Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-08
As Elmer Reyes Breaks
Down On Witness Stand
As He Tells Sad Story Of Life
With Woman He Killed.
Certain Of Her FaithIessness--.MInd a Blank
Regarding tho Shooting.

failed because of tears and emotion
Elmer L. Keyes testified in his own
behalf in the supreme court, this
morning. He was kept upon the rack
from the opening of court, Thursday
morning, until it adjourned at the noon
hour. 1t seemed to an observer that
during that forenoon he aged in looks
several years. His eyes were all the
time filed with tears as he told of his
last life and of the troubles which un-
doubtedly lead up to the horrible act
attributed to him on the last Sunday
night in June.
1t was a story filled with pathos and
one that could not fail to affect the
most hard hearted person in the court
room. Reyes, OH the whole, made a
very good witness for the defense and
the evidence which has been brought
out since Wednesday noon it seems
that the counsel for the State must
now be working in the defense. 1t
has been strongly in favor of the re
spondent and his friends predict that
he can never be convicted of murder
What the States attorneys have ur
their sleeve to bring forward in re-
buttal is not known except that the
| testimony of the insanity experts will
then be taken while for the defense
he testimony of DR.. Addison S. Thayer
of Portland. will be used to rebut that
of Drs. Sanborn and Vaughan.
The crowd at today's sessions was
the largest of the trial and they heard
a story of the faithlessness of a once
loving wife and of the struggles of j
husband and father to earn an honest
living. to keep his family together and
of his pleadings with his wife to in
duce her to give up the fast life upon
| which she had started. 1t was a story
the equal of which has never before
been heard in a Penobscot county
ever heard in Maine.
Those who had anticipated sensa =
tionalism had their anticipations fully
| realized ard it is strongly intimated
that there is not a little more of this
sort of testimony to follow before FL
| mer j.. keyes is aquitted or convict
| ed. What ii will be no one knows
but that it is surely coming practi-
Cally all feel sure.
1t was during the last moments OF
the Wednesday afternoon session
when to the surprise Of everyone
County Attorney Patten announced
that the State rested its case. IT
meant that the case of the prosecu-
ton rested as far as direct testimony
goes but it is understood that the tes-
timOny of the medical experts on the
Prosecutions side will be heard in re-
buttal during the last hours of the
| trial. When it was announced that
| this would be the case there was a
fiutter of excitement throughout the
| court room and the many spectators
GRAINED their necks to get a glance at
| the first move made by the counsel
| for the defence.
Judge Louis c. Stcarns, senior coun-
sci for the defence, sat quietly in his
| chair for perhaps several minutes dur
Ing which the silence in the room was
intense. Finally he whispered some
| thing to his associates. Judge Whiting
| and j. F. Gould. Judge Whiting arose
and faced the jury. He then begun
on his opening in the defence. In a
kind. catherly way he addressed his
| remarks to the II jurymen outlining
bis case in an eloquent and touching
manner.
He went back to the early married
life of Mr.. and Mrs. Keyes. telling o.
| the marriage of Elmer L. Keyes to
Miss Isabelle Neil of Brownville, in
Piscataquis county and of the most
important happenings in their lives
since that time. He then touched up
on the facts which the attorneys for
the State will attempt to prove. One
| is that isabelle Reyes came to her
death from a gunshot wound from a
revolver held by the hands Of Elmer
Reyes. Also that there were but two
people in the world who knew the
truth regarding this, that one of thero
IS beyond this earth, while the mind of
thc other is an entire blank in regard
10 the happenings Of that fatal Sun.
day night.
| Judge Whiting then touched unon
| some of the testimony which has beon
| introduced by several of the States
| witnesses in which it was practically
| acknowledged in spite of the attempts
vi me counsel for the State to have il
withheld, that there was insanity on
tne part of the respondent. Judge
| "nitlng then stated that it was the
| OBJECT OF the defence to prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that when the revol.
yer was discharged that Elmer +.
Reyes was not in his right mind and
that ne was in no condition to tell right
l from wrong. ~
| he stated that had Isabelle Kevas
been willing to live on the modest IN
come earned by her husband that tboro
was doubt in mis- mind if a trayed.,
would have resulted. She was NOT co,,
tent to do this. however. but was al
ways reaching out after more .nd
more never content with what she had
and at ilnally ended with her husband
! -. (c0atinu'd q Page Fsvel