Salt Lake Telegram | 1926-03-24 | Page 15 | Slayer of Girl to Die in Chair

Of GIRl i q TO 10 Ulf CHAIR H H. M M. Cowan Convicted R by New York Jury of I- I P Murdering Edith Burton L 1 i NEW NEW YORK March 1 24 AP AP- AP Harry Harry W. W Cowan year old hotel clerk and absconder blind from a Self elt inflicted bullet wound today faces death in the electric chair for the murder of ot year old Edith Burton last December He was convicted ted In the first de degree degree degree de- de gree by a Jury last night after alter five hours' hours deliberation He will be sentenced sentenced sen sen- Monday to death the only 1 penalty for first degree murder provided pro pro- vided by New York statutes J The Jury found Cowan had had shot Burton because because she she pl planned nned t Ito to t break her friendship with him to to- marry former State Senator Arthur Arthur Ar- Ar thur B B. Lewis o of ut Utah Cowan maintained that Miss 1 Burton killed herself as a result of ot a suicide pact him Cowan who was estranged from rom hIs Ms wife wIre fired a bullet into his head shortly after Miss 1 Burtons Burton's He succeeded only in de- de his sight t Lewis testified that a few lew days l before etore Miss l Burtons Burton's death he had J instructed Instructed his lawyers to Institute institute institute tute divorce proceedings so that he might be free tree to marry her Letters from Cowan to Miss 1 Burand Burand Bur Bur- and to Lewis were introduced that Cowan van wan Jealous of his year old rival rUal Cowan In 1923 absconded with from a hotel otel 1 where Miss Burton was employed as a stenographer ste ste- Cowans Cowan's wife who left him film after his embezzlement f he ed-he he confessed to giving tp trL a a girl who was wae blackmailing hi him hlin m. m In In an letter to Lewis J Introduced at the trial Cowan re referred re- re to Miss Burton as ns my common common common com com- mon law wife The letter warned Lewis that the woman was plotting plot plot- tinS ting to marry him obtain possession possession possession posses posses- sion of ot his fortune and then poison polson I hl him u so that she might use his money to extricate Cowan from his financial difficulties Vow owan an testified that he and andUss Miss Burton Eurton had been drinking in a r. r rented i ted room before the shooting oc- oc but in charging the jury tred t court said that voluntary was no no excuse for lor crime Cowan explained the letter letter let let- ter to Lewis vis a ag as a joke in which Miss M s Burton herself hersel participated y