Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-11
TELLS RELATIONS
BETWEEN BENNETT
AND Ills AFFINITY
WIFE OF POLICEMAN MAKES
DISCLOSURES
WARNS MRS. MoLsTER SHE WAS
HYNoTIZED
Mrs. Cora H. Carpenter Testifles to
Her Efforts to Break Up Intrigue
Between Harper and
Mldge

MFRS. CORA H. CARPENTER, wife
wi of policeman, testified yester-
LII day in the trial of Harper e.
Bennett on charge of murder, for
the alleged poisoning of his wife the
evening of Feb. 13 with strychnine.
Mrs. Carpenter made many illumi-
mating disclosures, but not near SO
many as she seemed inclined to make.
She seemed utterly unable to compre-
hend the rules of evidence, though fre-
quently instructed in regard to them
by the court. She wanted to tell of
circumstances and conversations which
seemed to her to have very material
bearing on the question of "aft1nities,
ptomaines and other queer things in
volved in the present action, and she
wanted to tell of what she knew in
the manner which ordinary conVersa-
ton with ordinary people had taught
her would be most readily understood
by persons in everyday life. Moreover,
the court and it's ways failed to in
spire her with awe, though she tried
to be obedient to what clearly seemed
to her to be it's peculiar and often
amusing DEGREES. She recognized the
authority, making a conscientious eff
fort to submit to it. but it was not In
her nature to take it very seriously.
Makes Attorney NERVOUS
Her forgetfulness of the courts mild
reproofs, in the constantly recurring
tendency to simply go ahead and tell
what was in her mind, seemed to bring
Attorney E. B. Drake, counsel for the
defense, to the verge Of nervous pros
tration, resulting more than once In
plunging the court room almost into
an uproar.
She had been we'll acquainted with
Mrs. Molster, yes indeed Why, Mrs
Molster, then Miss Anson, at the age
of 16, had come west with her and
lived with her after that until her
trip east and her marriage to e. c.
Molster in Ohio.
1t was not until she began to tell OF
the relations between her friend, Mrs.
"Midge" Molster, and Harper e. Ben
nett, that Attorney Drake began to get
really fldgety, but after that he did
not have a moments peace.
The witness remained quite comfort
able, possessing the temperament that
makes for comfort, even when con-
fused by the stormy objections or
counsel and the gentle reproofs of the
court. Only once in the course OF the
long examination did she show any
change of mood, from the serene cheer
fulness which characterized her man
ner from the first Then, she almost
smother the sobs which rose in her
throat.
Wanted Midge to Tell
HE phoned me-" she was saying,
speaking of Bennett, land wanted to
come to the house to see me. He said:
'Midge told me you're going to tell
her husband about the man in the
case. Please don't do it, 1 told him
wanted Midge to tell her husband
herself, and that I would do 1T II she
didn't. Mr., Molster was boarding at
nv house, and coming home weeping
his heart out, worrying about what
had come over Midge, saying he
thought she was working too hard,
wearing herself and falling sick. told
Mr. Bennett I couldn't stand it, seeing
Mr.. Molster breaking his heart griev-
ing over Midge, and that she must
fell him and have 1t over or 1 would.
Again and again the voice of the wit
ness thickened and she choked.
"He answered." she went on, She
should tell him there's man in the
case. but tell her please don't tell MIN
I'm the man. He said he did not want
that known because of his children
and I asked him why he hadn't
thought of Midges boy when he lured
her awav from her husband and broke
nm the home. Then he said 1T would
hurt his business to have it known"
Bennett Objected
While Mrs. Carpenter was testifying,
the defendant sat leaning forward, the
muscles of his lower jaw drawn down
and twitching, but with scarcely any
change of expression. His lips We're
drawn back stiffly from his teeth, like
those of a dead man and his race was
white almost to ghastllness, while his
neck from the jaw line downward was
red. His eyes remained half closed
most of the time, the lids moving
slightly from moment to moment once
he snickered, loud enough to be heard
halfway across the courtroom, With
out any change of expression in his
half closed eyes. The sound was sinis-
ter, unpleasant.
Mrs. Carpenter told of her efforts to
have her friend, Mrs. Molster, leave
Los Angeles and go to some small town
in the county where she would not DC
compromised and her good name de-
stroyed by the frequent visits Bennett
would pay her if she remained in the
city. To this Bennett had agreed, ana
an advertisement was written and M
serted in a morning paper January 81
purporting to be from an aged couple
wanting a governess to care for tnelr
two grandchildren. This position MRS.
Molster was to pretend to take, ac-
cording to the witness, and leave town.
Takes Her to Midee
"She did go, to Glendale" Mrs. Car
penter went on, "but a few days later
Mr.. Bennett rang me up and told me
she was in town again. asked him
where and he answered, I'll take yon
to her. 1 said, Where is she? and he
answered again, I'll take you to her.
/ asked him IL he was afraid to trust
me- and he said, I'll take you to her.
II went to meet him at Fourth and
Spring streets. 1 told him l did not
want to walk with him and to tell mo
what car to take. He said the Wash
ington street car. There was one COM
ing then. / got on the front end and
he got on the back. When he got Off
/ got off, and we went. to the lodging
house, the Dakota, and up to the room
where Midge was staying. He sat down
on the bed and she sat in his lap most
of the time and they kept kissing each
other all the time.
'I said some pretty hard words TO
him and wanted Midge to come home
with me. 1 asked him to think of his
own family, his little girls, If he could
not think of the harm he was doing
Mid0a He told me he believed in az