Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-19
BENNETT HELD
FOR TRIAL; IS
SENT TO JAIL
JUDGE DENIES APPLICATION
FOR BAIL
SLIPS NOTE INTO HANDS OF AL
LEGGED AFFINITY
Woman for Whom Prosecution States
Man Killed His Wife Leaves
Court Room with His
Children
vTARPER E. BENNETT, charged

y
the night of February 13, was held TO
answer to the superior court by Justice
ling Yesterday and was committed TO
the county Jail, the application OF ms
ATTORNEYS that he be admitted to bal
being denied. .,
Rennett listened to the decision IN
tantlv hut without any outward sign OF
nervousness, except to clasp tightly the
hand of his little daughter Lallah' VIZ WY
stood by his side. As the court room
was clearing of the large gatnerllls o5
spectators. the accused man peehoii5e, f', I7a
10 Mrs Lulu Molster. the wonah ne
saws is his affinity, and when the manu-
sha had nlaced in his was Wlthdfa"h
n contained a hastily written note, pre-
snnably a message of ENCOURAGEMENT: =:
a moment later the woman, for love VI
whom. 1t is contended by the prosecu-
tion Rennett took his wifes Ire, ieLt
the nlace. accompanied by the two CHI
dren of the accused man. :,
When benefits trial takes paice ls -
understood the district attorney oltioS i
will endeavor to prove tnat aiio -
motive. in addition to the man ln.ae
nation for Mrs. Molster. prompted nun
~ commit the alleged crime. 1t Is
cla;noed he expended almost If not an
the money belonging to his W1Ie III INC
nronotion of a wave motor machlhe'
Prosecution Closes Case
- to,,+ e5ooo was expended in
this wav. and with the last inVestllleh1
If $500 Mrs Bennett. it is said, became
insistent in her demands for a settle-
nent which was never mace;
When Rennett's trial takes place II Is
As,sistant district Attorney c. c. NC
Comas announced his inabllty TO 10
cate p L, Martin, the witness WY,
1t was expected, would les.llS .. slts cod
had knowledge that Bennett purelaseu
,,' Quantity of strychnine some tlne
%afdra his wife's death, and aIter tile
tastiy1onv of Miss Edna Saunders the
nurse who attended Mrs. Behuett 9u.
inc her last illness, was 1htTouuSeu 70
establish the time when 9eatn an &c
s,,rred the prosecution closed lts case;
Miss Saunders SAID Mrs' Deiiiol'
about 11:15 o'clock.
e. B. Drake, Bennetts leaolhg coui
sci announced his Willingness 70 SUI
,,1it the case on the evidence given ~
the prosecution, and after brleI opeil-
ing argument by Mr.. McCoIIids q Iep.s o.5
NJ Drake's associate, who connheu
himself principally to the question oa
odv,ittino Reunett to bail ana To the
testimonv given by DR.. A. G. Pralt.
"Dr pratt says he was satlshed anu u
Is still satisfied that Mrs. Benhelt uleu
of ptomaine poisoning, salu ''ol, oUii1, ,;tia,,
son rand he alone was in posltloh
~ watch the patients symptoms @ a@d-
minister to her and determine the
cause of DEATH"
Calls Testimony Conflicting
7, onanine his argument Mr.. Drake
remarked that under the loose rules
GOVERNING a preliminary hearing al
most everything could be admitted,
and asked the court to eliminate all
sentimental and sensational features
considering only material testimony
he smoke at length on the confiictlhg
medical testimony, pointing out as Idu s-
his colleague, the observations or Dr'
pratt. who stated the symptoms were
not those of strychnine poisoning.
Mrs Bennett became i'll and DR..
Pratt was called" said the attorney
ale was the only living person VINO
saw the case. He gave her one
thirtieth of a grain of strychnine salts
and her pulse became stronger. rms
is point No. / in Benefits favor.
"Second, she complained that she
had cramps in the calves OIL ler Iess,
and when they were rubbed her pains
we're relieved; third, she expressed
desire to vornit fourth, the flexor ana
not the extensor muscles were IN
volved, and fifth, the expression on
her face after death was pleasing. All
these facts are in direct conflict with
the testimony of experts called by the
prosecution when they described the
SYMPTOMS of strychnine poisoning.
Attorney Drake asked the court to
disregard the testimony of Mrs. Car
penter, whose story of the associa-
tions of Bennett and "Midge" Molster
caused a sensation Thursday. Mrs.
Carpenter" he said, talked a great
deal about affinities. Tommyroti That
word affinity is enough to gag any
sensible man and make him feel as if
he had taken an emetic.
Divorce Would Have Been Easy
"If Bennett wanted to get rid of his
wife so that he might marry Mrs. Mol
ster he could have procured a divorce.
They can be obtained easily in Los
Angeles. He could not marry any
quicker because his wife was dead, be-
cause Mrs. Molster was also married,
and if she got a divorce a year would
have to elapse before she could get a
final decree. This alleged motive is
ridiculous"
In closing Attorney Drake asked for
the discharge of Bennett.
Assistant District Attorney McCom-
as, in reply to the arguments of Ben
nett's attorneys, said the question of
bail was a foreign matter, that there
and that if there was a reasonable
probability that Bennett committed a
crime he should be held without bail.
1T would be a travesty on justice to
admit this man to BAIL" declared the
prosecutor. 1T was strychnine that
killed Mrs. Bennett and it was not
taken accidentally. 1 claim that even
Or. Pratt's testimony substantiates
that fact"
Mr. McComas expressed the belief
that Bennett had swallowed something
the night his wife died for the purpose
of deceiving the physician into the be-
lief that he was suffering from pto-
maine poisoning. His symptoms were
markedly different from those of his
wife," he said. ANY man can take
ipecac or lobelia and vomit out the last
five years of his life"
Gives Motive for Crime
He eontended that the prosecution
had shown that a motive for the al
legged crime existed. THAT man." he
said, pointing at Bennett, "had no
more regard or affection for his wife
than If she was a craven image. He
evidently despised her. She was an
incubus, and he threw her aside and
went after another woman. He told
Mrs. Carpenter his wife would be gone
within ten days. And she was gone
gone to eternity-dead by his hand, as
the evidence clearly shows Then he
goes to San Diego with the other
woman.
"The defense points to the fact that