OCR Text |
Show Condemned Murderess Hakes a Confession Exonerates Man Who "Was Also Condemned Con-demned to Die "With Her on the Scaffold. READING, Pa.. Feb. 9. Mr3. Kate Edwards, Ed-wards, who Is under sentence to bo hanged with Samuel Grcason on Thursday next for the murder of her husband, mado a statement to her counsel tonight, In which It Is said she exonerates Greason from complicity In the murder. The statement will not be given to tho public until It Is presented to the Board of Pardons, but the Inference la left that she has admitted that sho alono committed the crime. Mrs Edwards and Grcnson, who is a colored man. wcro convicted of tho murder of Edwards, and since tho death scnteneo ha.s been pronounced extraordinary extraordi-nary efforts havo been made to save them from the gallows. Tho Board of Pardons has heretofore refused to Interfere, and tho State Supremo court has affirmed the lower court's decision. Mrs Edwards's confession. It Is thought, will place tho caso In an entire now nspect before tho Board of Pardons. The board will meet at Harrlsburg February 15, tho day before tho date fixed for tho double execution. If the woman's statement state-ment Is accepted by tho board It may savo tho man's life. If tho woman Is spared It will, therefore, bo entirely on sentimental grounds, as strong pressure Is being brought beforo tho board not to permit tho woman to. bo hunged. In the trial much testimony was presented to show that Edwards was a dissolute character; that he drank heavily and that ho treated his wife In a brutal manner. It was shown that Edwards was killed whllo he lay drunk at his home. It Is expected the execution will at 1 least be postponed In view of the statement state-ment of Mrs. Edwards. It Is said Mrs. Edwards's conscience has been troubling her slnco she has been rccch-ing rccch-ing tho spiritual ministrations of her former pastor, Rev Stephen Schweitzer; that today she could restrain herself no longer, and sent for her lawyers and made j the statement. That she has not mado a statement beforo Is, It Is believed, duo to tho fact that she desired to shield her daughter Mary, and that to sparo tho daughter she shifted the blame to Greason. Grea-son. Mary' Edwards, tho daughter, was tried for complicity In the murder, but was acciuitled |