Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-02

DEFENSE HAS
STRONG CASE
coRWELL MURDER TRIAL MAY
END THIS WEEK
HAT MYSTERY MAY AGAIN BE
TAKEN UP
Prosecution Has Apparently Failed to
Establish Several important
Points Needed for Con-
viction

The long trial of Estelle Corwell,
charged with killing George T. Ben
nett, will probably come to a close Fri
day of this week.
Tho defense expects to close its case
tomorrow afternoon, following the tes-
timony of physicians concerning the
mental condition in which they believe
Mrs. Corwell to have been the night of
the shooting. The following day the
prosecution hopes to begin the preseni
tation of rebuttal testimony.
The nature of this testimony and the
identity of the witnesses who are ex-
pected to take the stand have not been
divulged by Deputy District Attorney
Blair.
From a resume of the evidence al
ready brought In on both sides it would
appear that the defense has so far
scored heavily against the prosecution.
Their two main contentious, viz, that
the bullet which resulted in Bennett
death was discharged accidentally
while the man and woman were en-
gagged in a struggle and that the woman
was temporarily insane at the time of
the shooting, appear 20 be f1anked on
every side by such mass of evidence
that the task of the prosecution will
indeed be difficult If an effort is made
to tear down the seemingly impreg-
nable fortress of evidence built up by
Attorney Appel
Bit-by bit Outlines in an apparently
haphazard manner, and with little pur-
pose the testimony has been gathered
by the defense.
Thursday afternoon it was pulled to-
gether, bundled up into 5000 words and
hurled at the head of a witness in the
form of a hypothetical question.
Question Epitomizes Life
Into. that question almost every in
cident in Estelle Corwelfs life was
written, and when the reading was
finished the strength of the position Of
the defense was completely apparent:
One point remains unsettled 10 the
satisfaction of both Sides That is
whether the fingers of Bennett were
burned or simply marked by the powder
of one of the exploded cartridges.
The conflicting testimony concerning
this important point will, 1t is believed.
receive attention this week.
The question concerning the color ana
style of hat worn by Mrs. Corwel the
night of the shooting is also expected
to play a further prominent part in the
case A number of witnesses have tes-
tifec that the woman wore large
white hat when she surrendered to the
police, but the defense claim black
hat was worn.
When the two small holes near the
front OF LnE DldCh nat dlO ~
the value of this piece of evidence be-
comes apparent, and while number
of witnesses testified that white hat
was worn by the prisoner the fact re-
mains that so far no trace of this
headgear has been discovered. The de-
tense therefore appears to be ahead on
this question, for it asobtained a hat
and placed it in the evidence. There
have been witnesses to show that the
hat was worn july % by Mrs. Corwen
and that it has not been out OF the
matron's custody at the county jail
since the prisoners arrival there.
Tie prosecution, on the other hand'
has large number Of witnesses to
refute this evidence, but there is an
absence of a white hat, which may
cause some doubt as to its existence III
the minds of the Jurors.
Considered altogether, the coming
weel. promises to bring out some i'm
portant testimony in this interesting
trial.