Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-30
CHAMBERLAIN CASE
OPENS WEDNESDAY
Doctor Accused of Brothers
Murder Has Made No State
rnent as to Plea.
TRIAL HELD IN G0OCHLAND
Wife in Daily Attendance Upon
Man and Stands Alone
in His Defense.
TRIAL HELD IN GOOCHLAND

Dr. Asa W. Chamberlain will on
Wednesday bn put on trial for his life
in the Circuit Court OF Goochland
County. charged with having killed
and brutally butchcrcd his brother,
Judge" Albc-: =. Chamberlain. on the
night OF October %. The rnutilatcd
| body OF the brother was found buried
in several pieces underneath fence
posts on the doctors little homestead
ten miles above Goochland Courthouse
nearly Il week after the Judge was
first missed. Since the prisoner was
brought to Richmond. In order to make
his safety secure. in the light Of nenti-
mcnt which might have been aroused
over tho inhuman way the body Of the
dead man was cut up, no statement
has been made by him other than that
he was innocent. His mouth has been
tightly closed and all that has escaped
was sentence uttered before counsel
was retained, when he said: 1T looks
dark for me. but / am absolutely inno-
cent"
The ninetcen.ycar-ol wife OF the
accused doctor, Mrs. Elsie Chamber
lin. came 20 Richmond over a month
ago. and has since been scqucstcrcd
in roominshouse. 1851 East Main
Street. 1t was in the house Of Mrs.
Ncttie Lipscomb who at that time re-
sided at i543 East Main Street, that
the doctor and his young wife spent
the night when the couple came from
the West following their wedding. and
now as the young woman is awaiting
tho trial Of her husband, she has spent
the time with the same woman. Daily
she has visited the doctor at the Hen
rico County Jail. and has carried him
such little comforts as his needs re-
quire. They sit together in the corri
dor and converse without interruption
each day. No one has been permitted
to see the young wife and sho has
made no statement concerning the case.
STANDS ALONE IN DEFENSE
OF HER AGED HUSBAND
The young woman left Gocchland the
day preceding the disappearance OF
the Judge" aud subsequently wired
TO Richmond that she had not antici-
pated any trouble between the brothers
at the time Of her departure. She camo
here from kearney, Ncb. The sixty
ycar-old doctor and the young wife
stand together and alone in defending
the case which the State has made out
against the accused. James C Page
is counsel for the doctor.
Just wha. defense VIII be raised to
combat the net OF circumstantial evil
dcnce now woven and tending to point
to the brother as the slayer OF the
Judge" his counsel has not deemed
advisable to make public. One theory
that has heen suggested is that the
Judge" was waylaid, murdered and
robbed OF large sum of money, which
the accused doctor is said to have paid
over to him near the time of his death
in settlement OF a Judgment which the
dead man had obtained against him in
the Goochland court Another source
has given rise to tho suggestion that
tho defense will not attempt to combat
the States theory, but will enter the
plea OF insanity.
The links OF circume tantial evidence
by which Senator l.. Q. Wcndcnburg
and David II. and Walter Lcahc who
have been retained as prosecuting at
torncys. owing to the illness Of Judge
Montciro. hope TO fix the crime upon
tho accused, so far as announced, be-
sin with the financial disa greement be-
tween the brothers. The son OF the
dead man, a. Lee Chamberlain who
came here to investigate the death OF
his father, stated that before coming
East there was no dispute between
them. The finding OF the body in the
doctors yard, the discovery OF n small
box and the gold watch OF the mur-
dcred man in the doctors house and a
trail OF blood leading down a rear
stairway in the house-;nese arc but
some OF the circumstances which the
state claims to have uncovered.
SAYS DOCTOR RRUTALLY
BUTCHERF:D ANIMALS
When tho son OF tho dead lawyer
came hero he told OF how the doctor,
when in tho West, was accustomed
to go out and brutally cut up animals
on his farm without any apparent rca-
son. 1t has also been noted that, al
though tho accused doctor is a cripplc,
having suffered from infantilc paralysis
in childhood. no is n strong man, and
surpassed his brother. who was two
years his senior, in physical strength.
Continued on Fifth PaGcD