The Washington times., 1922-04-23
STOICAL ON EVE OF TRIAL AS SLAYER OF MRS EASTLAK

Roger. jr.. eight years old, and
Margaret. six years old. testify
ing in Miss Knox's trial as he
was against their taking the stand
In their fathers trial.
Nurse Keeps silence.
The Baltimore nurse, who. by
her letters to Eastlake. read at
his trial, would appear to have
been on more than friendly terms
with the Eastlakes. has maintain
ed silence which borders on sGol
cism during her incarceration ai
the Richmond city Jail. From
the time of her arrest she has
revealed no emotion except pity
for Eastlake and the desire to see
him restored to his little son and
daughter.
She maintained at the beginning
of the case that, Roger knows
no more about Margaret's death
than / do" paradoxical state
ment which was not unraveled at
Eastlake's trial and which will be
scrutinized by twelve residents of
Westmoreland County to be en-
paneled next week.
History Of Tragedy.
Ordinarily a peaceful community.
the northern neck Of Virginia was
shocked last fall at the diabolical
hacking-todeath OF Mrs. Easrlake.
The murdered woman was attacked
I'm the kitchen of her Nome, before
she had dressed. and was found with
twenty-nine gashes In her body, evi-
IDENTIFY inflicted with a blood-stained
hatchet which later was discovered
in the yard of the Eastlake home.
The hour was approximately $50
In the morning, for the Eastlake chill.
dren were still abed, and the hus-
band testified he had left his family
safe and sound few minutes earlier.
Before O'Clock the crime was dis
covered by neighbors. who were at
sracted to the Eastiake home by Miss
Knox, who said at the inquest that
she was on the premises TO pay an
early morning call, and, on receiving
no response at the door, entered the
home to find the body of Mrs. East
lake in a pool of blood on the kitchen
door.
Eastlake was summoned from the
launch on which he WAS to report
for duty at Dahlgren naval station,
twenty miles below Colonial Beach.
He and the nurse Immediately were
placed under arrest. held by the cor
oner's jury and later Jointly indicted
by the grand jury.
Feeling StiIl Against Him.
Despite the acquittal. Just before
Christmas, feeling in this COM
munity Ia strong against Eastlake.
and the question has arisen an to
the propriety of his returning to tes-
tify In Miss Knox's trial. flo has
been quoted as saying that no would
leave no stone unturned to bring to
Justice the slayer OF his wife.
In his anxiety to fix responsibility
for the crime on one Of the two peo-
pie held by the grand jury, Common
wealth Attorney Watt T. Mayor
wishes to have Eastlake, whom he
prosecuted so vigorously, testify for
the State, but IL Eastlake does 20 II
viii be voluntarily.
According to evidence brought out
at Eastlake's hearing last winter.
he first met Miss Knox in the early
days of the world war. when he was
stationed at Cape May. NJ. J. Rumor
had IL that Miss Knox had been .
nurse in the employ of DR.. William
Eastlake, the acquitted mans father.
and had toured Japan with the elder
and junior Eastlake, but these stor-
les have never been verified.
Wrote Of Impending Visit.
Letters between the nurse and
Eastlske carry their friendship
through the war and up to within
three days OF the staying of Mrs.
Eastlake, when Miss Knox wrote
from Baltimore.
II VIII give you one more chance
60 come he-S - see me; IL you do
not come, win have no other
course exceps q, come to the beach
and I viii not promise what 1 will
do then. This 10 not q threat, but
i warn you II you are not here
By the 11th CSeptemberI, i will come
to the beach for my things and
end everything"
The letters between Miss Knox
and Eastlake, when copied by type
writing, constituted more than
ninety pages of manuscript. They
referred frequently to meetings,
monetary matters between them and
Margaret Eastlake, the victim of the
hideous murder of last September.
To Use Letters Against Her.
nerioenIH Oh IOiOnlai btdCh ttsD-
fled as to Miss Knox's haunting
Eastlake both at Colonial Beach and
at Dahlgren Naval Station where he
was on duty in his capacity of chief
mechanics mate. Her trips from
Baltimore and Cape May, N. J., the
home of her sister. to Colonial Beach
were periodic through last summer
snd the summer before, according
TO postmarks and date lines on the
letters produced in Eastlake's trial.
These communications were seized
I'm Eastlake's personal effects as
well as Miss Knox's and were not
intended for use against Eastlake
so much as they were against Miss
Knox. The defense, however. learn
ing of their confiscation, and know
ing of their threatening nature, de-
manded their production in court
as proving a motive for Miss Knox
committing the crime.
They were the sensation of the
Eastlake trial and were called for
on the last day by Eastlake's at
torneys and read aloud in court.
This step on the part of Eastlake's s
attorneys is said to have been the
turning point in his favor despite
the fact that only circumstantial
evidence had been produced against
hl,ra