Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-06-13
.DEfENSE'S BEST WITNESS
BARREDOUI BY THE COURT.
STATEMENT OF EDWARD W. LEWIS
IN THE KENNEDY MUIR
DER CASE,
MUST BE CoRRoBoRATED.
LEWIS TELLS OF kENNEDY'S CON.
FESSION THAT HE RUINED
THE GIRL.

KANSAS CITY, June 12.-Judge wof.
ford to-day ruled out the testimony OF
one OF the strongest witnesses present.
ed 50 far by the defense in the cast OF
Lulu Prince Kennedy, on trial for the
murder Of her husband The defense
evidently had counted much on being
able to present this testimony and the
courts order to strike 1t out was con-
sidered blow to that side. Mrs. Ken
nedy was visibly depressed by thu
courts action The witness was Ed
ward w. Lewis, a personal-friend OF the
dead man.
Through him the defense hoped to
prove the theory that Kennedy had
ruined Lulu Prince under promise OF
marriage and then refused either to
marry her or to live with her after mar
riage had been forced upon him.
The testimony of Lewis was ordered
taken down by the court stenographer.
but the court refused to allow 1t to be
given to the jury unless corroborated.
The statement as made by Lewis fol-
lows:
The day after the marriage Phil.
Kennedy came to me to talk about the
wedding. He told me he had known
the girl for three years and that he bad
loved her and that he had promised to
marry her. but that he had ruined her.
He said that after he had ruined her he
had lost his respect for her. He told
me he had been called up by Mr.. Near
ing, at his Office. and went there. where
Mr., Nearing told him he must marry
Lulu Prince. He refused and went out
in the hall, where he found Lulu and
her father and brother. Lulu put out
her arms and said Phil. don't blame
me. This is not my doing. He said
'fhey threatened me and we went with
them over to the court house, where we
were married Phil asked me what he
ought to do and told him that II was
his duty to take her and acknowledge
her as his wife. He said: III do. peo-
pie will not have anything to do with
me. They will not call upon me-
told him not to consider that, and to
show him that was sincere In my adj
vice. promised him that II he took his
wife and lived with her, I would be the
first to bring my wife TO call upon him.
He said my advice was good and he
would follow 1t. | met him the next
day and he told me he had changed his
mind will not have anything more
to do with the GIRL he said.
Il asked him why, and he said his
mother was violently opposed TO 1t, and
besides he had received telegram from
the girl in Grand Rapids and he said,
She has forgiven me fully
II saw him almost every day. and
continued my advice about doing his
duty to Lulu. The day before the shoot
Jig saw him and he asked me II be-
lieycd In an eternal hell. | asked him
why he wanted to know. and be replied
that he intended to kill himself He
said tc me with sadness: Ed, ought
to have taken your advice It's too late
now He went away and the next day
he was killed"
The Mr.. Nearing mentioned in Lew
is statement is the leading attorney
for the defense The defense theory
is that Kennedy fitted Miss Prince for
the Grand Rapids woman mentioned in
the statement Other testimony pre-
scented by the defense was an attempt
to show that Mrs. Kennedy was tenn
porarily insane at the time Of the MUIR
dur.
The defense had not closed when
court adjourned for the day.