The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-05-24
CAN WAITE
ESCAPE THE
ELECTRIC CHAIR?

New York, May 24.-Confronted by
an unbroken chain of evidence which,
the state claims, conclusively proves
him guilty Of the murder Of his
wealthy father -in-law, John e. Peck,
of Grand Rapids, Mich, DR.. Arthur
Warren Waite, the young New York
dentist. will go on the witness stand
in an effort to save himself from death
in the electric chair. The decision
was reached last night by his counsel,
at the end Of the second day of his
trial.
The defendants most trying ordeal
probably will come today, when his
wife, Mrs. Clara Peck Waite, her
brother, Percy Peck, and Mrs.
Margaret Horton, with whom Waite
shared a Studio" in a hotel here, will
take the stand against him. Mrs.
Horton, accompanied by her husband,
Harry Horton, and her sister, was in
court yesterday, expecting to be call
ed.
It also is expected that the mystery
surrounding the identity of the person
who sent telegram to Percy Peck the
day Waites aged victim was to be
buried in Grand Rapids, urging that
an autopsy be held on the body, will
be solved today. The tele-
gram gave the first intimation to the
Peck family that there was anything
wrong. 1t read: Suspicion aroused.
Demand autopsy, examine body.
(Signed) TX. Adams"
District Attorney Edward Swami
steadfastly has refused to divulge the
identity Of the sender Of the telegram,
but in announcing a list of the wit
nesses who would be called by the
state, he included the name Of tx.
Adams"
1t is said that the mysterious per-
son Is a woman outside this state and
that she exacted a promise from the
district attorney not to disclose her
real name until he was ready for her
to appear at the trial and testify.
Thus far the only testimony which
in the remotest manner could be re-
garded as throwing any light on the
identity of "K. Adams" was given yes
terday by DR.. Jacob B. Cornell and his
nephew, Arthur c. Swinton, both of
| Somerville, N. j., who declared that
Waite's actions on the morning of Mr.
Pecks death were most unusual.
Swinton asserted that a short time
previously, while he and his mother
and sister were dining in the hotel
| where Waite since has admitted he
had his studio" they saw Waite with
Mrs. Horton. Waite, he added, tried
to avoid them, but seeing that meet
ing was unavoidable, he CWaite) re-
marked that Mrs. Horton was a nurse
who was assisting him in an operation
at a hospital.
Another witness who testified just
before the trial was adjourned for the
day, was Gustave dimiotti, owner OF
garage where Waite kept his auto
mobile. Cimiotti asserted that Waite
came to him March 20, after suspicion
had been directed against him, and
asked Cimiotti to go to a bank next
door and cash a check for him for $9,-
800. The check was drawn to the
order of the garage owner.
Waite told me-" said the witness,
that he didn't want to draw any
money from the bank himself, because
he was having some family trouble
and he did not care to be seen getting
money from that particular bank"
Eugene o. Kane, who embalmed Mr..
Pecks body, testified earlier in the day
that Waite had given him $4,000 and
subsequently had requested him ito
put some arsenic in his embalming
fluid and send it to the district attor-
ney." This was after the autopsy on
Mr.. Peck's body had disclosed the
presence of large quantities of arsenic
in the vital organs Of Waite's aged
victim.