Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-05-05
JURY IN VRWTER TRIAL
TO SEE SCENE OF CRIME
Will Be Taken to Blacksburg To-
Day for Visit to Home Of
Accused Professor.
LEAVES FACULTY OF v. p. l.
Resignation Accepted and His Chair
Fillcd-Dcfendant Admits That
Students Complained of His Being
Drunk at Classes.

CHRISTIANSBURG. VA. May A.
placed on the witness stand to-day in
the trial of Professor Charles f. Vaw-
ter. charged with the murder of Stock
ton Hcth. Jr., to prove whether Vawtcr
was sane or insane when he wrote the
letter TO Hcth asking him to pay his
liquor debts and telling him that now
he could love Mrs. yawter with less
fear
Opinion appeared divided as to
whether Nawter was insane at the
time or whether nc is degenerate.
Upon being recalled to the stand.
Professor Vawter admitted that stu
dents had complained of his being
drunk during classes.
Professor T. F. Campbell. dean of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute
faculty. was placed on the stand. and
testified to statements young Will
liams, the student lodEer in the Vawter
home, had made to him I'm regard to
the shooting.
The jury will be taken to Blacksburg
tomorrow morning to go over the
scene of the shooting.
The defense rested at the morning
session after they had offered II. l..
Fagg, cashier Of the Bank Of Blacks
burg. and p. ". Winter who, testified
that they saw Vawter on the night Of
the shooting. and that he was not
drinking.
BROTHER CHARGED LIQUOR
TO vAwTER'S ACCOUNT
In rebuttal. the prosecution called
Miss Ethel Brown. bookkeepcr for a
Roanoke liquor house. The young
woman bookkeeper testified this morn
t,,rr q H..
liquor charged to Vawters account \
letter was introduced. dated September
II. 1916. instructing the firm not to
fill telephone orders or orders In his
brothers name. On cross-exumina ton
she admitted orders were filed for the
brother after receipt of this instruction.
a. N. Keith foreman on the Hcth
farm. testified that at the time Pro-
fessor Nawter took his son TO Lynch
burg for an operation he overheard n
conversation on the telephone between
Nawtcr and Heth. in which no said
Nawter told Hcth where he was going.
and that his wife was going to a
friends house in Roanoke. and that he
could find her there. Keith was merci-
lessly arraigned for what. the prosecu-
tion termed his "eavesdropping" on an
extension telephone at the farm.
Professor r. 7. Campbell, dean of
the Virginia Polytechnic Institute
faculty. was presented. and admitted
he was related to Hcth through Mrs.
Campbell. and that he regarded him
much as son. He admitted that he
gave the Commonwealth n statement.
but denied he would like to see Vaw-
ter punished Professor Campbell ar
rived at the Nawter home soon after
the shooting. md testified that Bernard
Williams. the student lodgCr ut the
Vawter home. told him that Heth said:
Bull. ! tried to keep Vawter from
shooting me; begged him not to
shoot me. I tore the sleeve or his
shirt trying to keep him from shooting
me, but ! could not"
HErII REFUSED INVITATION
TO STAY AT DIR. CAMPBELL's
After the noon recess. DIR. Campbell
was recalled, and admitted Williams
had told him more than he testified to
earlier. He said Heth refused an in
vitation to spend the night OF the
shooting at his home and left, saying
he had to go home.
The State presented DR.. J. A. Knoblin,
OF Radford. and propounded to him the
same hypothetical question uscd by the
defense yesterday with certain addi-
tions. and asked IL. in the premises
outlined. the writer of the FIRST letter
introduced was sane or insane. He
stated that he considered the letters
were written by a sane man.
Professor Vawter was recalled to the
Continued on Second Page.)