The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-12
GIRL HAMMER
Slayer Held
WITHOUT BAIL
Defense Fails to Get Charge
Reduced; Breaks Down
as She Hears News.
NEW FIGHT is STARTED
HabeaS Corpus Writ Sought
Killer Is Pictured as
'HothouSe Flower
NEW FIGHT is STARTED
By United Prcss

bN Untted FFeeS
PAINESVILLE, Ohio, Dec. 12.--
Mrs. Velma West confessed hammer
slayer of her husband iTLTlr5, one
Of a family of nationally Known
nurserymen, was bound over to the
county grand jury at the conclusion
of her preliminary hearing here to-
day.
Mrs. West will be held without
bail as result of the failure of the
defense to have the charge reduced
to second degree murder or man
slaughter.
She collapsed when informed that
she must go back to Jail. Attorneys
Francis v. Poulson Of Cleveland, and
Richard Bostwick, defense counsel,
said Poulson would appear in county
Common Pleas Court tomorrow to
start habeas corpus proceedings.
Velma burst into loud sobbing as
Judge Marvin Helter gave his rIil-
ing, as did her mother. A crowd
was waiting to see the prisoner led
from the court room. AS she caught
sight of the curious onlookers, Mrs.
West collapsed.
Is Dressed NattiIy
Mrs. West appeared in the court
room wearing natty fur coat and
a black hat, pulled down over her
eyes. She cried several times dur
ing the hearing.
DR.. o. o. Hauch, coroner, testified
that Vests skull had been frac-
tured with blunt instrument which
drove in the left eye and a deep
sash had been inflicted on the fore
head.
Raymond M. Nye Of Painesville,
first witness for the State, said he
saw West alive late on the day OF
the murder with a woman, identi-
fed as Velma.
DR.. r. E. Spence, Painesville ply
sician, testified that Velma had told
him she struck West five times with
the claw hammer. Each time. ac-
cording to Spence's testimony, the
husband arose, only to be struck
again.
Room in Disorder
1.-THE room was III great disorder"
Deputy Eugene Brolund testified.
There was every appearance Of a
struggle. Pillows were thrown about
and the body had been partially
covered with bed coverings"
The confessed murderesS was
lonely and misunderstood, not the
cigaret-smoking, sophisticated, big
town debutante she has been pic
tured, Attorney Poulson declared In
statement today.
She was the pretty hothouSe
flower transplanted into the wild,
Poison said. Her life was unhappy,
with frequent qlIarrels over money,
and he had been insanely jealous OF
times.
At the age of she had won per-
feet baby contest in a Cleveland
theater, but several months later
diphtheria ravaged her pretty little
body.
Rect at Picnic; EIOpe
In the summer Of 1925 she met
young West at picnic and a first
love romance began. West drove
from Perry through the snow to
see her many times that winter.
They eloped to Milwaukee, in an
old Ford, then went to Chicago.
Eddie went back home to get more
money. He borrowed $500 from his
father in Perry, returned to Chi
cago, then took his wife back to
their little bungalow in Perry.
Then followed q life of outdoor
sports Sometimes they danced, but
Eddie saw to 1t he was always with
her.
The $112 a month given him BY
his father failed to provide all the
necessities needed in the little
bungalow home. There were fire.
quent quarrels over money.
Five weeks ago she found he was
intercepting mail from her friends.
None Of the letters had been from
men, but Velma went to Sheriff
Rasmussen and complained. He
promised to see what he could dc.
The quarrel which immediately
preceded thhe hammer Staying had
been the climax. It was the culnai-
nation OF the quarrels over money
and the petty differencea