The Washington times., 1917-05-06
'VAWTER TRIAL
END IN DOUBT
Two Scars on Wall Made By
Bullets Vital Evidence.
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now. They amt goin' to be no
firtin'"
The jury was locked within the
clerks office at the court house this
morning. They had been strictly for
hidden by Judge Moffett to go to
church or movies-and there aren't
any of the latter on Sundays
As a special concession. and after a
pathetic plea by one of them. the jury
was allowed to have a fire today.
Human Equation II
After a week of stunning sensations
in the trial. one can come to only one
conclusion-that is, that the human
equation will be the final solution. d.
There has been so much evidence
of a conflicting nature. the balance
shifting from one side and to the
other, that it is not humanity possible
to predict what the verdict will be.
The trial opened with everything
Overwhelmingly in favor of Fawter.
The barring of the statement his coun-
sci made before the bail commissioner
really strengthened his case.
The morning OF the second day also
disclosed a patent advantage for the
defense, with Nawter's dramatic and
convincing story of his marital rela-
tions and his death struggle with Heth.
But that afternoon came the shock.
As IL the prosecution had thrown
tremendously heavy weight on the
scales of justice. so was the jury
affected by the letter in which Naw-
ter offered to sell his wife for $63, to
be paid on a whisky bill.
So Wednesday closed with the Com
monwealth just as much in the lead
as the defense was the day before.
Wife Helps Vawter.
Then came the third day, with the
crushing effect of Mrs. Vawter's testi-
mony No one knew just what she
was doing-whether she was telling
the whole truth, whether she was tell
ing part of the truth, or whether she
was telling nothing of the truth at
all. But she told on the jury-as
would any beautiful. clever woman
Gated countrymen, and the day closed
with the balance again in Vawter'S
favor.
it brought the balance back to even.
One OF Jack Lees principal aims in
introducing his expert" witnesses
that day was TO counteract Mrs. Vaw-
ter's testimony. By sheer dramatic
strength she took the jury's mind OF
her husbands horrible letter. offering
her for sale, and presented the pic
ture of a wife drawing the wool over
an indulgent husbands eyes. So Lee
made his opponents play into his
hands by keeping his experts" on
the stand for four hours, and keeping
the damning letter before the jury
constantly for exactly the same pc
riod.
or course. his second reason was to
furnish the deadly parallel-to show
just how little doctors OF exactly the
same type as those introduced by
the defense know about insanity.
Yesterday finished in a draw, as
the sporting writers say, with it
quite undecided as to who had landed
a telling blow.
While the defense undoubtedly
scored a big point by bringing the
jury to the scene OF the tragedy, and
practically reconstructing the death
scene. the prosecution also took ad-
vantage OF the opportunity.
Lee seIzes Opportunity.
Lee was quick to endeavor to
show the jury that when Mrs. Vawter
had said that on the night of the
tragedy she left her bed to give medi-
cine to her daughter she was making
a misstatement: that she was actu-
ally going to keep a clandestine ap-
pointment with Heth.
And IL was also apparent that. be-
cause OF the visit 20 the house at least
one juror doubted Vawter's testi-
mony.
He 1t was who limited a question