Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1920-05-11
LIFE Term
BRINGS OUT
nine SLAIN
BY WATSON
Modern Bluebeard Con
fesses He's Dan Holden
of Arkansas; Drowned
One at Spokane; An
other in Coeur d'Alene.

Los Angeles. May '0.-Ths osa:
tooeod bi01mDst murderer Sentooee0
here today to life Imprisonment
UHdoF the name OF James p. Wat.
sOW, acDosdtag to District Attorney
Thomas Lee woolwine, told that
official Of the murder OF Z ninth
woman victim and stated his true
name was Dan Holden aad that he
was native Of Arkansas. III had
sishth wife.
The ninth alleged murder was
that OF Eleanor Frazier, who, &C.
cording to the District Attorney,
Holden admitted he had drowned in
the Spokane river, above the falls,
near the city of Spokane.
PUSHED VICTIM OVER FALLS.
holden was quoted by tho district
attorney as saying he had married
the Frazier woman in Seattle year
aao land pushed her into the river
and thought she had been carried
over the falls and crushed on iho
rocks below"
This cleared up tho mystery sur
rounding tho fate Of the woman
known previously to officers only
as Eleanor" They had obtained
some information concerning her
from papers in his possession.
Holden declined to stats IN Just
what part Of Arkansas he had heen
born and reared, and would say
only that he was Z member OF "a
respectable family
Holden had admitted before his
sentence that nothing moro Of his
history or alleged crimes would be
obtatned from him until he was as
sured he would be given a life sen.
tence and not sent to the gallows.
GETS STAY OF EXECUTION.
Whatevere his real name. the .'noderr
prisonment at San Quentin prison bl
Judge Frank r. Willis. of the Los
Angeles county supreme court. I,hs
sentence followed Watson's plea Of guilt!
to the murder of Nina Lee Deloney
entered last week Sentence was pro
nounced st 11:25. Watson applied fcl
a stay of execution until May 10, whics
was granted by Judge Willis.
The sentence was passed on the re
commendation of District Attorne!
Thomas Lee Woolwine, who told the
court that conviction could not have beer
attained otherwise. view in which thu
Judge said he concurred. He compliment
ed the sheriff and district attorney OIL
tlclf COQuuCL JHEOIxA!Out LIZ SAIAA~ >~Ao~
Too Weak to Stand Up.
The defendant was SO weak from his
wounds and from his nerv'
Gus tension that he was permitted t'
keep his seat throughout the proceed
(ngs. A.,
Four alienists, two named by the
court and two by the district attorney
we're heard. The courts experts ex'
pressed the view that Watson was not
entirely normal mentally but said he
thoroughly understood what he had done
The other alienists said they believed
he was virtually normal.
The evidence produced at the hearing
by Deputy Sheriff Coutts brought out
the complete published list Of the murd
ers laid to Watson and added an eighth
Mrs. Marie Austin, who was said to have
been drowned in Lake Couer d. Alene
Idaho. According to Coutt's evidence
Watson told him he had thrown Mrs
Austin's body into the lake with a large
rock attached.
In passing sentence Judge Willis said
"Your crimes, as recorded in this
court. are the most heinous in the an.
mails of criminal Jurisprudence. The re-
ports made to me by physicians indicate
you are physically and mentally unsound
and that you are morally depraved.'