The Washington times., 1920-07-27
CLAIMS DEATH
WAS ACCIDENT
Defense Will Repudiate Confes-
sions OF Staying Made by Un-
dertaker'S Assistant.

MANCHESTER, w. July 2I.-At-
torneys for Bryon Madison Petit
bone. now on trial for his life.
charged with the murder Of his wife,
Iva Bond Pettibone, will attempt to
prove that Mrs. Pettibone was a
sufferer from heart disease and died
from an overdose of strychnine, self
administered.
This is shown by the trend OF
questioning OF the first witnesses by
the defense yesterday.
Mrs. Lillian Wray, OF Boston, a
1oquacious lady of middle age, gown
ed in black lace and satin, gave the
first ray OF hope to the respondent.
TOOK DOSE AS MEDICINE.
She testified that she talked with
Mrs. Pettibone on armistice day. She
declared that Mrs. Pettibone com
planned OF headaches and told Mrs.
Wray that she was in. the habit of
taking strychnine in salts; the salts
10 relieve her headachesi and strych-
nine to stimulate her heart.
She said she asked Mrs. Pettibone
If she had a doctor when size took
Btrychnine and If she were not
afraid TO fool with it," and quoted
the dead woman as replying; oh
no. 1t is easy to get when you know
how"
Mrs. wray said that the conversa-
tion recurred to her when she read
of the trial week ago; that she
then offered her services as wit
ness for the respondent.
Mrs. Ina Hollister and Mrs. jessie
knights, of Bennington, both of whom
worked in the factory where Mrs
Pettibone was employed testified that
on the day of her death. April u, Mrs.
Pettibone complained of being Ill,
having pains in her heart. 10th ad-
mitted, on cross-examination, that her
work was not interrupted by her
illness.
Mrs Dora Philbrick, of Rutland
niece of Mrs. Pettibone, 4 motherly'
looking woman. with a sweet, smile
and soft voice, shed tears as she teS-
titled. She said that members of her
1smiy ian sbs objected "a 9P jvsS
happily. "''""'' -..a. Dr..
CONFESSION ADMITTED.
The State scored again on Petit
bone with the admission. as evidence
of a second confession made at Ben
nington ON June 16 to Attorney Cen
eral Archibald, Deputy Sheriff Ed
'Shanahan, and Miss Nellie Hogan, Ste
,nographer for States Attorney Collins
m. Graves.
The confession, admitted by Judge
Wilson over the objection of attor-
neys for the respondent, was read to
the jury by States Attorney Graves
Statements contained therein were
. substantially the same as in another
confession made June 10 to States
Attorney Graves, chief Of police Of
Bennington, Pat Brazil, Detectives j.
r. Wood and E. G. Brown and Miss
Lena Evers, the detectives stenog-
rapher, all Of Boston.
Pettibone, so the document stated,
related circumstances leading up to
the time of his marriage in zoos to
the energetic widow who conducted
a grocery store in the village of
Pownal, where Pettibone was engaged
as clerk.
He told Of taking bottle of strych-
nine sulphate from the shelf of Dan
Wards drug store in Bennington; of
carrying the deadly drug in mis- pock-
ct for three days and of ,emptying the
entire contents of the. vial of poison
into a dose Of salts, which he prepar-
ed and gave to his wife short time
before she died in convulsions.
PLANNED POISONING.
Pettibone, so the document records,
admits he planned the poisoning Of his
wife for two or three weeks before
the commission Of his alleged heart
less act.
"It was the only thing on my mind.
I could not get it off my mind" he
said.
was there ever any talk Of di-
vorce between you and your wife,"
he was asked?
mo" he replied. "our home life was
pleasant. The only thing that bother
ed me was her buying Everything and
{ not knowing how 1 was to pay for
it." -
Pettibone again told of his worry
over the purchase of home for
$1,000, which was mortgaged for
$1,000.
Asked regarding his attentions to
Helen Irene Outflow, the trained
Nurse. for love of whom Pettibone
is said to have killed his wife, the
respondent admitted that he and the
Cuillow woman took 10y rides on
bearses and taxi rides out country
lanes both before and after his wife's
death"
He said that he told the parents of
Miss Guillow that he intended to