Omaha daily bee., 1921-03-04
Lawson Calmly
Tells of Slaying
His Young Wife
Defective Chief, Testifying at
Trial. Denies lntimation
Prisoner Was Intimidated
At Police Station.

Il told her was going TO kill
her. She laughed. l showed her
the revolver and she laughed aTain.
Then ! Saw red and shot her"
Thus did Burnell Lawson, youth
ful wife slayer, calmly relate de-
tails of the recent tragedy to Act
ing Chief OF Detectives Pszanowski,
according to the chiefs testimony
yesterday in distric, court, where
Lawson is on trial for murder
Lawson said his wife double
crossed him" said Pszanowski.
"He said she hadn't been giving him
all the money. He said he was a
bit hot-headed."
Gene O'Sullivan, counsel for Law
son. questioned Pszanowski concern
ing reports Lawson had been in
Inundated after his arrest. -
Denies Intimidation.
Didn't someone threaten TO beat
Lawson up:"> Didn't some men out
side your office shout. Lynch him,
clectrocute him. Didn't some one
tell him the government. was going
to take the case over and that he
would be electrocuted tomorrow"
O'Sullivan asked -
They did not" replied Pszan-
owski.
Joseph Jacobs, police reporter for
The Bee. and Reid Ziinmepnan, poA
lice reporter for the World Herald,
called to the stand by the prosecn-
ton. testified that i'll their interviews
with Lawson he had not mentioned
improper relations OF his wife with
another man as his reason for shoot
ing her.
County Attorney Shotwcil read a
letter alleged to have been written
by the young husband to a youth
named Henry NJ. Pratt, in Kansas
City. 1t read in part:
Sitting Pretty"
Setting pretty with jake, Vic
trola and new clothes and every
thing. Have $l00 cold cash i'll the
bank. Girls are fat and healthy
and making boco jack"
Lawson urged his friend to join
them i'll Omaha. Pratt. on the
stand. testified he arrived in Omaha
with Billy" Silvcrs on Friday. JAN
nary II. Lawson met them at the
station and took them TO his apart
ment. he said.
when we got out there I asked
him where his wife was" testified
Pratt. "He said she was at the hotel
On the day Of the murder Silvers
two women friends and were play
ing cards in the Lawson apart
inent.
Lawson, his wife and his sister-in in
law were in a back room. Lawson
came out and said, we thought jok.
/; ingly, that he guessed he would have
to kill his wife. ...-..
Went for Soap.
lust then ono of our womei
/ friends said she needed some soap
Lawson gave Silvers and | dollar
and asked us to go out and ge'
some. When we came back few
minutes later Lawson was standing
outside the apartment.
! "'Boys. if you don't want to see
murder don't go upstairs. ;" hc
said. "NVc ran up to his apartment
His wife was lying unconscious OF
/ the floor. wounded in the head
1 Eulalia, her sister, was sobbing, b,
her side. When the police arrived.
The prosecution predicted las
night the trial would continue unit
next Tuesday. About 20 more wit
nesses will be called by the prosecu
ton. !,
| Large crowds, principally womei
and girls. jammed the court room t,
lcapacity. Court attaches were startled
when, yesterday noon, they saw al
most dozen girls devouring lunche
they had brought with them to til
trial. 1t is the first time in the his
tory of district court women hav
brought lunches rather than chanc
missing some of the narrowing dc
tails OF a trial, they say.