The Washington times., 1920-07-29

pleased to have him continue his love-
making. The State won a point when
Judge Wilson ruled against the broth
er's effort to show that Byron was
weak from an operation at the time
he made the confessions.
Under cross-examination he ad-
mitted that the Sunday visits OF BY.
ron and Eva were often omitted.
DR.. George II. Farnsworth. called
as a defense medical expert. was de-
veloped as q veterinary and Mr.. Archi-
bald objected. Mr., Chase said he was
privileged to offer testimony OF the
show that experiments we're made on
a mouse, but Judge Wilson ruled
against him.
The prisoners sister. Mrs Maude
Hathaway, corroborated her brother
In all details OF Byron's apparently
happy married life. After Mrs. Petit
bones death Mrs. Hathaway objected
to an autopsy and searched the home
for poison, but found only salts.
STRONG ENOUGH TO DRIVE CAR
DR.. John I. Corcoran testified that
Pettibone might have suffered from
the results of his operation but he
was forced to agree with Mr.. Archi-
bald that there wasn't much weakness
In a man who could drive big auto
mobile for 30 miles.
The direct testimony OF Dp. Charles
A. Buchanan that he left strychnine
pills at the Pettibone house created a
momentary sensation. but he ex-
planned that 1t was from 4 to 6 years
ago. He added some expert medical
testimony as to the effects Of strych-
nine poisoning.
The state offered proof that DR..
Wilcox, the physician whose strych-
nine Pettibone said he stole from Dan
Wards drug store. left Bennington
on January s. Mrs. Lillian Buss.
housekeeper h at the physicians home,
testified that he was 80 years old and
practiced little.
Closing arguments began immed-
iaately after court reconvened. states
attorney Gravey opened. He declared
that Pettibone went JOY riding on
hearse with a dead man in behind and
Helen Guillow on the seat with him.
He said the motive sat in the witness
chair when Helen Guillow was called,
and though he did not come into
court with harsh feelings in his heart
against any man. he did want the jury
to sustain him in an effort to keep
Bennington county unhealthy for
murderers.
GOD FORCED CONFESSIONS.
Speaking of the confessions, the
state attorney declared they were
wrung from Pettibone by his Crea-
tor, through the human agency Of
Boston detectives, and from April 8
until juno IS the voice OF God rang
in Petitioners ears. accusing him Of
the crime of murder while the voice
Of the dead woman came back to him
from the grave to charge him as her
murderer.
He asked the Jurors not to turn a
deaf ear to the voice from the grave
nor to falter in their duty but to
stand firm and make the Pettibone
crime a monument of warning and
mark of depravity so that any other
man who contemplates murder will
feel the death hand, recall the speedy
trial, see the prison cell and remem-
Der the dishonored grave Of the muir
derer.
Mr.. Graves spoke without heat, but
with convincing earnestness and
completed his statement in forty
minutes.
Mr.. Jones argued for the defense.
He said that the poisoned tea cpl
sode was incredible and that it was
| Out Ol iHds AAS
claimed that Mrs. Pettibone's Ginning
in, when her husband said he was go
ing to take some salts. "I'll take
some. too" was evidence that she was
in the habit Of taking salts, and the
attorney said she was slowly burt
surely fastening upon herself also
the habit Of taking strychnihe with
her salts.
CLAIMS sTRYCHNINE HABIT.
Mr.. Jones cited the testimony OF
Mrs. Wray, and argued that II Mrs.
Pettibone, / nNovember, 1913, was
taking this mixture habitually for
headaches, the respondent was entitl-
ed to have the jury consider the pos
sibility that she kept on up to the
day Of her death, especially as on that
day she told her fellow-workers that
she was i'll. that she was suffering
from heart trouble. "She had used
strychnine before" said Mr.. Jones,
wouldn't she do II again."
| Mr.. Jones argued that the evidence
was not conclusive that DR.. wilcox
left his bottle Of strychnine in Wards
drug store. The bottle was never seen
in the store after DR.. Wilcox bought
1t. And IL that is true, then this was
not the bottle OF poison which was
given to Mrs. Pettibone, and II must
be eliminated from the case.
He maintained that DR.. Hurley's
saying that on the night of the fu-
neral the doctors had been discussing
the poison aspect of Mrs. Pettibone's
appearance explained Pettibone's say
Ing. Don't say anything about
poison" In like manner he explained
that Pettibone's objection to An au-
topsy grew out of the unanimous OBJ
lection of all tho relatives.
DENOUNCEs CONFESSION METHOD
Finally, Mr.. Jones took UP the con-
fessions, and the manner Of obtain
ing them. He ridiculcd the supposi-
ton that Pettibone, after standing
six hours of questioning by relays of
detectives, without once referring to
strychnine, made a straight-out con-
fesion the moment the States attor-
ney entered the room. He said that
the proper thing, "if this had been
an honest Investigation" would have
| been for the detectives to submit