Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-11-30
FEARED FOR HIS
LIFE WOMAN SAYS
MAN TOLD HER
l. !. Check Asked Neighbor
10 Tell Officers, Witness
Iestifies At Hearing Of
Couple On Murder Charge

Declaring that on Nov. 3. only 10
Gays before his death, Thomas 7
Sneck told her that he was in fear of
us ne and asked her to come to his
assistance, Mrs. Lillian Warner. a
heignoor of Victor and Belle Check.
,sstined yesterday on the third day of
me preliminary hearing of the Checks
on the charge of murder.
You are the only one 1 can ask to
heip me- the aged man told her, she
salu- Ihey want me to sign the pa
peIs ana give them all my property
ana money, but I'd. rather the county
had IT. I'm afraid of my life. Won't
YOU go TO the officials and ask them
20 take care of me?" he added. the wit
ness testified.
MRS. Warner said she lived on the
second floor of the apartment house at
N4S North Fifth avenue and that on
ne morning of Nov. she went out on
The balcony of the house and saw Mr.
meek sitting on the lawn. Just prior
10 that she said. she heard a great deal
u loud talking and cursing in the
heck apartment. Mr.. Check. she said.
vas sitting on the lawn with his cap
pulled down over his eyes AMI ap-
peared in sort OF stupor.
Asked for Help, She Said
i
with THello. Daddy Check, how are you
his morning." The old gentleman
she said, looked up at her and beck
oned with his finger for her to come
down. She said he then glanced
toward the window OF the Check apart
ment and she told him she could not
come down. Mr.. Check then begged
her to come down. she said, saying:
Please. come down. please" Mrs
* u
but bit later the telephone in tnt
lower hall rang and she went down t.
answer Il.
After answering the telephone, she
said, she went out to where Mr.. Checl
was sitting and no made the requcs
OF her for help. He seemed very agi
tated and very weak and feeble. Silt
said he caught hold OF her hand wheI
he made the request. Mrs. Warne
said she had never seen the old Mr.
Check so agitated. His hands wer'
trembling, she said.
Prior to the Introduction of this tes
timony. the defense moved that as tn
statement made by the elder Mr.. Checl
10 Mrs. Warner was purely hearsa.
evidence, 1t should not be permitted t
be given. The state argued that it wa
NOT hearsay evidence but a statemen
made by the elder Mr.. Check at a tim
analogy was the same as the state
ments made by a man to a third per
son after he had been stabbed o
wounded. Justice Wheeler, after ar
Euments on the subject covering NOR
than an hour, ruled that the statemen
made by the elder Check to Mrs. War
ner was permissible as evidence.
Says She Went to Governor
Following the alleged request of tn
elder Mr.. Check for help, Mrs. Warne
said the next morning she went to Sc
Governor Campbell and then went I
L. NJ. Laney. county attorney, wher
she gave the request made by M
Check to her.
About a month before the death {
Mr.. Check, Mrs. Warner said, she wa
in the back yard OF the apartmer
house about o'clock at night an
overheard Victor talking as he We
helping his father to undress. Vict'
Check, she said, kept telling his faith
to hurry up. At the time, she sal
Victor Check was swearing at h
'ather. Mrs Warner said she heal
three distinct slaps and heard Il
elder Mr.. Check say, "Why are "
hurting me?" Victor Check. she sal
answered, Yes, you make me mad al
III hurt you" Mrs Warner said s.
then went on up stairs so she won
not hear any more.
One night after dinner, Mrs. Wa
ner said, she was in the Check c