The Washington times., 1920-07-24
KILLED HER TO
COURTWOMAN
Pettibone Mixed Death Potion
and Lay Beside Spouse Un-
til She Expired.

ant for wife murder late yesterday
afternoon. In the confession Petit
bone told how he mixed poison with
salts. gave It to his wife and then lay
down beside her as she died.
During the reading OF sections oi
them the prisoner showed the strair
or being forced to listen to his owr
utterances as taken stenographically
every time he spoke while in the jail
At Bennington.
His counsel stubbornly contested
every inch OF the States advance. but
Attorney General Archibald fortified
the States position by having read
into the record his own words OF
warning to Pettibone that he was not
required to make a statement. and II
he did II might be used against him
Then he clinched that particular point
by calling to the witness chair the
, States attorney. Collins NJ. Graves. to
whom Pettibone made one Of the al
legged confessions.
Coming to the night of Mrs. Pet
tibone's death. Pettibone, so the docu-
ment declares, tells OF his preparing
dose OF salts for his wife, a roomer,
Eugene Rice. and himself
How long after you went to bed
was 1t that Mrs. Pettibone came to
bed?" he is asked. Ten or hfteen
minutes" he replies.
He Is furth her questioned:
Had you fallen to sleep?'
Just going to sleep, just dozed
or"
Q.-were you the one that sug-
gested taking them?
Al went and got the dish OF
salts without saying anything to any
body.
TOOK 1T AS JOKE.
Q.-How did your wife and the
roomer come to take any?
Any wife took it as joke and
said give Gene a dose and she said
she would take a dose. we would all
take some.
Q.-What else was in the glass be-
sides the salts that your wife drank?
A.-Strychnine sulphate.
Q.-Who put it into the glass?
Al did
Q.-Where were you when you
put in into the glass?
AIN the kitchen, near the Kitchen
supboard.
Q.-Were the other two there?
Alright in the room.
Q.-What was there to prevent
their seeing that you put some
thing else in 1t?
A.--Nothing.
Pettibone says the document stated
he obtained the poison from Dan
Wards drug store in Bennington,
where he waas privileged to go into
the back room where the prescrip-
ton counter is located. He describes
accurately the shelf from which the
drug was secured.
HAD POISON THREE DAYS.
O.-How long had you had the
poison in your possession before the
night you mixed it up!
A.-Three days.
O.-What was your object in giving
1t, Mr.. Pettibone?
Al was despondent and blue and
discouraged. That was the only
thing that was on my mind. 1t both
cred me for a month, money matters.
She wanted everything she seen, she
bought the house, l was not in favor
of it. / did not see how l could pay
interest. She was possessed she
would buy 1t and l saw no other way
on 500 a week on a $1,000 house.
was working night and day for wal
bridge and was discouraged.
O-How much of it did you pour
into the glass?
ALL of 1t.
O-whatever there was in the bot
tie you poured into the glass with
the salts you mixed for Mrs. Petit
bone?
Ayes, sir.
O-How long had you been con-
templating or thinking about giving
this to her?
A-Two or three weeks, simply, 1t
was the only thing on my mind.
Pettibine denied he was acquainted
with Miss Guillow at this time, later
admitting that he had been at her
9randfather's house on March IA,
weeks before the death of his wife,
and had taken automobile rides with
her.
Pettibone admits that he talked
with Miss Guillow of being married.
He says there was no engagement
ring or anything like that.
NO AGREEMENT TO WED.
Ono agreement on your part or
hers to marry?
A-No, sir; | considered II was not
doing due respect to my wife, but the
town gossip has been something fierce
here. / cared for her since and I
think she has for me.
Returning to the subject of his
yife's death, Pettibone describes how
he stood at the door of the bedroom,
after being told to leave the room
bv the doctor, and watched his wife
die. but doesn't know whether she
saw him or not.
O.-Didn't you realize 1t was what
YOU had given her that caused her
death?
Al was not sure. The excitement
and not knowing any more about
strychnine, / did not realize what /
had done until after IL was done.
O.-You didn't tell the doctor what
she had taken?
Al told him she had taken salts.
Q.-You didn't tell him she had
taken anything more?
A.-No, sir.
O.-Did you notice the glass at all
that she had drunk from to see If she
drank all you mixed?
Al am positive l did. 1t is my
recollection / rinsed the glass out the
next morning.
When his wife lay In her coffin, the
victim of his awful crime, he kissed
her cold, dead lips.
NO THIRD DEGREE USED.
Miss Lena Evers, stenographer for