The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-06
vAWTfR JURY TAKEN
TO Scene OF KILLING
Testimony Yesterday Dealt Largely
With Insanity Issue. With More
Yet TO Come.
MAY COME TO END THURSDAY
Accused Man Meets His Jurors At
His Home and COMFORTS Himself
As Courteous Host Rather Than As
Man On Trial for His Life.

Christiansburg. Va, May 5.-The
scarlet sin" murder case is nearing
its end. All the tragic details that
shocked this little Virginia community
and led Charles Z. Nawter, Virginia
Polytechnic institute professor, to kill
Stockton Heth, Jr., his wife's ad-
mirer, have been read into the rec
ord. The shocking details of the love
triangle have been told. Whether the
wife's story of her friendship for
Heth, given under oath to save her
husband from the electric chair will
be believed by the jury, will be known
next week. Whether the jury will
cast aside the wifes story and be-
lieve Nawter offered his wife to Heth
in return for the payment Of whiskey
bills. as brought out in 4 letter in
troduced by the prosecution as one
written by the professor to the dead
man. viii also be known next week.
On these two points will hang the
late of the man now on trial for his
life. # they believe the wife's story.
Nawter will again he q free man. II
they accept the prosecutions theory
that the slayer was willing to barter
his wife for drink. then there is every
likelihood that Fawter will so to the
electric chair.
AHe 1T this event rtTFTe is only one
hope-that of being incarCerated in
an insane asylum.
Dealt With Insanity Issue.
Little evidence was adduced today.
1T was dry, uninteresting. and dealt
mainly with the insanity issue, More
testimony along this line will he given
on Monday. By the middle of the
week ii is expected the final addresses
will be made
Court was in session for but brief
period listening to the insanity OK
perts. And then the jurors were TAX
eH to-the tawteF home at Blacks
burg, where they viewed the scene of
the crime.
The strange part OF this trip was
that the defendant himself met the
jurors as they came from their auto
mobile. He had gone ahead with his
bailiff. Courteously he met the men
who will give him freedom or con-
denim him to death He acted like
an ordinary host greeting a party Of
friends instead OF a man being on
trial for his life
1t took the Jurors but short time
and his wife were sleeping on the
might Of the tragedy and those occu-
lpied by Heth and by the Nawter chill
dren, Charlie and Rachel. Measure
ments We're taken by the jurors.
At least one of-the jurors evinced
interest in the inspection trip. He
asked: is this the place where Naw-
ter said he stood when he saw
stop right where YOU are" COM
manded the judge. You are not TO
ask any questions, You are merely
| to view the house and remember the
evidence which you have heart IN
/ the courtroom. Nothing else WAS per-
missible"
The juror was standing al the time
| in the dining-room by the door which
leads up from the basement.
| Jack Lee. the Southland's famous
I criminal lawyer, knew what the Juror
was irving to drive home to his com
trades in the box. Nawter had testi-
! fled that he came up the staTS one
| day from fixing the furnace in tnc
basement and when he reached tbs
idinng-room he ia seen Heth tryino
/ to kiss Mrs. Nawter But from thai
point Il was impossible to view the
sofa on which F"th and Mrs. Nawtel
were supposed - have been sttlnE
when the professor testified he saw
the dead man trying to kiss the wo
man.
Lee knew this. He will bring I
home in his final plea to the jury FOR
a verdict of guilty.