Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-04
P, !, Professor
Pleads UnWritten Law

CHRISTIANBURG, Va, May 2.-The
vawter trial took a sensational turn
here late this afternoon when Vawter
admitted authorship of letter in which
he wrote Stockton Heth, Jr., whom he
shot to death, that he CVawter) real
lied Mrs. Vawter loved Heth. and that
he hoped Heth would not mistreat her
and would be careful not to get Ra-
chel CAIrs. Vawter) talked about"
In the letter, Vawter asked young
Heth, "as favor" to pay debts in
Roanoke totaling $2,663.
All the sordid details of another HUI
man triangle that turned into tragedy
were laid bare here today in the little
Blacksburg courtroom when the trial
began.
Charles E. vawter, V. P. l. profess
sor. told why he shot to death hand
some young stockton Heth, Jr.; how he
was driven to the deed because, he
claimed, Heth had defled his home.
Before he began the story that black
ems his wife's good name, Mrs. Vawter
was led, weeping, from the courtroom.
And before Vawter testified, the jury
heard little Charlie Vawter, his eleven
year-old son, tell in childish treble how
he was awakened by terrible noises"
/ on the night of the tragedy.
The prosecution closed its case after
forty minutes of perfunctory testimony.
There was no effort by defense to dis
prove that Vawter shot Heth in his own
home.
VAWTER TESTIFIES.
Prof. Vawter followed his son on the
stand. He said he was forty years old,
was educated at the University of Vir-
ginia, had taught at Virginia Polytech-
mic institute since 1902 and married
Miss Rachel Henderson, of Salem, Va.
September 3, 1902. He said he drank
and that it took little whisky to down
him completely. Stockton Heth, he
said, he loved like a brother until he
suspected improper relations with his
wife.
When asked for specific instances Of
improper relations, Vawtsr said that
last juno he drank, lay down in a re-
ception room, woke at 1 o'clock and
missed Heth and his wife, went up
stairs and saw Mrs. Vawter running
out of Heth's room in her night dress.
When asked what she was doing she
replied that she had been fixing Heth's
collar. Vawter denounced her, went to
Heths room and said:
Stockton. you d libertine and rob-
Der of homes, what do you mean by
such conduct with my wife,"
Heth Jerked him into the room, called
to Mrs. Vawter to close the door and
chozed Vawter for suspecting his wife.
Vawter said:
"They could always outtalk me-"
The following letter begging Feth to
keep away from Mrs Nawter was in
troduced:
THE LETTER.
June Is. 1916.
Mr.. S. Heth. Jr., Blacksburg, Va.
my dear Stockton: 1 have been
thinking matters over very care
fully and / must ask of you that
you do not come to my house or
see or write or converse with my
wife at all You may blame me
some, but the happiness of our lives
has been ruined, and as l think
things over soberly and carefully,
l feel that you are not the person q.
for her to associate with. Your in
fuence has been such that only
last Sunday she threatened to kill
herself 1 take my part of the
blame, but you should know that
no matter what blame may be at
tached to me and leaving out the
fact that you have no rights, you
should have been a friend and
helped her at a time when she
needed help. You seem to forget
that what you have done was the
worst thing that could be done for
her happiness. l trusted you as
friend, but l can never trust you
again. There are times when
woman needs help and not dragging
down. l do not propose to have
her pure name dragged in the dust
coupled with the very unsavory