The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-28
GLADYS DUNN
PLEADS GUILTY
To MansIaughter for Shoot
ing to Death Her Little
Baby Boy.
SUDDEN TURN IN CASE
Defense Was Prepared to Set
Up Plea of Emotional
Insanity.


Pittsheld, Mass, July 2S.-The trial
Of Mrs. Gladys C. Dunn, for the muir
der of her 3-year- old baby boy, came
to an unexpected end today when the
young mother pleaded guilty to man.
slaughter and was sentenced to one
year at hard labor in the Pittsfield
house OF correction.
Mrs. Dunn was being tried on the
charge of second degree murder.
carrying a penalty of life imprison-
ment. The trial had proceeded three
days and witnesses were to be
Offered by the defense today to tes-
tify that she was insane when she
shot the little boy as he sat in his
wicker chair at the Lennox home OF
J. Allan Dunn, novelist and former
editor of the Sunset magazine.
Shortly after court convened at lO:S0
o'clock, John f. Noxon, leading at
torney for the defense, announced
hat his client desired to change her
plea.
Justice Brown gave his consent,
Mrs. Dunn, very pale and trembling,
was led to the petitioners place out
side the railing. A deathly silence
settled over the courtroom and
women in the big crowd of summer
resort spectators Craned their necl1s
for a view OF the pretty defendant.
GLADYS C. Dunn, do you wish to
change your ploa?" asked the clerk.
In a barely audible voice, Mrs,
Dunn answered.: "Yes-I plead
guilty to manslaughter."
She swayed slightly as she finished
and her husband rushed to her side
and led her to chair.
District Attorney Ely then began n
brief review of the case for the
prosecution. He termed it "oue Of the
most pathetic in the criminal annals
of the commonwealth of Massachu-
setts," and presented the states
theory that Mrs. Dunn killed her
baby in a wild fit of jealousy after a
quarrel with her novelist husband.
Justice Brown pronounced sentence
when the prosecutor had finished. He
took into consideration he said, the
facts that had been presented by the
state, regardless of the change in the
plea,
that bespeak an unsound mind on
the part of the defendant, but it must
be remembered that in the quarrel
which preceded the killing Of the
child she had no weapon. She had to
20 upstairs and procure a weapon
before the deed was committed.
But in view of what believe the
defendant has suffered, and what she
will suffer, the court is disposed to
leniency. Nothing that l could i'm
pose probably could add to the torture
she has already suffered. The court
therefore accepts the plea of guilty
TO manslaughter and sentences the
defendant to one year in the house
of correction in Pittsfeld, at hard
labor"
The women in the courtroom
promptly rushed outside and took up
places on the steps Of the court
house, hoping to see Mrs. Dunn led
away to Jail. But the sheriff antici-
pated the embarrassing incidents SIM
liar to an earlier demonstration in
which women hurled epithets at Mrs.
Dunn, kept her secluded in his office
until the women grew weary and
went away
Mrs. Dunn's decision to change her
plea was reported after an all-night
conference with her attorneys. They
had previously announced that she
would take the stand in her own
behalf today or tomorrow.
The state closed it's case Friday
noon it's principal evidence being
the testimony of Detective Thomas
Bligh, who swore that the defend
ant confessed to the shooting to him
when he visited her home in LennoX.
Mrs. Dunn's marriage to J. Allan
Dunn was her third. In 1909 she was
married TO Lieut.. Wilson Eric Mad
den, Of the United States navy, in
San Francisco. Her second husband
was a poet, Henry Anderson Latior,
well known on the Pacific coast as
the editor of the "ArgOnaut."
She met Dunn in Bohemian cir
cles in san Francisco, where he was
a friend of the late Jack London.