The Washington times., 1920-05-30
COlVVGTEDSAYER
.PRAYS IN HIS CELL
Wilson Brokaw, 66, to Serve
Eighteen Years for siay-
ing wife. NJ
(continusd from First Pase.)

tcontinued from First Paxe)
st.ecs' that connected him ~nb The
The old man was arrested and ae-
cused. He maintained a stoiid indif-
ference as 10 his fate. saying practi-
cAlly northing during the two monthe
he was confined In jail awaiting
trial He spoke only Of ordinary mat
ters and made no mention whatever
of the crime. ttt
When he faced q Jury in tho, fed
| eral court In this city. he still main
tanned that attitude OF indifference
until his lawyers endesvored to prove
him insane.
His own son. Lieutenant ,Brokaw.
declared his father was insane, He
, said his aged parent was fstck OF
mind" and frequen atty did thinGs tAAt
only an insane person would do. He
said he had q. sister whose mind was
| unbalanced. and there were others In
his family likewise afflicted. '.
He said his father and his step
| mother were very happy. There vas
nothing to cause the father to Kill
his wife. and WAS convinced that the
elder Brokaw was insane when the
crime was committed. 49,
prskaw DenieA GsiIt.
Brokaw himself took the stand. y 1t
was the FIRST time apparently that he
had shown any interest in the trial.
He did not plead insanity. He pieaael
\ not guilty"
| 81 did not kill my wife," he told the
jury. Il don't know who killed her"
| He said he was returning to his
home on the night OF January 6. ana
when he was near his house he saw Q
taegro running away. He entered his
home and found his wife lying on the
door with her head crushed. There
was a bloody ak near by.
| Officers of Camp Eustis testified
that Brokaw had been acting peculiar.
A neighbor testified that he borrowed
the AK with which the crime was
| committed, and that when friends en-
| tered his home on the night his wife
was murdered. he acted like a de-
ranged person. He went to the lack
OF his home, witnesses testified, when
friends called to offer assistance, and
did not want to talk to anyone.
| IL Registerea Pharmacist.
| Brokaw Is registered phsrma-
cist. So far as the authorities were
able to find out. be had lived an un-
| eventful existence. He and his SEQ.
ond wife had been married for eight
cen or twenty years, and there had
| been no domestic trouble between the
| two to account for the tragedy.
| In passing sentence upon BrOkaw,
Judge Edmund waddilI. of the Secord
district Federal court. said:
"You have been indicted. tried and
| convicted on one OF the most seri )cs
and heinous offenses known TO. the
1 law-the murder of your wife. The
jury has convicted you of murder in
the second degree. the punishment: for
which Is provided by law at not less
| than ten years. and maybe by i'm
prisonment for the term OF your
natural life. in the discretion OF the
court.
! at therefore becomes the courts
duty to prescribe your punishment.
which II does. and hxes the same at
the term of eighteen. years; and it's
judgment is that for the period mem
toned you shall be confined in the
United States prison at Atlanta, Ga,
therein to be imprisoned. held, and
treated in the manner specified By
law.
Having regard to your advanced
age. and the court is admonished that
| in all human probability. the period
of your conhnemeft will extend be-
yond the span of years allotted to
your natural life, and I cannot. there
fore too seriously impress upon yoc
the Importance of so living in the
culture as to make amends. as far as
possible. for your deeds Of the past,
and prepare to meet your Creator
when your final end shall come"
| Brokav stood unmoved while the
judge was passing sentence on HIN.
He sat down quietly when It was Gil
over and waited for the officers -
come for him to take him back 10
Jail.
Brokaw was born in Cincinnati. He
was in business in that city for sen
eral years, and bore good reputatieN
| generally.
1 -
| ~ - n u1uY vvY n SusN n 4 UsII nv