The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-12-09
GIRL HAMMER
Slayer FACES
SANITY PROBE
Clash of City and Village
Ideas May Be Made
Part of Defense.
PLEADS NOT GUILTY
Killer of Husband Popular
Before Marriage and Life
in Small Town.
BIZ United Press

GAINESVILLE. Ohio, Dec. 8. -
The difficulties Of a city bred girl
to cope with the matter of fact
ness" of a rural community may be
brought out as part Of the defense
of Mrs. Velma West. vivacious and
pretty, who has confessed she killed
her husband, Edward, by beating
him on the head with a hammer.
Richard Bostwick, prosecutor of
Geauga County, adjacent to Perry.
where the murder was committed,
has been retained as counsel for
Mrs. West. He has not indicated
what the defense will be. Both in
sanity and self defenSe-growing out
of the differences between a large
city and a small community-may
be offered.
West, the son Of a wealthy nur-
seryman, was found murdered early
Wednesday. His head had been
beaten in with a claw hammer and
his body strapped to a bed.
Pleads Not Guilty
Subsequently. Mrs. West was
arrested at her mothers apartment
in East Cleveland. She had gone
there to attend a bridge game with
friends after some questioning she
asked for a cigaret and calmly told
of how, following family quarrel,
she had become riled" and hit her
husband over the head with the
hammer and then tied his body to
the bed. Later she went to the
bridge party.
When arraigned Thursday she
pleaded not guilty and her family
insisting the full story had not been
told and even expressing some
doubts as to the confession-re-
tanned BoStwick as her counsel.
Mrs. Vests story is of a girl from
the city marrying popular member
of a rural community. Perry. where
West was found murdered and
where the West bungalow is located,
is a community of barely half a
hundred people. Perry's father Is
one Of the community leaders.
West brought his young Cleveland
bride to Perry about a year and a
half ago. Differences were said to
have developed among the hus-
bands relatives. The girl smoked
cigarets. She dressed neatly, not
conspicuouSly, and was considered
by some as happer. She was but
81 years old.
Popular Among Friends
In East Cleveland she had been
extremely popular. Her father, B.
L. Van Woertz, was successful
salesman and she enjoyed a large
round of friends.
Occasionally after her marriage
she returned to Cleveland to parties
and it was said to be quarrel over
a bridge party she was to attend in
East Cleveland that brought about
the fatal quarrel.
That she exhibited little remorse
after the murder was atteSted to by
Mrs. Mabel Young, at whose home
Mrs. West attended a bridge party
following the murder.
"Velma never seemed in better
spirits than when she arrived at our
home Tuesday evening. The vibrant
personality that made her one of
the most popular girls among our set
was never more in evidence. She
greeted me with a laugh and went
upstairs to fix up for the party. She
laughed and played for us, happy in
the carefree life we thought was
hers with Eddie West" Miss Young
said.
"TnfantiIe Fixation"
The father Of the young woman
today said:
81 am highly elated over recent
developments. The public is due
for great surprise. In few days
we will make public a revelation,
the nature of which has not even
been limited. It will show that my
daughter was not responsible for
her act"
DR.. Daniel A. Huebsch, we'll
known Cleveland psychoanalyist,
said with reference to the POSSIBLE
ity of an insanity plea, that if the
confession Of the girl was true she
was suffering from a split per-
sonality.
"She is suffering from infantile
flxation," she said, (which in turn
led to the split personality"
IndorSe Thurman