Arizona republican., 1917-10-26
.PRETT|EST IF DEFENDANTS| |S
 STATING SIDE

The fight for acqdittal for the ~nrettiest defendant" began in thesu- perior court yesterday when the -hus- band of Ethel Butts, charged with murder of her sister-in-Iaw, Mrs Amanda Butts, took the witness stand in his wife's defense.
 He was the first witness called after the state rested it's case at the com pietion of the testimony of Miss Ethel Powell. an employe of the Arizona laundry where Mrs Butts, before her marriage. was employed as q marker. She testified that the young woman carried a pistol and that sn, lad seen her hit c. A. Todd over the head with a hammer. This testimony w-s strick- en from the evidence and the state called for Todd
 He admitted that he had slight" trouble with the defendant because of her incompetency and when he had oc- Casion to correct her about an error in her work she had hit him over the head and a physician had to be called. he stated that Dr. Dameron had taken two stitches to close the wound.
 Ar. Zimmerman asked Todd if it were not a fact that he had insulted the defendant and annoyed her with hlS attentions. He denied thIs and also denied that the young woman had complained to Gus Noll, declaring she would leave if he continued 70 work there and that MT Noll had asked him To desist in his attentions to the girl.
 When the state rested Floyd. Butts was sworn for the defense. He testi- fisd that his wife was high StrIng and ut nervous temperama and ;nat when she became excited she often became sI'eeehless. This was her condition on the evening of the shooting, ne de- clared, stating that when he came upon the scene her eyes were glassy. her teeth set and there was foam about her mouth. The irons she held in one hand were tightly clenched and she held the gun with such might that he was compelled to pry her fingers loose. The witness said he carried his wife from the cook shack to d tree and turned 10 go toward the house when he heard his brother, the husband of the injured woman, say:
 Bring rope; we've got the goods on her now, and we'll string her up."
 lie then returned to the defendant and carried her to the Green ranch house. He testified that the two wom- en were constantly quarreling and that Ethel had begged him to take her away from there-from Amanda Butts who made Der life unbearable.
 Under cross examination Butts be- came confused and frequently contra- dicted himself.
 Mrs. Margaret Hanks told of the early childhood of her daughter Ethei. She said she had been delicate all het life and cited instances when speech was impossible with her Mrs Hanks came from Texas to be with her daughter during the trial and others who came to testify in the case ad- vanced the cause of the defendant hdt little
 C. H. Powell, a banker of Baird, Texas, was put on the stand to- tes- ufy to the truth and veracity of the defendant but objections were made by the county attorney and sus- lained by the court that the witness could only be questioned relative tu Ethel Butts reputation as a peace loving and law abiding citizen.
 When the court ruled on this point Mir. Zimmerman. for the defense, ex- cused other Texans he had sub poenaed.
 Dr Monical testified as to a wom ans condition before she becomes a mother. He declared it was not un- common for woman to become men tally unbalanced at this time.
 He was the last witness called be- fore court adjourned to resume the case this morning al 9:S0 o'clock.