Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-09
BY A. B. MACDONALD.

BORGER, Tex, August 9 (N.AN.A).
The crimes committed by A. D. Payne,
Amarillo lawyer, have been so brutal
that his confession will not be given out
in full
IF we allowed all of it to be dis
closed we would never be able to try
Payne in this county, the prejudice
against him would be so strong" SAID
Edward Thomerson, district attorney;
Another reason is that we are afraid
that if the people learn everything they
think are mobproof jails."
Payne confessed all the details OF now
he murdered his wife with dynamite,
placed in the car she was driving, ana
he said he was not sorry that he DID
it. He did say that he was sorry ne
did not succeed in his attempt to muir
der his 11-year-old son, A. p: Payne, IT.
It hate him." was his explanation.
Payne asserted he still loved verona
Thompson, the stenographer,. for love
of whom he murdered his wife.
Even If she did betray me, love
her so much that if I were free TO-DAY
would crawl to her and tell ner l
love her." he said 81 loved her enough
to murder for her, and 1 VIII stu De
loving her when 1 walk to the electric
chair"
Gives Officials Five Guesses.
AS Payne related his story he was
stretched out on sofa in the once OF
the sheriff When he came to the story
of how he killed his wife. he rose up
on his elbow and said to the tlVe men
around him.
Now, how do you suppose did it?
I'll give each of you a guess.
Ever Since the coupe in which Mrs.
Payne and her little boy were riding
was blown up the whole of the Texas
Panhandle is trying to make out how
1t was done.
Lets hear one of you make guess"
Payne said to the five men sitting there.
One believed Payne had attached the
end of a fuse and some matches to the
exhaust and that when the pipe got
hot the fuse caught fire and burned
along to the decorating cap. which ex-
ploded, setting off the INT In fruit
jar.
"Wrong!" exclaimed Payne. Now,
you try" and he pointed to the second
man. This man guessed the explosion
was caused by phosphorus placed In a
pan of water, and as the car moved the
water stopped out, exposing the phos-
phorus to the air, when it 1gnited, set
ting the fuse aflre.
Wrong again." said Payne, and he
sat up straight and asked another to
guess, and this man made wrong
guess, too. Payne laughed and said
proudly:
"You couldn't guess in a lifetime"
"Well, I'll tell you," he volunteered,
and he went at 1t, using the palm OF
one hand to work a diagram, upon
which he used the end of his FORE
finger.
sticks of dynamite. Then as we were
driving home that night, Verona asked
me to let her drive the car a while
But she drove so swiftly and the car
bumped so took the wheel away from
had a blow-up right there. OF course,
Verona did not know the dynamite was
in the car. She never knew at any
time that 1 was planning to kill my
Wife"
Made Four Attempts 10 Kill Wife.
At every opportunity Payne shielded
Verona.
You know" he said, ct tried four
different times to kill my wife, before
hit upon the dynamite scheme. My
first attempt was by poison. studied
the workings of several different kinds
of poisons. but l could not find one
that would make her die so easily that
her death would not attract suspicion.
I didn't want her to have commissions
as suspicion might be aroused, then an
inquest, the discovery of poison and
the hot chair for me. I bought a mild
poison and gave her several does OF 1t,
but it only made her sick.
Il next tried to asphyxiate her with