupidity. She
believes now that she, and her husband
were slated for death because OF the
wealth both have come into recently
Waite asked about her husbands re-
sources, about his success in the sale
of aeroplanes. OF his prospects of zeal
ling on his several inventions, accord
ing to the woman's story.
Helped by Deposit Box.
The safety deposit box leased by
Waite in the Fifth Avenue Bank has
yielded a mine of information to the
district attorney. Through 1t he estab.
lished the facts about the other poisons
Also in this small treasure chest he
found n book that contained the names
OF many women, most of them OF ques'
tionable character.
Dr.. otto +. Schultze, county medica
examiner, returned from Grand Rapids
and filed his formal report OF the au
topsy. The stomach of Peck. he said
contained approximately ninety. grain,
of arsenic, which would account for tn,
full dram and a half which Waite pur
chased on false representations.
In his cot In the prison ward DIR
Waite was visited by his brother anC
father Their call cheered him con
siderably.
From what the hospital auth brittle.
aay. the prisoner attempted to starV'
himself TO death. On Friday, aftei
his talk with District Attorney Swami
he refused to eat
As his vitality cbbed during the night
the nurses OF the hospital used theii
persuasion again TO make him eat II,
put aside all nourishmeht YESTERDAY
he rejected the food before him.
On tho orders of DR., Gregory II wal
deeided 10 Use the stomach pump TO rio
his stomach OF the excessive dose %
drugs he had taken on Tuesday