The Washington times., 1929-09-18

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3. last, not because he could not
support her, but because she
stayed out all night with other
men
Meets Dance Hall Hostess
For months they were separated.
It was during this interim that
Peacox met Miss Frances New.
mann Broadway dance-hall
hostess, with whom he became
friendly.
Peacox killed his 20-year-old Twife,
Dorothy, on their first wedding an
niversarv with "premeditation' and
not "in the flash Of an eye" as he
claims, District Attorney Frank II.
Coyne declared in making the open
ing address to the jury.
Reading the salient noints Of the
Indictment to the jury. Coyne, a
short, round.faced, bald-headed man
with a brisk, business.like manner,
asserted the state will prove Peacox
on April 21 last did with >delibera-
ton "mortally choke, suffoeate and
strangle his wife Dorothy"
Court Crowded
The courtroom was thronged to
capacity as Coyne launched his ring
ing address.
Just before Coyne made his open
ing statement Defense Attorney sgd
ney A. Syme asked dismissal of the
indictment claiming it did not state
facts warranting a charge OF first
degree murder.
Justice Arthur S. Tompkins. gray.
haired and mustached, and dign1tled
: in appearance, perused the indlct-
ment and then, after pause, said:
"The motion is denied" ..
Coyne then walked before the Jury
and outlined in narrative form the
details of the crime and what he as
serted the State would prove. He
first told of motorist having found
the body of the slain girl in a woods
near Scarsdale at 2:30 p. M, on
April q, six days after the murder
How Body Was Found
In describing how the motorist,
Joseph Silvey, had found the body
Coyne emphasized three words,
"burned," dead" and KILLED" He
said that the State would prove
that Peacox, fearing detection, had
returned to the woods five days
after he had secreted the body there
and, pouring kerosene on the girls
clothing, set it afire.
"Peacox used a towel in
strangling the girl said Coyne.
"She was also choked by cord
he tied around her neck.
I'VE will prove that death was
due to strangulation. DR.. Amos O.
Squire, the medical examiner who
performed the autopsy, will tell
you that Dorothy Peacox died of
asphyxiation. She died because the
air was cut off from her lungs by
q cord around her neck
Miss Francis Newman, the "other
girl' in the life of Peacox. will be a
star witness for the State when the
taking of evidence gets under way
shortly. The State will have about a
dozen witnesses, the defense about
forty.
Testimony to be Racy
"Necking" parties, gin bouts, clan
destine love affairs by the neylywed
Peacoxes and other racy goings.on
among a fast younger set" are
scheduled to be revealed in the testi-
mony of these witnesses.
Miss Newman. a pretty hostess in
a Broadway dance palace, is prepared
to tell details of her alleged affair
with Peacox after he had been sepa-
rated from his wife. 1t is claimed
by the defense that on July last,
less than three months after he was
married. Peacox's bride of 20 refused
to live with him and that he was
forced to leave her mothers home
where they were living because they
could not get along.
So it happened that on last elec.
tion night young Peacox roamed
along Broadway and made his way
into one Of those tinseled dance
palaces where the girls fox trot
and black bottom with, any strange
man at 10 cents per dance. They
became very intimate friends, ac.
cording to Defense Attorney Sydney
A. Syme.
Girl Held In Jail
Miss Newman is being held in the
Jail at White Plains under $4,000
BAH. She has been in custody ever
since the arrest of young PeacoX
late last April shortly after he
choked his wife, Dorothy, to death
and subsequently burned the body
he had secreted in a woods near
Scardale, Miss Newman has been
imprisoned for months, although she
is accused of no crime.
She is an important witness in the
case, however, and the State is de.
pending upon her to help them
send Peacox to the electric chair
She was on quite friendly terms
with Peacox at the time of the
staying, and exactly how much she
knew of the troubles between the
young radio expert and his bride is
a matter of no little conjecture.