The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-11-10
Woman Maintains Inno-
cence in Spit of Dam
aging Testimony
EIGHT KENNEWICK
PEOPLE ON JURY
Verdict Carries Life I'M
prisonment at Walla
Walla Penitentiary

For the second Llme WiCnln q
reek a Prosser jury returned a
rrdict of guilty of first degree
uurder in the two cases from Ken
newick. Mrs, Anton Suson, accus-
d of numbering her husband two
months ago was convicted Tuesday
night after four hours delibera-
tion by the jury, which did not
recommend the death penalty.
The jury which sat on this case
was composed of eight members
from this end of the county, three
Of them women. G.. A. Carpenter,
xcretary of the Kennewick Com
nercial club, acted as foreman of
| the jury.
Testimony of Kennewick's police
/ |officers, it is believed, had as much
10 do with the verdict as any other
ieature of the trial. Chief of Po-
ice Duffy testified, as surprise
itness, that Mrs. Suson admitted
| 70 him, shortly after her arrest,
|hat she had killed her husband
with a big knife" Deputy Sheriff
/ Chet McGee also gave damaging
testimony when he reported that
there were no traces of blood
found on the shoes worn by the
horses on the ranch. Mrs. Suson
sontended that her husband had
been kicked in the head by one of
the horses as he slept on a pile of
bay out in the orchard. An au-
topsy also showed that Suson's
tacture could hardly have been
made by the kick of a horse.
The testimony of the convicted
voman's daughter, undoubtedly
had more or less effect upon the
jury. Mrs. Frank Posic, as wit
ness for the state, testified that
her father and mother quarrelled
frequently, especially when he had
been drinking, and also that her
mother had told her that her fa-
ther had been kicked by a horse,
long before she was supposed to
know anything had happened. The
daughter's clean-cut statements
made an evident impression.
The case was one of the most
interesting and hard-fought cases
ever to come before a Benton
county court, and the court room
was crowded to capacity at all of
the sessions. Mrs. Suson, Croa-
slan, steadfastly maintained that
she did not. kill her husband for
nls insurance or because of family
srlfe as the prosecution contended.
Altho she broke down several
times when the blood-stained coat
was shown in court, she was calm
tuesday during the pleas of the
suorneys. She sat stoically, with
ner back to the crowded court
loom and seemed to concentrate
M the oral battle of the attorneys.
In her efforts to divert suspicion
nom herself. Mrs. Suson suggest
Cd that the deed might have been
committed by her son-in-law or by
aelghbors, with whom she said her
husband had been in the habit of
guarreiing over. division of the
irrigation water.
The testimony of the principal
Slsness was taken thru an inter-
prefer. as Mrs. Suson claimed to
nave very limited understanding
u .ie English language.
MEMBERS of the jury which
Md ssard the Suson case were Alice
rrsLean, o. G. Campbell, Pearl
AZ alsatzer, M. F. Reik, o. w. Eng
D. A. M. Luth, C. A. Carpenter,
~. l. d. Perkins, of Kennewick. AL
ft Ludington of White Bluffs,
,ri :. Rushmeier, Frank Sisseck
@-c mrs. M. A. Barbee of Prosser.
a. conviction of a first degree mur-
,sa !. cnarge carries with it a SEN
.a.e OF life in the penitentiary or
gsi gss.,ence to the gallows. Scotty
rsah ali who was convicted last
and mas not yet been sentenced
H.. Judge Truax has made no in
walton as tn 1vbar - iii L. 49,