The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-05-15
.CH|CACOAN TRIES
! TO KILL Wife TO
ESCAPE new BABY
Husband ConfeSSeS to Attack
and Pleads Poverty,

CHICAGO, May l5--(SpecialO-
While his young wife, with tender
hands. fashioned tiny garments against
that day when a little baby was ex-
pected at their home. Horace G. Noakcs
looked on with bitterness
He earned only 800 a month, and he
was unable to figure out how he was
TO meet the additional expense entalled
BY the coming of baby.
So Saturday morning, while his
wifcs back was turned, he hit her on
the head with an iron bar and went
calmly to work.. leaving her for dead
on the kitchen floor.
:. Confesses to Police.
That was his way of solving his
problem of domestic finance. He con-
fessed il yesterday afternoon TO Capt
James Madden and other police Of
ficers at the Fnglewood station.
Mrs. Marie Noakes, the wife, is now
at the home of her father, where ply
sicians are lahorng TO save her life.
She had five deep gashes in her scalp,
but il is believed that she has a chance
for recovery Noakes who is employed
as a car Inspector for the New York
Central line with headquarters at Glib
son, Ind, is in a cell at the Englcwood
station
Only a few hours before he struck
her down the young wife had prepared
for her husband happy surprise. With
her slender savings she had purchased
two theater tickets. To take him to the
theater. to bring a touch of gayety into
what he considered a drab existence
that was her surprise 1t was TO be a
momentous event for the Noakes,
Wanders In Delirium.
Instead-bloody handprintS on the
walls, marks of blood on chairs and
pools of blood on the bed and dining
room table told their pi,iful tale of how
the young wife had wandered about the
house in a delirium of pain for twelve
long hours-hourS that she had planned
20 spend in joyful domestic celebra-
tion with the man who had instead
oooly beat her down Through all
those hours She was too dazed by suf-
ferinR TO call for aid.
Noakes attacked her at 6 o'clock
Saturday morning, just after shey~had
prepared his breakfast and the lunch
that he took with him to work. She
was found by her father twelve hours
later, when he went TO the house in
response to a telephone call from her
husband
Rain Saves Her Life.
He had planned a month ago to kill
his wife, Noakcs told the police He
had intended to kill her on April 25,
but IT raued that day and he was
afraid the police would find his foot
prints on the porch. SO he postponed
Rising Saturday morning, he took
$4S from pocketbook in a drawer
eirew the empty purse on the floor,
scattered the contents OF the library
table about the room, overturned a
few chairs to give evidence of a Strug-
gle, and then went to the kitchen,
where his unsuSpectlng wife was pre-
pairing their breakfast, happy in the
thought of the surprise she had planned
for him that afternoon.
when she turned | struck at her
head with the iron bar She didn't
shtiek but just fell to the floor and
moaned Oh" Noakles told the police.
He admits striking her but once, but
the number OF gashes on her head in
dicate that he struck her over the
head again and again as she lay un-
conscious on the floor.
Prepares His Alibi.
Thinking her dead, he went to work
After working half a day he returned
10 Chicago, and waited on the cor
ner downtown where he had agreed &c
meet her. About o'clock he went tc
his house and found it locked After
loaiing about a nearby corner for hal
an hour, he went hack and peckcd ir
the dining room window What he saw
convinced him that his wife was dead
He phoned his father-in-law that ht
couldn't get in, and then called up tn,
police and told them there had bee,
burglary at his house While in tn,
booth he transferred the $45 in hi.
coat TO one OF his socks
Sunday afternoon the police sent for
him. They asked him how it hap.
pened that a clot Of blood and matter
had been discovered on a pair Of hi'
trousers lie broke down and con.
fessed.