The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-07-27
PETTZBONE MURDER
CASE REACHES FINAL
STAGE Early TODAY

the right if they so desired to intro
lduce evidence as to the fact tha. Dir.
Wilcox was in Bennington during De
cember 1919.
There was evident surprise in many
directions when the defense began to
Question Mrs. James Wray who gave
her address as Postal District No 81,
Boston, Mass, and Mrs Wray testi-
fed that Mrs Byron PetibOne told
her back in 1918 that she, Mrs. Petit
bone, took strychnine regularly with
salts for headache and stomach
trouble. 1t seems that Mr. Wray was
manager for some time OF the Great
Atlantic & Pacific store at Benning-
ton On Armistice day, Nov II, 1918,
Mrs, Wray was alone in the store
wi n Mrs. Pc tibone in the morning
and remarked that she, Mrs. Wray,
was going to close the store while she
went to a drug store to get something
for her headache. This led to dis
cussion Of headaches, stomach troub-
les and remedies, and Mrs Pettibone
remarked that she had taken salts un-
til she came to the conclusion that
something was effecing her heart
She then began to put in some strych-
nine, crushing the tablets in the glass
with the salts before she pu. the
water in. On cross examination it
was developed that Mrs. Petgibone did
mt specify how much strychnine she
used for a dose Mrs. Wray learned
few weeks ago tha' Pettibone was
charged with the crime and invited
herself into the trial by writing to
Attorney Batchelder about her story.
Quite a number Of wi nesses we're
called to testify relative to the repu-
tatlon Of the respondent previous TO
April 9Th, 1920 The first 70 be ques-
toned in this manner was Rev. VIM.
c. Towart, pastor of the First Bap-
.tist Church of Bennington. Attorney
Chase had considerable difficulty in
bringing ou' the desired information.
but the impression was gained from
Mr. Towart as well as from Daniel
A Ward, Eugene LaFortune, Fred
Stickles and Chas. l.. Percy that the
respondent had good reputation
Two Witnesses also were called to
testify rela i've TO hearing Mrs Petit
bcne remark about her health on
April sixth at the Black Cat Mil,
otherwise known as the Allen A. mill.
Mrs. Ina Hollister and Mrs Jennie
Knights both testified that on that
day they had heard Mrs Pettibone re-
mark that she felt poorly. She was
ihaWng headaches and felt poorly
otherwise.
Mrs Nora Philbrick of Rutland, a
niece of Mrs. Pet dbone, was called to
testify relative TO the attitude of the
relatives toward an autopsy 10 had
been indica ed by the State that the
respondent had objected to an autop-
sy. Mrs. Philbrick said that she was
called the night Mrs Pettbone died
and came right to Bennington, arriv-
ing the following morning She
: aged in Bennington two weeks at
the house with Petibone She said
she was present when the relatives
We're talking about an autopsy and
that all OF ihe relatives were opposed
to il.
d. A. Ward who owns the drug store
where it is alleged Pettibone helped
himself to the strychnine odd about
the location OF the store with respect
to the Walbridge undertaking rooms
and explained the in nrior arrange.
ment and full detail as to the pre-
acription room He was questioned
abou the handling of strychnine and
explained that each carton con aiming
sixteen little bottles of strychnine
bore control number and this same
number was on each bottle. He said
mat DR.. Wilcox had purchased a bot
tie of the strychnine on December
1lth and he may have left it at the
store, bu1 Mr.. Ward was not sure.
On this point his testimony did not
seem to agree with what Attorney
Archibald read from the record of the
inques. 1t would seem from the in
quest testimony that Mr.. Ward had
testified that there had been a search
made for a bottle left there by DR..
Wilcox and that it cculd not be found.
. Inc Iast WI ness OF the day was
Benjamin Harrison Petibone,
a brother few years younger
than Byron Petibone The brother
gave a sort of life history of the re-
spondent and was ques ioned in detail
by Attorney Batchelder, who by the
way, has done little if any examining
Of Witnesses up to this point, as to
the family life of the respondent and
his wife
According to Benjamin Pettibone
the family relations were particularly
affectionate. They seemed to care a
= great deal for each other and were
not bashful in showing their deyot
ions. The direct examination of this
witness had not finished when court
adjourned for the day.