The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-26
Fed Both Mother-in-law and
Father-in-law on Germs I'm
til Death Came
TELLS COURT HE WAS
ALWAYS DISHONEST
Admitted He Married Child
Like { lara Peck In Order to
Get Her Money-Always
Stealing and Always Caught

New York. May 2s.-Arthur War
rem Waite on the witness stand to-
) night admitted numbering his father
ln-iaw, John E Peck, the millionaire
4. chemist of Grand Rapids. Michigan.
Starting at O'Clock this afternoon
and talking far into the night. he told
story so depraved, so horror-laden
and so debasing that the jurymen
sneered at his huddled form.
He began with his birth and stopped
only after telling of the murder and
his subsequent efforts to hide his
crime. He confessed that he was
thief. blaekguard, a liar and a STAY
er for avartee. He admitted he mar
ried the child-like Clara Louise Peck
Tor the money she would bring him.
A Tale OF Terrible Deprayity.
Through his school days. his col
lege years and his roamings through
Southern Africa he dragged his mis-
cradle tale OF sloth, cunning and
crime. And he did 1t all in a fatuous
N attempt to convince the twelve men
to whom he spoke that he was insane
and therefore not to die murder
er's death
During the afternoon and while he
told his tale OF lust for gold, Mrs
Clara Peck Waite--his wife-set
within arms reach of the wretohed
man. In front of him were arraved
the weary jurymen. who sometimes
smiled and sometimes sneered In re-
vulsion. To his right SAT six ple'bc-tc
aiienists, who tomorrow will diagnose
his story and his behavior. Two CT
them will argue him mailman.
Three will refute their fellow psychia-
trieis
Except fer his lawyer. Walter
Rogers DAuei, his father and two
e~gN
loathed and abtect. The woman who
was loyal TO him until his castles
|Acrashed to earth. Margaret Horton.
was not In court She at the last.
rad left him to make his fight alone
Thus came the denouement of this
most fascinating of murderer dramas
Terrorized BY His Own Story.
He spoke with a soft drawi. His
words were well chosen and well ar
tIcuiated But his voice was as weak
as his story WAS loathsome. He start
Cd with a tigh. hravado. He smiled
at his pes,ishness and little sins. But
ne stopped. a splritless hulk himself
terrorized ny his story.
Thrs was a night session. Mr., Jus
tire Shearn. whose splendid mastery
Of judicial proceedings has sped the
trial, stopped wRite's story at g. 30.
and re-convened court at 8 o'clock,
At the beginning of the day as
waite comemnced his effort to palliate
his crime. Warren W, Waite, his
stricken father and Frank Clyde
wstta, the prisoners brothers, testi
fed that Arthur was never wholly
competent. The father declared that
I tnaa rltv tainted the family.
~ the night session the Justice bar
REQ women spectators. Thus It was
20 . group OF men. the murderer told
the most horrible part of his story
Mrs Waite left the courtroom like a
woman stricken. She had heard her
self nouted IN public. She had heard
the man she had loved declare with
Z les~ thas he had married her for
gold and that he had never loved her
Before plunging into the details OF
the murders, Waite admitted that he
had been a pervert since he was 4
boy. He continued suoh practices. he
safd. up until the time of his arrest.
| Even before his marriage, Waite
nd he sought to kill Miss Catherine
Peck by putting ground glass into
marmalade for her. He gave her a
can Of ish Allied with germ cultures.
After he had given germs to Miss
Peck for q while without success. DIR.
Waite said he got discouraged. for
they showed no signs OF taking ef-
feet
when she came TO visit you?"
Eyes, and after a week she grew
much worse. I went to a druggist and
asked for veronal. One night stayed
I'M with Mrs. Peck and gave her the
yeronal She died the next day
did you know Mrs. Pecks body
was to be cremated?"
Yes She had often spoken of 1t
herself 1t was her wish. About ten
DAYS or two weeks after I returned
| from Grand Rapids MIR. Peck came
| 70 New York. / gave him germs very
tsoon after his arrival There were
many kinds-typhoid. diphtheria,
pneumonia. Influenza and spinal men
| nights.
II also gave him a spray in which
put pneumonia germs and had him
/ snray his throat every time he went
out. He did not become III imme-
. diately. had other methods too.
nut water on his sheets so that he
would catch cold. but he didn't.
took him out in the automobile. There
was water on the seat.
Turned On Gas, too.
zone night l turned on the gas in
his room, but tho superintendent
smelled the fumes and cana UP and
yurned It of. Along about Friday or
. saturday when Mr. Peck planned to
leave town began giving him arsenic.
"The night Of Mr.. Peck's death
silent on a couch where I could near
. MIN. In the night heard him groan.
rot 4 little bottle of chlorofo m
II told him 1t was ether and am
neonfa and would ease his pain. He
. took 1t said he felt better.
From time to time / gave him
doses of chloroform, finally lie went
lander the influence. / went out into
me hail. took Z pillow from : couch
D. (ContinusA On DssoAa 1ags)
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