Evening journal., 1917-05-24
Waite cheerful
ON HIS LAST DAY
tconllnued dom Page onel

AAOMllMutu AlUAN dNG INV
cred that he married Clara Peck OF
Grand Rapids, and murdered her
father and mother for their money,
dabbled at his very weak poetry and
read magazines.
Calm and Indifferent outwardly at
least. Waite never once referred TO his
approaching death Nor 10 his family
His mother is dying from grief at her
home in Grand Rapids His father
died OF broken heart a month ago.
His brother Frank, his only loyal
friend throughout. has turned snowy
haired in less than year over his
brothers conduct.
A letter to New York friend from
Waites divorced wife. Clara Peck
| Waite, quoted her today as saying
she is sorry Arthur must die. She
/ had hoped his sentence would be
commutod 10 life imprisonment but
will feel freer when # Is all over.
My Joy" she Is quoted as saying.
win be unbounded.'
Mrs. Margaret Horton, the married
woman who was infatuated with
Waite has not been near him in the
year he has been in the death house.
Warden Mover tested the electric
chair today and placed IL under sealed
locks and guarded the death house
prevent any tampering with the APP
paratus.
Dr. Waite has been prepared for
his end for months. declaring his
fnN 4 rtfs nnu
in the belief that he could enter "a
new world" at peace.
The murder OF Waite's father-in-
law. John w. Peck. OF Grand Rapids,
] Mich. and his mother-in-law, by poi
son and by the use OF germs. came TO
| light in the spring OF last year Mrs.
Peck died January 20. 1916. Her
husbands life ended March II, 1916.
wafte admitted he planned to kill his
; wife also.
Driven by desperate need OF money
TO maintain himself in luxurious
surroundings, Waite went about MS
poisonings methodically and with as
deadly GOODNESS as a Borgia might
have manifested His gay parties, his
studio orgies. his nights Of music ~,
merriment were founded upon the
agonies OF his victims, slowly dyinl
of arsenic poisoning and SUFFERING
from the ravages OF bacilli with which
he inoculated them. Waite was deter
mined 70 possess the Peck family for
tune He resided in magnifcen
apartments on Riverside Drive spen
his days on the tennis courts or mo
toring. loitered for hours in the sen
suous splendor OF his studio, and re
turned from his revels TO prepar
deadly cultures OF germs. administer
ed behind a mask Of smiling solicl
Waite blamed his deeds on a super
natural influence. which he callel
"The Man From Egypt This mys
terious force. he asserted, periodical
ically took hold Of his body and brain
and forced them 20 do its bidding. II
declared himself helpless whe
ciutched bv this intangible power.
Overwhelmed by debts, he married
Clara Louise Peck heiress. Septem
3 Der 9. 1915. In few weeks his plot
, materialized. His wife's mother too
sick and died after a lingering III
ness during which ~aite slowly pol'
: oned her He gloated at her 0edsid
until the last. acting a part OF tende
sympathy. bringing flowers and WORD
OF comfort. Arsenic caused Peck
death. under similar circumstances
AS Peck grew weaker. Waite obtaine
diphtheria and typhoid germs. eNper
menting on cats, then infected I'll
dying man
shortly before his arrest Wait
maintained a studio apartment at IN
Plaza Hotel where he was visited b
woman. When seized in his Rive
side Drive home. he was unconscious
Having taken an overdose OF drugs a
the police approached Insanity wa
pleaded at his trial. Witnesses test
fed he had been doing cruel and irr'
tional things ever since his coiles
dayS