The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-04
Miss Stromberg Called.

The court ruled that all facts should
be laid before the jury by the prosecu-
ton. and that all witnesses who knew
any facts about the case should be ex-
a-miIed, and that the state would ex-
anime them
Miss Stromberg, VINO was called ard
examined by Senator Brown, stated
that she knew Benbrook; saw him at
the cafe on the evening Of the 18th of
July. I'VE were in the east room. %
said She I was in the room before
Mr. Benbrook came there. He asked
me to take dinner with him, ana I said.
Not until 1 write note TO Mr.. Nor
ris.' -
Here a note was produced and she
was asked if this was the one she
wrote. She identified it as the same
one. The note was read, and was as
follows:
sBurt-Do not call for me tonight:
1 do not want TO so to tie show. You
need not call for me, as l will not be
at home. OF course. you will be sur
prised. but you can think anything you
like l don't care. LEDA.
Monday, 18th
GAS near as 1 can remember, this note
was written about or between and Z
in the evening"" said she. Il had ex-
pected to go with Mr.. Burton Morris
to a dog and pony snow. l had been
with him several places that afternoon
and had left him about fifteen minutes
of 6, / think, at the White House COR
ner. l was down to his store in the
afternoon about o'clock. 1t was
about O'Clock when I went TO the
Merchants cafe, and 1 went directly
into room 3 alone.
Il had been there few minutes when
Mr.. BenbroOk entered. / do not know
whether he knocked or not. II he did
he opened the door Immediately after
wards. do not know what time it was
when he came in, neither do 1 know
how long we were there together
When he came in he sat down opposite
me. We had some conversation and
he told me he was going to California.
1 cannot remember ali that was said.
He asked me to take dinner with
him, and l said I would have to write
a note to Mr.. Morris first. I wrote the
note and gave it to a waiter. After he
had gone out followed him out in the
hall and took the note away from him
and brought it in and laid it on the
table"
This had been Taid in an almost in
audible voice. which trembled nervous
~. In fact, so low was her voice at
the commencement that even the jurors
could not hear.
II can't hear a wor6," said John r.
vine. journalist, who sits far away
from the witness stand.
Then Attorney Brown secured a
chair and placed the witness down
nearer. facing the jury at an angle.
Her voice became weaker and weaker.
and ii was necessary for Stenographer
Pike to read several answers from his
rotes
Suddenly she brought forth her hand
kerchief and covered her face. Attor-
ney Brown stopped his questions He
looked about and tried to seem uncOn-
cerned, but he was not very successful.
The jurors were uneasy and serious;
they would rather have been some
where else just at that moment. Judge
Powers and Attorney Rogers busted
themselves with papers, and Judge
Hiles, leaning way back in his chair,
gazed up at the ceiling. Out in the
audience. where few of her words were
heard, and from where the whole thing
seemed like a pantOmime, there was
the stiffness and the awe that deep
emotion brings. Something had hap
pened which few persons who did not
know the girl had expected. Leda
StrOmberg, who, since the killing, has
been painted almost scarlet, glittering,
but with the glitter Of ice and as hard,
too, was in tears. For several mo-
ments, amid silence. she held her hand
removed they were red and infiamed.
But she didn't break down again.
Didn't Break Down Again.
Throughout the reme fnder Of the ex-
animation she was closely watched by
hundreds, for every available space in
the court room was crowded.
When she had sufficiently recovered
she continued her story under the ques-
lions Of Attorney Brown.
mir. Bedrock told roe to write an
other note, one to Miss Medium. He
told me what to say and 1 wrote it"
said she. In il he asked her to come
down to the Merchants cafe, that he
wanted to sec her, that he wanted her
to come down and chaperOne party of
two.
Il then wrote another note to Mr..
Morris, this was the second one had
written. In this one I asked him why
he did not come, that l was waiting for
him. The waiter was called in again,
and the two notes We're given him A
very short time after this, after the
waiter had taken the notes, Mr.. Morris
came into the room.
Before Mr.. Morris came We had two
mint juleps, had drank nothing else.
Dinner had been ordered but it had not
been served. No one else was in the
room from the time Mr.. Benbrook came
until Mr.. Morris came.
when Morris came in, l do not re-
member whether he knocked or not,
but he opened the door himself. He
went over TO where Mr.. BenbrOok sat,
and at once struck him and called him
-. l jumped up and ran
between them, and told Mr. BenbroOk
to leave the room. Mr.. Morris reached
10 strike Benbrook the second time,
but. struck me by accident He asked
me why l was there with BenbTOOk
and 1 said, Sit down, and ! will ex-
plain. 1 was mere when BenbrOok
came.
Just then Mr.. Keene came in. When
Burt saw him, he baceme very much
excited. They had some words, but 1
do not know what they were. for both
were talking at the same time. Mr..
Keene went out and Burt followed him.
When he came back I said, let me tell
you about it. He happened to see Mr..
BenbrOoks hat on the rack and he went
over took it, and said wait till 1 get
through with the - -, he will
not need any hat
He started to the door I went TO
the door with him. but did not go out
eide. / did not step outside of the door
either time"
Examined For Defense.
On ss-examination by Attorney
Rogers, she said that after she had
written the first note to Morris, telling
him that she would not go to the dog
and pony show, she vas asked by Ben
brook to write to Miss Niebuhr, and
after writing that note to Miss Niebuhr
in which Benbrook asked her to come
70 the Merchants cafe, she wrote the
second note 10 Dir. Morris, they were
laid on the table. and in some way got
mixed UP, so that the first note. instead
Of the second. the one she intended
should be sent was delivered 10 Nor