Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-26

the life of his wife's aunt, Miss hath-
crime Peck, a wealthy woman VINO
lived at the Park Avenue Hotel in TINS
city.
Starts Cross Examination
Assistant District Attorney Brothers
then began the cross examination oil
DR.. Waite. He first asked the prisoner:
DO you recall telling me that you
did not want your wife to learn oil
your relations with Mrs. Horton?
NO" replied Waite.
Waite folded his arms and smiled
at the prosecutor as he denied having
any conversation with Mr. Brothers In
DR.. Waite's apartment. The dentist
said he was surprised to learn that he
had given ring to his nurse.
You were taking insanity in Belle
vue. were you not?' asked Mr..
Brothers.
Didn't Fake insanity
II didn't fake insanity at any time
said Waite.
You faxed insanity in the Tombs,"
said the prosecutor
Waite denied it and also denied that
he deliberately planned a false defense
or read books on nervous diseases.
"You have displayed wonderful
memory for events back to your sixth
birthday. but you have forgotten these
recent incidents" said the prosecutor.
"I don't remember" said Waite.
You don't wish to remember even
your letter to Margaret Horton?'
asked Mr.. Brothers.
Smile Gradually Fades
Waite did not answer. The smile
gradually faded from his face and he
seemed to become confused by the
rapid fire of questions. He denied that
he had been reading medical books,
but admitted reading a medical maga-
zine.
1TI,o ,,,i+,ass daclarad ba did NOT toll
District Attorney Swami and Mr..
Brothers while in Bellevue that the
man from Egypt" had killed Peck.
He said he had asked Mrs. Horton if
she had heard of the man from
Egypt" but denied that he had other
wise spoken of such a character.
Are you crazy?" asked Mr..
Brothers.
IT think not"
After you took Mr.. Peck's life you
could not sleep, could you?"
~ slept perfectly" said Waite.
You wanted to kill yourself, did
you?"
You fixed the embalmer. What
had you to fear?"
We'll. this trial"
"Why didn't you kill yourself?"
made pretty good attempt at it,
replied Waite.
You only obtained the cultures in
which the germs are grown" said Mr..
Brothers. "If you wanted to kill the
Pecks. why didn't you shoot them?'
"I don't know"
Doesn't Remember
you and Margaret Horton were
going to leave the country, weren't
YOU? Where were you going?"
"I don't know that we were going
away"
Justice Shearn, before whom Waite
is being tried. then took up the ques-
tioning and asked him if he knew 1t
was wrong to steal. Waite said he did.
'Then l assume you knew, If it was
wrong to steal, it was wrong to COM
init murder"
IT don't remember.
and you were a member of the
Christian Endeavor society. You
learned 1t was wrong to take human
life and against the laws of God?'
"I don't remember
Mind Growing Clearer
Mr.. Deuel. then resumed redirect
examination. Waite said his memory
was not perfect, he supposed, because
of drugs. He declared that his mind
is growing clearer. The prisoner iden-
tilted several letters he wrote while in
Bellevue and a poem, saying he had
written poetry for several years. He
said that when he wrote the poem he
suspected he was charged with
- - Tells of Attempts On life
Waite was then excused and Miss
Catherine Peck, sister of John r..
Peck. was called Waite testified yes
terday that he placed ground glass and
germs of pneumonia, typhoid, diph-
iberia and influenza in her food in an
attempt to kill her. Mr.. deuel. said
he wanted her to corroborate Waite S
statement that he placed ground glass
in marmalade and germ cultures in
fish that she was to eat.
Miss Peck said she accepted Waite
as what he appeared to be and told OF
entrusting her business matters to
him. She smiled as she recalled her
narrow escapes from death.
II ate some of the marmalade, she
said. when | opened the jar again [
found it full of something like sand.
| took il back to the store and the pro-
prietor apologized.'
Waite smiled broadly at her recital
of this incident
DR., Menas S. Gregory, head of the
psychopathic ward at Bellevue Hos
pital, was called as the first alsnlst
for the defense.
Persistent Thief
Waite declared that he had been a
persistent thief since boyhood, that he
had stolen money ever since he was
l 4 years old.
The accused dentist was his own
chief witness to support the defense of
insanity and he made no effort to
soften the charges against him. Talk
ing slowly and calmly with the ap-
pearance of perfect frankness. he de-
scribed how he had made several score
of murderous attempts on his wl1e
wealthy relatives. whose deaths ne
hoped. would give him power over
great wealth.
The weapons DR.. Waite had been
accused of using to compass the death
of those who stood between him and
Bears the #