Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-05-03
TELLS PITIFUL STORY
Of DRINK AND CRIME
Was Piled With Whiskey by
Man Who at Same Time
De6led His Home

Christianburg, Va, May s. All the
sordid details of another human tri,
angle that turned into tragedy were
laid bare here today in the little
Blacksburg courtroom. Charles T..
Vawter, professor, told why he shot to
death handsome young Stockton Heth,
how he was driven to the deed because,
he claimed, Heath had defiled his
home.
Before he began the story that black
en- his wife S name, Mrs Eawter was
led weeping from the courtroom.
Calmly Vawter detailed his life IS his,
tory, Then he told how, after twenty
one years of drinking, whiskey, even
in small quantities, now always makes
him drowsy.
Next he told of his acquaintance with
Heth, whom he had known for ten or
twelve years. One night last May he
said was the first time he began to
suspect the friendship was being be-
trayed.
"Heth called on US that night" :" said
Vawter. Gle brought some whiskey
with him. We drank together. I grew
drowsy and went to sleep in the parlor
About midnight l awakened, went up
stairs and saw my wife leaving Heth 5
room in her mghtgown.
Something snapped in my brain.
lnfurated, l demanded that my wife
tell me what it meant She told me
she had merely gone in to fix Heth s
hol COLI nn+b,y,v IN
her, but went to Heth s room and told
him, Stockton, you are a damned rob-
Der of homes and libertine.
Begged Him to Stay Away
''Before | could say more Heth grab
bed and choked me. Later, in my room,
Rachel my wife, told me 'be sensible,
Charlie. You re Just making a fool of
yourself Then Heth had come into
the room and said Don't pay any at
tention to him, Rachel. He knows he
is wrong SO I went on to bed
Next, Vawter told how both his wife
and Heth completely allayed his suspie-
ions for the nonce with protestations
of friendship. Vawter said similar in
cidents occurred, only to be smoothed
over, but that between times he kept
''thinking-thinking."
81 tried to talk to Stockton, but
knowing my weakness for liquor, he
would furnish it and then out-talk me.
So l wrote him begging him to keep
away from my wife, 1t did no good. !"
The letter here was introduced under
objection.
Dramatically Vawter told of his ter
rible fight against liquor, how the man
he had killed had catered to that taste
and had created a similar one in his
wife, the better, Vawter declared, "to
keep the wife inclined to his evil will. -
Story of Shooting.
Detailing the events of the night
Of the shooting, Vawter said
ayes, I had been drinking again
Stockton had brought it over. We had
all taken some, | grew drowsy and
went to bed early, / just heard my
wife come to bed and then suddenly
awakened to find her gone and /
knew where she had gone.
"My brain, thank God, had cleared.
| determined to stand it no longer. L
got my revolver, I went to the hall.
My wife was leaving Stockton IS room.
She begged me to let her kill herself.
I knew, finally, positively, then what
/ had been too cowardly to believe be-
fore. | told her would try to make
Stockton leave the house at once.
'EThen | felt his arm about my neck,
He had leaped upon me from behind
in the dark. / called out to him to
loose his choking grip. He answered
he would not and threw me against the
railing.
"Then the pillars of the universe
seemed to fall against me. I know not
what happened except that I fired-I
think twice. A little later / awakened
as if from some horrible dream. Then,
and only then, | knew Stockton was
dead'