The New York herald., 1922-07-15
Young Wife Who Stood By
Describes Rain of Blows
on Victims Head.
ALLEGED SLAYER SOUGHT
Has Been Missing Since Crime
Committed on Los Angeles
Motor Drive.

6pectul Dispatch tn The NEW YORK HERALD.
Los ANGELES. July lathe Los An
geles county Grand Jury returned an
indictment here to-day charging Mrs.
Clara Phillips with the murder of Mrs
Alberta Tremaine Meadows, a twenty
year-old widow who was beaten to
death with a hammer on lonely Sec
ton of Montecito Drive, near here,
Wednesday.
According 10 the county authorities
Mrs. Phillips is under arrest in Tucson
-Ariz but a dispatch from Tucson to-
night said the woman held there has
denied she is Mrs. Phillips. saying her
name is Gala McGuyer, that she lived
nt an address different from that Of
Mrs. Phillips and that she knew moth
ing Of the crime.
The indictment against Mrs. Phillips
Is based almost entirely on the story
told by Mrs. Peggy Caffee. the 2o-year-
old wife of NJ. d. Caffee. Long Branch
Oil man. who walked into police head
quarters early to-day. hysterical and
on the verge OF collapse.
II saw Mrs. Meadows killed. she
cried. land l want to tell everything
can't keep still any longer
Pounded widows Head.
Mrs. Caffee was accompanied by her
husband. to whom she had told her
story. This she repeated to reporters
detectives and attaches of the District
Attorneys office. She had seen Mrs.
AIeadows beaten to death, she said. AL
though Mrs. Caffee protested, according
10 her story, Mrs. Phillips pounded at
the widows head with a hammer until
her skull had been cracked in half a
dozen places.
Il ran away when I saw I couldn't
stop it," Mrs. Caffee said. "and when
l left Mrs. Phillips was down on her
hands and knees by the body of Mrs.
Meadows, beating her over the head
with the hammer. Later she drove her
automobile down the road and picked
me up and told me she would kill me
II l ever said anything to anybody. I
waited day and a half and then had
TO tell my husband
II have known Mrs. Phillips about
TWO years." Mrs. Caffee continued II
spent the night with her, the night be-
3ore the murder. hadn't seen her for
a long time when I met her the other
day with her mother She told me
"Wednesday morning she was going to
3,
wanted to talk to her about her hus-
Pand, Mr.. Phillips. i went with her.
j didn't know then that she Intended
to Kill Mrs. Meadows. She didn't act
as II she intended to do anything like
Shat.
We got Mrs. Meadows. and Mrs.
Phillips was nice to her. She was very
Sice-and all the time she intended to
fll her. We drove out the Montecito
Drive. and when we got there Clara
6sked Mrs. Meadows to get out Of the
car. as she had something to say to
her.
The neighbors have told me that
Eou have had something to do with my
husband Clara said.
Questions Her Victim.
Mrs. Meadows didn't say anything"
Didn't my husband buy that wrist
watch for your Clara asked Didn't
he buy those tires for you on your
carp"
Mrs. Meadows denied that her rela-
tons with Phillips had been improper,
Mrs. Caffee said. and then Mrs Phillips
suddenly pulled her hand from beneath
Eer cape. The blow dazed the widow
and she tried to run. but Mrs. Phillips
overlook her and, leading her by the
arm, brought her back to where Mrs
Caffee was standing.
Clara was smiling" said Mrs. Caffee.
''and l thought they had made up"
But when they got back to Mrs
Caffee the young widow began to whim-
ger and plead and Mrs. Caffee stepped
between them. Then, according to Mrs
Caffee, Mrs. Phillips raised her hammer
and shouted: Don't you Interfere.
damn you. I'll kill you"
She pushed Mrs. Caffee aside and
struck Mrs. Meadows on the head, Mrs
Caffee said. The widow fell and Mrs.
Caffee ran. She ran for a while and
then she looked back. What she saw
terrified her. The young widow lay on
The ground, Mrs. Caffee said, and on her
knees was Mrs. Phillips, the hammer
rising and falling. methodlcaily and
regularly. as she slugged at the head
that lay beneath II.
Mrs. Caffee said that she tried TO run
again. but the sight had made her weak
a few minutes later Mrs. Phillips, driv-
Ing her car. overlook her, and Mrs.
Caffee got into the machine.
"I'll do the same thing to any other
woman who bothers my husband" Mrs
Caffee quoted Mrs. Phillips.
Then she drove her car to town ana
Jet Mrs. Caffee out in Fjgueroa street
the latter said. saying: III you tell
anybody, I'll kill you"
She drove calmly down the street and
that was the last Mrs. Caffee saw Of
her.