East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-10-06
MRS. GREGORY WEEPS
DURING HER TRIAL
ATTORNEYS ARGUMENT DRAWS
FORTH BITTER TEARS FROM
PRISONER.
Strong Evidence Furnished by In
spectOr Peacock and j. A. Wcsco;
DecOy Letter Sent.

PORTLAND, Oct. G.--Addltional
implication of Mrs. Edna Gregory Of
Pendleton on the charge of having
sent poisoned candy through the Unit
ed States mails to May Carter, was
furnished by witnesses testifying be-
fore Federal Judge Bean yesterday.
Strong evidence that Mrs. Gregory
had sent the candy was furnished by
Postoffice Inspector II. F. Peacock,
who sent two test letters to Mrs. Gre
gerry, and by J. A. Wesco. a handwrit-
ing expert, who identified a letter
written by Mrs. Gregory, in which
her connection with the attempted
poisoning Is referred to, and who al
50 identified the handwriting in the
address on the box of candy as that
Of Mrs. Gregory.
Decoy letter Sent.
Mr.. Peacoek's testimony showed
how he had been led to suspect Mrs.
Gregory Of sending the candy as soon
as his investigation had begun, on ae-
count OF her alleged Jealousy of May
Carter a woman who had known her
husband before his marriage to her,
Having obtained knowledge of the
circumstances by which Mrs. Gregory
had obtained the arsenic used in the
candy, Inspector Peacock wrote
letter to her purporting TO come from
a person named Murphy, who spoke
Of having supplied ii to her. The let
ter asked Mrs Gregory If she had told
the authorities Of sending the candy
to Miss Carter. Another letter spoke
Of a plan to place the matter in the
hands Of the authorities.
Two letters were placed in evidence
yesterday, which were written to Muir
ply by Mrs Gregory. They fell into
the hands of Inspector Peacock, who
had given Mrs. Gregory a postoffice
box number and told her to answer
his inquiry without writing any name
on the envelope. The letters were
directed. therefore. to a box belong
ing to Inspector Peacock.
One Of the letters, which stated
that the authorities had not discov-
cred the authorship of the attempted
poisoning. was denounced yesterday
by Mrs Gregory as a forgery on the
part of the postoffice inspector. She
also testified to the effect that her
husband had sent the cand- through
the mails in an effort to involve her,
in retaliation to her resentment to-
ward Miss Carter.
letter Brings Grief.
W. F. Pierce, an engineer, of Pen.
dleton, appearing on tho witness
stand yesterday. testified that he had
seen Mrs. Gregory while she read one
Of the letters from Murphy, and, be-
lieving it to be genuine, had shown
signs Of anxiety. Pierce was sick at
the time, 50 he testified. and was be-
Ing nursed by Mrs. Gregory. She had
told him that the letter contained bad
news. and torn it up. out Of curios-
ity. Pierce had taken the pieces and
the letter, which he
said was the one sent by Inspector
Peacock.
Signed Confession Rcpudiated.
a fun confession of her guilt in the
'ase, which had been signed by Mrs. |
Gregory at Pendleeon, s,he testified !
was obtai,.ed from rcr by /
coercion. Against the ties .iIrony OF |
Chief Of Police F,berts and Inspector |
Peacock, who declared that Mrs. /
Gregory had signed The confession /
knowingly and voluntarily, she stated /
hat she had been taken to Jail and |
he confession wrung from her by in /
81 also stated that she /
had not read 1He drca,neLt and did /