The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-06-13
A BLOW TO THE DEFENSE.
Court Would Not Admit Testimony of
Dead Mans Friend.
EVIDENCE WAS TO PROVE THE THEORY
That Lulu Prince Kennedy Had Been
Il. Ruined Under Promise Of Marriage.
Statement OF the Witness.

Kansas City, June 12.--Judse wofford to-
day ruled out the testimony OF one OF the
strongest witnesses presented so far by the
defense In the case Of Lulu Prince Ken
nedy, on trial for the murder Of her hus'
band. The defense had counted much on
being able to present this testimony and
the courts order to strike 1t out was con-
sdered blow to their side Mrs. Ken
nedy was yislbly depressed by the courts
action. The witness was Edwin w Lewis,
an inspector for the Western Railway AS
ISOLATION Inspection Bureau, and per
sonal 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 eth
er to marry her or to live With her after
marriage had been forced upon him.
The testimony of Lewis was ordered
taken down by the court stenographer, but
the court refused to let it be given to the
jury until corroboratcd. The statement as
made by Lewis Is as followss
".Ihe day after the marriage Phil Ken
ncdy came 10 ME to talk about the wed
ding He told me he had known the girl
for three years and had loved her and tnat
he had promised TO marry her and that he
| had ruined her. lie said that after he had
| ruined her he had lost his respect for her.
lie told me that he had been called up by
| Mr.. Nearing at his office and MIR. Nearing
told him that he had to marry Lulu Prince.
lie refused and went out In the hall, where
he found Lulu, the father and brother.
| Lulu put out her arms and said; PM,
don blame me. This Is not my doing.
lie said: They threatened me and we
went with them over to the court house,
where we were married.
Phil asked me what he ought to do aud
| told him that IT was his duty to take ner
aud acknowledge her as his WIFE He said
II | do people Will not have anything TO
do with me. They Will not call upon me.
! told him not TO consider that, ana to
show him that | was sincere in my advice
l promised him that II he took his wife
and lived with her would he the hrst
one 20 bring my wife TO call upon them.
lIe said that my advice was good and that
he would do So | met MIN the next day
and he told me he had changed his mind.
=" I Will not have anything to do with the
girl, he said asked him why and he
said that his mother was violently opposed
to it and besides he had received a tcle
gram from the girl in Grand Rapids and,
he said, she has forgiven me fully.
81 saw him almost every day and con.
tlnued my advice about doing his duty tn
Lulu. The day before the shooting | saw
eternal hell. asked him why he wanted
to know and he replied that he Intended
to kill himself. He said to .ne with sad.
vice. It's too late now
! II answered: Yes les too late. lie went
away and the next day he was killed.
The Mr. Nearing mentioned In Lewis
statement Is the Leading attorney for the
defense rhe defeLses theory Is that Ken
! ncdy Tilted Miss Prince for the Grand
Rapids woman mentioned in the statement,
/ Other testimony presented by the defense
was an attempt to show that Mrs Kennedy
1 was temporarily insane at the time OF the
murder.
The defense had not closed when court
! adjourned for the day.