Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-07-29
PETT!BONE JURY STILL OUT
Asks for Further Instructions st $3.50
in the Evening--Probably no yer-
dict Until To-day

dict Until To-day
Manchester. July 2s.-Nervously clinch-
ing his hands and showing other unmis-
| taxable signs of intense ANXIETY Byron ,
! NJ. Pettibone sits in his cell here to might. |
or PAGES up and own while he awaits the
verdict of the jury which is to say
| whether he is to go to the electric chair |
or become free man from the charge
of poisoning his wife Eva Bond Pettibone
at Bennington on April by putting
strychnine in a dose of salts. The jury
received the case at 2:55 .. m. standard
time) and at a late hour tonight had not
| reached verdict.
Judge Stanley c. Wilson of Chelsea in
cahrging the jury said that there were
four possible verdicts but that either
verdict of guilty of murder in the first
degree or verdict of mot guilty would
be the natural one in this case. He stared.
however, that they might return verdict
Of guilty of murder in the second degree
or one of manslaughter"
| The Jury after deiberating six hours
came into the court room AZ S'p O CLOCK
Tonight for further instructions concern
!, ing first and second degree murder ana
n,anslaughter. Judge Wilson again care
fully analyzed the differences between
the three reading nearly all of his charge
. of the afternoon.
Judge Wilson suggested that the jury
retire to their hotel for the night and
drop the case until morning when tnev
could AXE it up fresh. He stated that tne
case had been carefully and ably trleo Oh
both sides and that he saw no reason why
e they could not reach an agreement aou-
i ing that it was no dissrace LOT a N'"" ~
change his opinion
r James X. Batchelder made MS ai
n,a,+ for the accused man this morning
J He nictured hin, as an afectlonate nus
= hand and peaoeful la.wabiding citiZeh
: He maintained that no evidence hdd oeen
nut in to show that Pettoone inleh"eo
= to give poison when the salls "efe
brought out He referred to the KISS OF
y Pettibone termed by states Attorney
II Graves Yesterday in his argument as
"a Judas kiss" and said that II was
the kiss of an affectionate and heart
broken husband He made no claim that
his client was an exceptionally prlght
=, hut inst an average man, and declared
- that such man il guilty would not oe
= 20 reckless or so entirely devoid or sense
- as TO have done things claimed by the
! state He emphasized the fact that nc
,e evidence had been produced to show tha'
;, there was any trouble whatever bet"eer
~ the counIe and that the difference OF
16 years in their ages had not been showr
to have been a case of misma ting
He said that Mr.. Graves statement yes
terdav that Helen Cuillow was the mo
tive for the murder showed that thu
State had abandoned the motive as g1ver
in the alleged confession, In spite OF tn
fact that unimpeached witnesses had ties
ti6ed that Pettibone and Miss Guillov
took drives together as long ago a
- August 1919 the attorney declared ina
in ths event of her grandfather's death II
a. March was their first meeting he admlt
ck ted that Pettibone's intimacy win IN
,u nurse shortly after his wite's death mleh
It's be criticised, but was not connected VII
RS the crime claimed by the state II
he attacked the methods OF DetectlVe
James r. Wood and f. c. Brown OF Bos
Ist ton s.renuously and said that the method
se of physical torture employed in the Gay
th of old to wrench confessions from lnne
as cent persons had passed, but that tn
No dav of third degree" methods had M
ee, vet passed He said he hoped to see
he law on the Vermont statutes whic
la. would provide that a disnterested pc
son must be present when any such e'
animation Of a suspected person W.
N made.
~ He asked the jury to look at II
- respondent and said that the apparel
an show Of grief following his wife
~ death was mol consistent with ~
iel contention Of the State that gull
conscience prompted the confessio
w.. He spoke of the presence of Mrs Wri
- of Boston on the stand on Mon day
~ "Provldential that this woman saw
'' article in the Boston Herald that re
80. tibone was on trial for his life.
~ Attorney General Archibald nnakiI
~ the final argument for the prosecute
,ed dwelt at length on incidents outsi
- the confession and showed how tn
i.,, were interviewer to establish the gu
80 of the undertakers assistant witho
his his voluntary statement that he
guilty Of the terrible iced. He ask
the jury in attacking the good reput
ton of Pettibone claimed by the
fense Have you any boys you wa
to be like him or to turn out like him
roy He emphasized the statement OF n
Ratchelder that the accused is m
of average" intelligence and g;
a,u that such a man knew OF strychni
o,. and it's consequences. He laid gre
stress on the tea episode" which
CURED two nights before Mrs. Pet
o bones death and said that 1t coincd
,.iI,, with the statement Of the oonfessi
ny that he obtained the strychnine fr
,,,,1 Wards drug store three days bef'
- the fatal sixth of April. He inquil
49,. what would have been the most
,,ith tural thing for an innocent man
,ro, do when accused by his wife OF
tempting to poison her and maintaiI
that such a course would he to OF
to exchange cups with his wife, or
have the contents of her cup analyz
* of He referred sarcastically to the love
his Byron for his wife, this love so everla
as ingly and faithfully shown-this man v
has waited with grief-this man whose he
eek was broken, and who, in voluntary C
ac- fession stated II thought II could o
get rid of her" He asked II the quest
Milo of Helen Gullow on June 16 when
ruck tihone confessed when the detectives W
into not present Byron dear, why did you
ering it?' when he answered. Helen, you
ntrol safe" was the reply of an innocent m
There was no denial Of the crime II