Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-04

reputation you have. so far as the
fair sex are concerned.
Yours truly,
(Signed) Charles 4. Vawter."
OTHER SUSPICIOUS.
Vawter told of a married woman Wis
iting his home and of his suspicion
that the relations between her and Heth
were not proper. On December "a, aft
Ell he had taken several drinks with
Heth, Vawter went to attend the fur
mace and on returning found Heth kiss
ing Mrs. Vawter. He cursed Heth,
whereupon the latter choked him into
insensibility He and his wife later
made an agreement under which he was
not to drink and she was to see Heth
no more.
The rest of Vawter's tragic story was
little different from other similar sto-
rieS that have be ntold in many court
rooms. Dramatically, with the silence
tense, Vawter told of his terrible fight
against liquor, how the man he had kill
ed had catered to that taste and had
created a similar one in his wife, the
better. Vawter declared, ito keep the
wife inclined to his evil WILL" hoe he
had later found Heth and his wife to-
gether, scantily clothed, in the bedroom
which Heth. the friend, had been given
to occupy whenever he visited the Vaw-
ter home which had been made a second
home for the young student.
REACHES CLIMAX.
And then, after detailing this year
long situation when he was torn between
his mad love for whisky and his better
self and love for his home, Vawter work
ed quickly up 10 the climaX-the story
of the night when finally, despite a brain
befogged with whisky, he was goaded
-
friends body.
Il Weakened suddenly, that night" said
Vawter.
YES" he acquiesced, somewhat weari-
ly. as his counsel interposed a ques-
tion Il had been drinking again. Stock
ton had brought it over. We all had
taken some. Yes, again 1 grew drowsy
and went 10 bed early ! Just heard
my wife come to bed. And then sud-
denly" ne repeated, Il awakened to find
her gone-aud l knew where she had
gone.
1T was too awful. My brain. thank
God, had cleared. ] determined to stand
it no longer. | got my revolver
went to the hall. My wife was leaving
Stocktons rOom-again.
MY wife must have known some
thing had snapped inside me. She beg
ged me TO let her kill herself | knew
finally, positively then, what L had been
too cowardly to believe before.
81 told her ] would try to make
Stockton leave the house at once.
Then I felt his arms about my neck
He had leaped upon me from behind,
in the dark. I cried 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- know not
what happened. excepting that I fired
| think twice, but do not now know
"A little later | awakened as if from
some horrible dream. I then. and only
then, knew Stockton was dead"
Mrs. Vawter was in court early. neatly
dressed in blue cloth suit and blue hat,
and looking beautiful. wonderfully beau
tiful, despite the fearful ordeal through
which she is passing. She sat near her
husband. They were accompanied by
their two children, Charlie. aged eleven,
and Rachel, aged nine, and also by Mrs.
Vawter's sister, Mrs c. P. Miles.
STARES TROUBLE WOMAN.
Mrs. Vawter was almost nonchalant
during the half hour after her arrival
Then the stares from the spectators
packed in the little courtroom began to
burn into her and she fidgeted nervous
ly, changed seats twice, the second time
to be between her children, and at times
smiled wanly at her husband, who was
always the more unconcerned and poised
of the two.
Mrs. Vawter. whose ADMISSIONS" &C
cordng to her husbands counsel, are to
save her husbands life and wreck her
own, looked far younger than her thir-
ty-oSd years.
The first witness for the prosecution
today was DR.. w. F. Henderson, physi-
clan of the Virginia Polytechnic insti-
tue. who first answered .ne call to the
Vawter home OH the night of the shoot
ing. DR.. Henderson was delayed in