The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-07-28
J. K. BATCHELDER MADE
CLOSING DEFENCE PLEA
Urged Jury Not to BE Influenc-
ed by Alleged Relations with
Miss Helen Guillow so Soon
After Death of Prisoners
Wife.

The fate Of Byron NJ. Pettibone Of
Bennington, charged with the mur.
der Of his wife, Eva Bond Pettibone,
now rests with he jury, the trial
which has been in progress at Man
chester since the morning of July 49,
having come to a close this afternoon
when Judge Stanley NJ. Wilson de-
livered his charge.
The closing argument by Attorney
General Frank c. Archibald was ccm
pie cd at about 1890 o'clock The
prosecu ing officer asked the jury to
return a verdict in accordance with
the evidence The cast was not one,
he said. involving a single individual
but the 350.000 people in Vermont
were interested in the maintaining
Of the law.
James X. Batchelder closed for the
defence with fervid plea for his
client He asked the jury no; to be
influenced by the alleged relations Of
Pet ibone with Miss Helen Guillow SO
soon after his wife's death
Every available inch of space of the
,c, urt room was occupied yes erday
afternoon by the spectators, both
summer visitors and residents of this
and other nearby towns when States
AT orney Collins NJ Graves opened
his argument for the prosecution,
while at the windows appeared many
faces OF those who had been unable
to get into the court house itself but
had secured place on The ledge un-
der the windows. The respondent
throughout the prosecuting attorney S
talk and also that of his counsel,
Joseph c. Jones, appeared to show
less signs of nervousness than at
many imes during the trial,
Mr. Graves said that unlike many
murders this was commited in nc
heat of passion, that Pettibone had
carried a bottle OF poison in his poe.
ket for three days and deibera ely
carr ed out his foul deed. He assert
led that the accused man did not
have the courage to remain in the
same room after the poison had been
taken, during the suffering of his
wife and called the kiss implanted by
him On his wifes lips when she went
Ito bed as a kiss like Judas made cen
'tuIies ago He stated that it would
be hard to find or to contemplate a
more cold blooded murder.
Mr.. Graves told the jury that the
motive for the crime sat in the wit
mess chair before them on Saturday
in the person of Helen Guillow and
mentioned ride to Manchester in an
ambulance by Pet ibone and Miss
Gullow which he termed a Joy ride
when a dead body was left in the am
bulance outside while the two d;ned
in a hotel He claimed this happened
within two weeks OF the death OF
Mrs. Pet ibone.
AS an indication of a guilty con
science he referred TO the evidence
of the doctors that Pettibone had
cautioned them not to mention poison
And he asked the jury if the man
were innocent if he would not have
insisted upon, rather than opposed
an autopsy He also used the tea
ep. p.sode' to show that the accused
was guilty and said that he did not
deny that he had put something in
the tea given his wife.
Mr.. Graves referred to the confess
ion alleged to have been made TO At
:orney General Archibald and empha
sized the fact that it was made when
Pettibone had not been troubled by
detectives, and quoted such sRte
ments from this confession as THAI
was the only thing that was on my
mind for a month" and 1T did not
seem tina. ! could stand it muci
longer" In speaking Of the poison
sign on the strychnine bottle Mr.
Graves spoke of it as a warning o.
Gcd yet the man went on his course
He said that he did not doubt 'ha
his guilty conscience heard Eva
voice saying: Byron you are tht
gull man." and the voice of God
Thou Shala Not Kill" He asked thC
jury to mot turn deaf ear to in
nocent blood from the ground anC
to bring in a verdict cf murder in The
first degree.
Mr. Jones occupied the rest Of The
afternoon after about 3 o'clock will
his argument He referred to the fac
that his client had not taken tht
stand whereupon Mr. Archibald sale
that it laid open to be mentioned
by the stae and the court advised Mr.
Jones that it was not to be referred