The Washington times., 1920-07-28

been made by Pettibone was read to
the jury.
1t was the statement he made to At
torney General Archibald at Benning-
ton on the day after the arrest. when
I'ettibone was asked to check up the
numerous important points made in
the statements to the Boston detec-
tives and to States Attorney Graves.
In the attorney generals report OF
the confession. Pettibone Is said to
have declared that he mixed the fatal
dose. into which he put strychnine.
He said he knew 1t was poison. but
did not realize that II would kill her.
He said he had planned the strychnine
dose for about three weeks and that
IL was the all-important thing in his
mind during that time.
Much of the con fe ssion to the attor-
rey general was repetition, but Mr..
Archibald went over the details in or
der that Pettibone might be given OPP
portunity to particularize on the
points which the States chief law Of
| ficer deemed most important.
When asked why he had confessed.
! he said that the matter had preyed on
I his mind ever since Mrs. Pettiboncs
death, and more so after he heard
that detectives were on his trail.
The States attorney read the con-
fession to the jury after Miss Nellie
| NJ. Hogan testified that she took it
geographically and transcribed II.
As the prosecutor read the long ques-
ton and answer document, the jurors
watched him with apparent close in
| terest in every word.
The attorney general offered to
prove that DR.. Wilcox, the physician
who bought the strychnine and left 1t
in the drug store where Pettibone
stole 1t, left Remington on January 6
| and the defense conceded it, where
upon the state rested.
DEFENSE IS OPENED.
Opening the defense were several
character witnesses, led by the Rev.
William G. Towsrt, pastor of the First
Baptist Church, at Bennington. He
| said he knew Pettibone and met him
| frequently in his work. He often
heard remarks on how obliginG the
young undertaken was. The minister
was called to. testify to Pettibone's
reputation, as to being peaceable,
quiet, and linofensive, to which orepu-
tation testimony Is limited in, Violence
| cases. %He' said he didn't know that
he ever heard those subjects discussed,
hut he was led into finally answering
that he never heard anything to the
| contrary.
Mr.. Archibald asked the clergyman
what he understood reputation to
mean. and as he answered character"
the attorney general snapped, That's
ALL.
Fred Stickles, a Bennington coal
| dealer who knew Pettibone for ten
years, thought his reputation was
good. The attorney general quizzed
him to find out who discussed Petit
bones peaceableness, quiet and in
offensiveness. and the witness said,
| "John Gavin" 1t developed that Gavin
| was coal yard employe. When he
| was asked his understanding Of repu-
tstion he shot back at the attorney
general: Character Is the man, and
| reputation is what people think OF
him"
| COMPLAINED OF PAIN IN HEART.
Mrs. Ina Hollistcs, an employc -et
the Black Cat Mill said Mrs. Petit
| bone told her on April G, the day OF
her death, that She had n pain in her
| heart. The witness said Mrs. Pietti.
tbonc did her full days work. The at
torney general dismissed her after
that answer. Mrs. Jennie knights
also was excused from further cross
examination when she said that Mrs.
Pettibone did not give up her work
after she was overheard to say that
her spine hurt Mrs. Knights said
Mrs. Pettibone looked yellow that
day, and then added that she always
seemed to have n snllow complexion.
Mrs. Dora Philbrick, OF Rutland,
niece OF the dead woman, said that
the relatives objected to an autopsy;
but when she admitted she had no
suspicion of poison at the time, the
State was not allowed to show that
she might have felt otherwise II she
had known that her aunt was a VIC
tim OF strychninc. '..
MRS. wRAy TEsTIFIEs.
When Mrs. wray walked into court
and was sworn, she said she was
Mrs. Lillian wray, Allston, postal
district "a, city OF Boston.
In response to Batchelder's uues-
tioning, she said she resided in Ben
ington prior to November ~. 1918,
and that she knew Byron Pettibone
and his wife. she explained that
her husband was the manager OF an
a. a +. store at Bennington, and that
she worked In the store with him at
intervals. The last day she was in