The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-30
MRS. MURRAYON THE STAND
sHB DENIES HAVING BALD HlNDs
ON HER MAID, MARIE

TIVE CeiieGo Professors Testify That Mario Wad
= nad Reputatton-ut was 'sHn the Airs
The Defendant swears she Detected Her
n1nid In Thert. Feraery nna Attempted hrsen.
s~oMERvILLE, N. j., Doc. 2e.-when Mrs. Eve
Ign Wentworth Murray swept into the Somerset
court this morning to begin the second day of
the trial Of q civil suit for damages for assault
and battery on her former maid. Mario Koehr-
ing, che wore an air of confidence and q we'll
fitting costume Of soft black material. After
seating herself by the side Of her lawyer, former
Congressman A. A. Clark, Mrs. Murray smiled
upon the Jury and also noticed two gentlemen
In tho row OF seats reserved for witnesses.
These gentlemen were Profs. BENJAMIN Guild
and George b. Pond, who had come from the
Pennsylvania State College TO testify in Mrs.
Murray's behalf that Miss KoehrinE bore q bad
reputation while employed in the neighborhood
Of the college.
When asked by Mr.. Meehan. Miss Koehrins's
lawyer, how no knew Miss Koehring had q bad
reputation. Prof. Guild replied:
"Oh. It was in tho air."
When pressed for o moro definite answer Prof.
Guild admitted that his son might have told
him that Miss KoehrinR had q bad reputation.
Prof. Pond also testified that Miss Koehring
had o bad reputation while living near the COL
lege. On cross-examination neither of tho wit
nesses was able to state anything that had been
said or done tending TO show that Miss Koch
ring had a bad reputation.
Leonard G.. Davis, o painter and decorators.
sworo that he was working at the Murray man.
sion on the day Of the alleged assault upon Miss
Koehring, but heard no noise. He said Miss
Koehring had often told him that Mrs. Murray
treated her kindly. He said that Mrs. Murray
once opened one of Marie Koehring's letters in
his presence by mistake and found In 1t q check
with Mrs. Murray's name forged on It. She
called Miss Koehring downstairs, he said, and
demanded an explanation. Miss Koehring said
she had sent the check to q friend in New
York as q Joke, and she begged Mrs. Murray's
forgiveness.
Mrs. Swartz of Now York, the friend referred
to by Miss Koehring, testified that she had re-
ceived the check in a letter with instructions to
cash 1t at q bank, but had returned it after fall
ing to draw tho money on It. Tho letter was
submitted in evidence.
The sensation Of tho day occurred when
Mrs. Murray was called as q witness. She told
in detail how she had first befriended Mario
Koehring in New York city. She said the girl
had represented herself as in need. Her first
clash with Marie, she testified. happened shortly
n ndsfden sss took on thu fn' R RSia to RIVER hs5 'u Marie
oeme Mr dowp MSITsvs one olo dSS wearing WbIsb some sRS
charged. with the theft Of the clothing Marie
begged for forgiveness. Mrs. Murray reiterated
and and i forged o check. She contradicted Miss Kooh,
ring as to the alleged assault. ~ never laid my
hands on a servant In my life" exclaimed Mrs
Murray. II would not dare do such q thing
All the other servants would leave me-"
time q asked Lawyer Clark. How could L.
exclaimed the witness. Then holding up hel
shapely hands before the jury and noddinG
toward Miss Koehring, whose hands are larger
she added. Look at her hands. hen look a
The witness said she gave Marie Koehrinf
notice to leave on Feb. 81 because of her misbe
havior. On that, day she searched her maidi
paper on which the name of Evelyn W. Murra!
had been copied in counterfeit many times
She also found many articles Of her own cloth
ing which the maid had secreted.
On tho night of Feb. Of Mrs. Murray hear
some one coming through the hall after she hat
retired. She went out and caught the Koehrinl
girl in the act of touching a match to o lamp
shade in an adjoining room. She sent her t
Lawyer Meehan asked Mrs. Murray II she di
not have a gentleman visitor in the house dul
ing the night in question. Mrs. Murray &C
during the night. but she refused to reveal hi
Mrs. W. Spare of New York city testified tina
Marie Koehring had lived with her eleve
She had put the girl out Of the house.
Mics Koehring and George Connors. q forme
servant in the Murray mansion. were called J.
/ rebuttal. Miss Koehring denied Mrs. Murray
arson. Mrs: Spare had testified as to havin
:, held several conversations with Connors relaI
ing to Marie Koehring. ConnorD swore that b
had never seen Mrs. Spare before in his III
Justice Magic will charge the jury tomorrow
, morning.