The sun., 1904-11-15
DID noble STRIKE His WIREf
PLEA THAT LAWYER DARMsTADT
WOULD PUT IN FOR HER.
She sticks TO Her Story and Says the A.
fair Was All q Horrible Accident
Suffering with Cold Like the other
Prisoners In the Queens County jail.


Even though Mrs. Josephine Leighton
Noble is accused. on policeman's in
formation and belief OF killing her hus-
hand, nobody could be found in Long Island
City Yesterday who was able to give sat
isfactory reason why the young woman
should be allowed to suffer from the cold
IN the Queens county Jail, And yet Mrs.
Noble is no worse of than any OF the other
nrisoners. Indeed, she is no more un-
comfortable than any OF the jail officials
would be, IL they couldn't leave the build
Ing every now and then to get next to some
nearby radiator.
It seems that the jails heating apparatus
broke down about month ago and is still
mt of commission. Why Sheriff Meyerrose
or somebody else hasn't attended to the
matter before this could not be learned.
II the prisoners In the cells were as I'M
comfortable yesterday as the matron and
the keepers were they must have had
bad day Of it
Just how Mrs. Noble Jared could not be
learned at first hand. because District
Attorney Gregg Of Queens county gave
orders to the Sheriff to allow no one to see
the Young woman except her attorneys
and members Of her family. The latter,
the District Attorney said, must not be
allowed to see the prisoner alone. The
result of these orders was that no one. out
side the Jail officials, saw Mrs. Noble yes
terdav except n. A. Shibley from the
office OF former Assistant District Attorney
Charles LIE Barber of New York county,
who has been retained to defend the woman.
Mr.. Shibley had long talk with Mrs.
Noble Yesterday afternoon, the substance
OF which was that she stuck, In every detail,
to her first story, and the only one, she
SAYS, she has ever told to any one. that the
shooting was purely accidental. Earlier
In the day she told the same story to James
OBrien, a keeper in the Jail and an old friend
Of Mrs. Noble and her husband. OBrien
went to Mrs. Mobiles cell yesterday morn
Ing and asked:
won t you tell me how this terrible thing
happened''
AS l asked the question: said O'Brien
In telling the story, "the woman sat with
her face in her hands. But when l spoke
to her she said: 1T was all a horrible acd-
dent. was putting away some summer
clothing in trunk when my husband came
In, not far from 1i:3O O'Clock, on Saturday
evening He took off his coat and waist
coat, collar and necktie. and was taking
of his shoes when l noticed his pearl
handled revolver in the trunk Picking it
up, said something about its being very
pretty. He said: Josie, put that thin 6 up;
II might go off, As he said this he jumped
up, sprahg toward me and grabbed the
pistol We struggled playfully for a
moment or two, when, to my horror, the
thing went of Mr.. Noble fell to the floor.
and as ran to his assistance and was bend
ing over him it went on again. MY hus-
band lay quite still and felt III tie con.
down to the people below stairs and told
them what had happened.
Mrs Noble couldn't account for the fact
that when the pistol was turned over to
the police the breech was open or for the
two exploded cartridges and one unex-
ploded cartridge found on the floor near the
body, except by this statement:
In my excitement must have opened
the revolver" - 49,.
After Mr.. Shibley had called on Mrs.
Noble by direction Of Mr.: LIE Barber, a Long
Island City lawyer Of the name OF Darn
stadt declared that he had been retained
by the mother OF Mrs, Noble to defend the
young woman and followed this up by the
statement that unle ss he changed his mind
eide, on tie ground that the woman had
killed her husband in defending herself from
an aggravated assault, OF course such a
plea would clear up all the mystery in the
case because it would leave no doubt as to
how Noble came to his death. Darmstadt
is the lawyer in whose office Mrs. Noble
was a stenographer before she was mar
ried
This statement was referred to Mr.. "a
Barber last evening, and he said i cam
not understand any such statement
was retained to defend Mrs. Noble this
,porpip1 nd IL, that defanCe no one Ia g.
sociated with me. OF course the state,
ment at this time that any such plea will
be made is the veriest nonsense, have
not yet even had talk with my client
sent Mr.. Shibley over to see her this after
noon and to tell her that ] would call on
Wednesday. / have 10 go to Boston to-
nipht, hut ! shall be back on Wednesday.
1T has been reported TO me that the
Queens county jail is 80 cold, owing to a
lack Of proper heating apparatus, that the
health Of Mrs Noble. as well as all the other
prisoners, is in danger. | shall have the
matter investigated tomorrow, and II the
report ia true I shall cause application to
be made for Mrs. Mobiles removal TO some
other place"
On Sunday and again yesterday there
effect that Noble had frequently objected
to some of his wifes friends. II seemsNto
be fact that although Mrs. Noble and
Mrs. Phillips, who Ia soon to become
mother for the first time, have been fr1ends
since they wore short dresses, Mrs. Noble
never visited the Phillips home before
until last Saturday night. This statement
Is made on the authority OF MIR. and Mrs:
Frank Trudden. father and mother or
Mrs Phillips, who conduct an undertak-
ing business at SO Fourth street. They
made the following joint statement yester-
dav afternoon:
.On Saturday night our daughter and
her husband came here about 1850 O'Clock,
They said they had just taken Mrs. Noble
home, after she had spent the evening at
their house. Ny daughter was surprised to
see her, az she had never called before.
We asked how she happened TO call then,
and Mrs. Phillips said Mrs. Noble had
heard in the afternoon that she (Mrs.
Phillipsl had died that afternoon in child
birth and, since Mr.. Noble had not come
home To dinner at 8 O'Clock, she thought
she would go to Mrs. Philips's house to
find II the story was true, Finding Mrs.
Phillips alive, Mrs. Noble spent the even
ing
This story, taken in connection with one
told yesterday by Chief Engineer johnson
Of the Long Island City Sewer Depart
ment. would indicate that the first time
Noble came home at all on Saturday even
ing was when he came in shortly before he
was killed. The Truddens say Mrs. Noble
told Mrs. Phillips that up to s o'clock on
Saturday night Noble hadn't been home
TO dinner. Mr.. johnson said that he met