The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-11-02
MRS. PHILLIPS HAS
VIOLENT ATTACKS

Los Angeles, Nov. 1.-~Mrs. Clara
Phillips once attacked her sister, Mrs.
R. s. jackson, while suffering from
a periodical epileptic convulsion. Mrs.
jackson testified today In Mrs. Phil
lips trial for the murder Of Mrs. AL
oerta Meadows.
Mrs. Phillips, she said, threw her
across ai trunk and beat her with a
shoe. infiicting a wound ON her head,
Of which the soar still remains.
Mrs. jackson testified that her sis
ter would lose control of herself for
from Ave minutes to two hours when
one Of the seizures came. Twice dur
ing 1917, she said, Mrs. Phillips went
into commissions, bled from the mouth
and tore her hair.
The witness said hor mother, Mrs.
Hannah ]. Weaver, was subject to
epileptic eonvulsions and Is now an
invalid at Tampiro, Mexico.
The trial was resumed with the de
tense offering in evidence several de-
positions intended to prove the de.
fendant is subnormal mentally and
subject to psychic epilepsy" while
here father, John Weaver, and he1
brother, Henry, were not sane.
When the reading Of these deposi
tions were completed, the defense
called Mrs. Wilhelmina Atkinson al
The first witness. She testified thai
she was in a chorus at San Antonio
Texas, in 1918 with Mrs. Phillips ans
that they worked and roomed to.
gether for eight months.
Asked who formed the company
she said there were three principal
and ten choras GIRLS and that he
stage name was Billy Moody.
Mrs. Atkinaon said that on one oc
casion shs and Mrs.. Phillips we're re
porting for work, Mrs. Phillips fell il
what appeared to be a faint, was car
ried to.a dressing room by the othe
chorus girls and was revived there
Mrs. Atkinson's expression was tha
she snapped out Of It."
Mrs. Atkinson then testified that o
Iona. occasion. coming hOue one eve
ming when Mrs. PHnfpss had na
worked, she found the latter in bes
apparently in coma or convulsion'
She said Mrs. Phillips hands wer
gripped around the bed rails SO tha
she was unable to unclasp them an
that she called a doctor, who restore
Mrs. Phillips to consciousness. Tn
witness said Mrs. Phillips later di,
claimed any knowledge of what ha
happened.
At that time, Mrs. Atkinson sai'
their room was a wreck. She sal
the bedding had been destroyed, Il
chairs broken, the water pitche
thrown out of the window and oth'
signs of destructive activity wei
apparent.
| After their engagement in San Al
tonic closed they went to Orang
Texas, where, she said, Mrs. PHILLIP
lhad more of the attacks such as Il
ones described.
/, When cross-examination began Il
!, state took Mrs. Atkinson back to Il
, incident she had described in 81
. Antonio when Mrs. Phillips was foul
i'll with the room in disorder. In r
sponse to questions, she said the roo
, looked "like mad house." She tn
; began to tell about the long time
took physicians to. bring Mrs. Ph
q lips to normal, and as she testifi
Mrs. Phillips suddenly burst in
D laughter and stuffed handkerch
= into her mouth to suppress the sour
a The witness looked at Mrs. Phillil
a listened to another question and tn
q when she tried to answer 1t she III
; wise burst into helpless laughter a
e rocked herself in the witness chair
r Ian effort to control herself. At
she did so, cross-examination was
. i .,,v~ol