Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-23
FACES MURDER CHARGE
MRS. SToRRs' HEARING BEGUN
BEGUN AT MoNRovIA, CAL.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| Los ANGELES, Cal, May 2s.--Mrs. AL
| berta Dabney Storrs, cousin of Mrs. Wal
| dorf Astor (nee Langhorne), and related to
| the Kendall Cutters of Washington. faced
| the court at Monrovia yesterday for pre-
| liminary examination for the alleged muir
| der of her husband, Rowland Symonds
| Storrs on April 10 last. With wealth. and
! able lawyers at her command, this bride of
| twenty-five years defies a divided comnlun-
| ity maintaining that her husband shot him
| self accidentally.
| Because of the indefinite period OF legal
/ holidays declared by Gov. Pardee this and
| all other criminal cases in California have
| been laid over from time to time, but in
| none is their greater interest, because of
| the prominence of the principals and the
| Inconsistencies that mark the rich English
mans death and the developments.
Storrs. the son of an English clergyman,
and known here as a remittance man. be-
| cause of regular remittances from his fam
| lily abroad, was found dead in bed In his
| pretty home after his wife had run scream
| Ing through the streets OF Monrovia, a
| pretty town near Baldwin's ranch. He had
| returned home after night of revelry,
| quarrel had ensued between husband and
| wife and bullet had penetrated the mans
| heart, though in such way that experts
| declared II must have been fired by some
| one in the room.
Testimony at Inquest.
| Testimony at the inquest showed that
| Mrs Storrs had run three blocks In her
nightdress to get aid. had entered her pas
| tors home and a doctors house and told
| several persons that a moment after her
| husband was shot he said to her: oh
! darling, what have l done?"
! Some neghbors testified that Mrs. Storrs
| had been drinking: others. including Rev
! II. d. Greaves, her pastor, said she had
| not the appearances of a woman under the
! influence of stimulants then.
Later 1t developed that there had been
dinner party at the Storrs cottage at
! which considerable drinking had been in
| dulsed in. and that when Mrs. Storrs be-
came sick she yielded to her husbands per-
| sUasions and drank some whisky
! Henry Westhorp. an Englishman, who
| left the cottage an hour before the shoot
| ing. testified that he saw the couple en-
bracing each other as he left. He had
| Just persuaded, as he thought. Storrs to
| take buggy ride with him and had start
ed to get a rig. When he was some yards
from the house the lights suddenly went
out. . He drove back to the house in the
buggy. and as Storrs failed to come out
after long walt he drove away again He
did not know whether shot was fired
then as he was rather deaf.
Mrs. Storrs' First Statement.
Mrs. Storrs, in her first statement. de-
clared that her husband said to her. after
the cottage party:
You do not love me any more"
Go on, Rowland" was her alleged reply.
Well, III kill myself then was his an
swer. after which he pointed the pistol to
his chest and discharged it.
Detectives Immediately investigated the
killing, and. reaching the conclusion that
the wife knew more about the tragedy than
she was telling. caused her arrest but after
some days Incarceration In the county jail
she was released on bail
Theorists have been busy with the case
ever since.
Friends of the woman. who is fascinating
in looks and manners. say that Storrs de-
manded demonstrative love from his wife
and on slightest provocation would point
pistol at himself by way of reproach think
ing thus to brighten his wife They said
that the pair loved each other dearly, and
that Storrs. who was but twenty-four years
old, fell a victim to his own bluff and reck-
lessneSs. They explain the position of the
body by saying that his wife laid him on
the bed after he staggered with the bullet
wound sapping his strength.
Told Contradictory Story.
The detectives who worked on the casa
said that Mrs. Storrs had described the sur
r0undings and incidents in contradictory
manner. and that by receiving attentions
from other men she had permitted her hus-
band to have good reason for quarreling
with her. and that just before ne died the
two did have a violent quarrel bruises
showing on her face.
Whether third party was in the room at
the time of the shooting Immediately be-
fore Is one of the possibilities which is, if
true. being reserved by the prosecution
At any rate. only half of the story has
been told, and the trial will be full of dra-
matte Incidents.
The police say that not enough blood was
on the bedclothes to warrant the belief that
storrs had committed suicide there. The
authorities are inclined to believe that there
Il l. In 10