New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-11

TELLS THRILLING STORY.
Mrs. Simpson Says Dentist asked
Her. "WouH You Hang Me2"

the close of the prosecution in the Simpson case,
save for the testimony of one two minor wit
nesses who will be examined later, and the de-
fence, after introducing testimony from one
character witness, asked for adjournment so
that witnesses might be secured from out OF
town
The testimony considered damaging for
the defendant, DR. James w. Simpson the 9TH
dentist, who is accused of wlfully Staying
his father-in-law, BARLEY T. Horner His wife.
Mrs. Julia Horner Simpson gave strong testi
mony, and during her dramatic recital and dem
onstration with the gun, the prisoners face had
not a vestige of color. His attitude that
of a man whose last friend had turned against
him.
He afterward said it was unspeakably awful
to hear the he loved giving testimony
against him.
The unexpected turning up of witness who
can clear up point in the defendants favor,
which the prosecution has insisted could not be
explained, brought back some color to the face
Of DR.. Simpson and greatly pleased his lawyer.
The accused man returned to his cell in the
iRiverhead jail with the knowledge that at least
one point could not be used against him.
The strongest point made by Mrs Simpson
against her husband the statement that he
twice asked her, in an upper apartment. subse-
quent to the shooting, and in the presence of
other persons whom she could not name. Would
you hang me?"
She also created sensation when she testi-
fled that her husband, who had been handling
the gun very roughly prior to his second ascent
of the stairs, handled it with extreme care after
he descended the stairs the second time and did
not from that time forth bang the gun upon the
floor as he had been doing.
The ammunition for the gun she swore was
I'm he fp tho
examination which, while short was searching
failed to shake the wife's story.
DRAMATIC TESTIMONY OF WIFE
When the District Attorney asked Mrs Simp-
son to describe just what the doctor did with
the gun. she said that he went through various
man9uvres and marched about the room, she
following him and playfully beating on a paper
box
The District Attorney asked Mrs. Simpson to
take hold Of the gun and show just how DR..
Simpson held it. In doing she became
nervous that she almost broke down.
This request of the District Attorney was OBJ
jected TO by counsel. but the court said it
thought the handling Of the gun by Mrs. simp-
son TO illustrate how DIR. Simpson held it might
establish the degree of the crime, if one had
been committed
Mrs Simpson said that the hammers of the
gun we're down. She said that on the night of
the shooting the doctor had been in the kitchen
for some time fooling with the gun when he
went into the dining room. Mr. Horner was
there reading a paper regarding some Texas
property.
After remaining there for several minutes the
doctor stopped banging his gun on the floor and
went upstairs She cautioned him to be careful
in handling the gun.
STORY OF THE SHOOTING
Coming down to the actual scene of the shoot
ing Mrs Simpson said that her father finally
got I'D from the table in the dining room and
went into the kitchen. DR.. Simpson soon fol-
lowed him. and carried the gun in his right
hand Mrs Simpson then continued:
Less than five minutes after I startled by
an explosion. 1 heard some one fall and heard
my fathers voice and finally heard him say,
MY God what have you done?"
I followed into the kitchen and noticed that
my husband had his hat on. asked him what
he had done and he replied: oh. don't, don't"
stood by my father, but the doctor did not
near him then Mamma. who stood in the door
way of the dining room, was crying while my
father suffering greatly and begged some
one to put him out of his misery.
] told DR. Simpson go for DR.. Donahue.
Some time later I saw the gun in two pieces on
kitchen Immediately after the shooting DR.
Simpson stood by the kitchen table. There was
a trail OF blood the kitchen floor and my
father had ragged himself from the sink TO the
kitchen table, where he dropped at the feet OF
DR. Simpson.
When DR. Hagen came l asked DR. Simpson,
'sIyhv did YOU do this?" and my husband
Piled Would you hang me? How could you do
such thing?'
The witness said that Dr. Simpson afterward
told her that the shooting was accidental. After
the shooting she said. DR.. Simpson seemed to
take the tragedy coolIy, and after her father
died DR. Simpson did not go near the body.
Careful experiments made with the gun and
scale to-day developed the fact that there was
over pound difference in the pull of the trig-
gers. and that the lighter trigger of the two has
pul1 which would render it difficult to dis
charge the gun by accident. Every effort to
cause one Of the hammers TO descend by Jar
proved futile.
During the adjournment taken Immediately
after Mrs. Simpson had testified many women
crowded about Dr. Simpson to assure him of
their belief in his innocence.
The theory of accident or murder will to a
large extent revolve around the question as to
whether the gun could have broken apart 1t
was discharged or whether that was an impos-
sibility.
To-day witness found who had had
shotgun fall in three pieces in his hands, with
ont exploding as it dischaI ged thus prov
ing the possibility of the thing two prosecuting
ATTORNEYS had stated positively to be impossible.
The new witness told Wilkinson that while
sbootine snipe. in November he had fired both
barrels quickly, that the forearm of the gun
had Jared off and the barrels had parted from
the stock leaving the barrels IN the left HAND
and the stock in the right. The gun was unin-
jured
STATEMENT BY DR.. SIMPSON.
1T was awful to see and hear the woman
love damaging me by her testimony" said DR..
F,ns-,.-