The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1909-01-28

umbus. The train upon which she
arrived reached the city at $40 p.
M, and the hearing, which had mo-
mentarily halted, was proceeded with
+ as soon as she reached the court
room
/ The sheriff was ordered to clear
the courtroom, no one except law
yers, newspaper men and others di-
rectely interested in the case having
been allowed to remain. Miss Smith
proved to be a most obstinate wit
ness, having refused most positively
TO make a statement regarding her
alleged relations with Laurent. The
+ first question asked the witness by
/ Mr.. McConnico was, when did you
meet Mr.. Laurent?' The interroga-
/ ton was met with the statement, u
/ refuse to answer and the same
words greeted practically every inter-
rogative propounded by the attorney.
/ Mr. McConnico, while exceedingly
polite and defferential toward Miss
Smith, was persistent, and among the
many questions which he propounded
TO her and which she firmly declined
| TO answer were the following: Did
Mr.. Laurent ever offer you any indig
nity?" Did you ever have any i'm
proper relations with Mr.. LAURENT"
Did you, as a result of relations with
alr. Laurent, ever have occasion to
visit professionally any physician in
Mobile, Columbus or elsewhere?"
Are you refusing to answer these
Questions because you don't want to
injure your father. and at the same
tine want to tell the truth?"
Miss Smith was very calm during
t e greater part of her examination,
Icing broken down only once dur
ing the trying ordeal. This was when
Mr.. McConnico pictured, in a most
graphic manner, the happy home
which had been made desolate by the
death of Laurent, and asked if pity
and sympathy for the inmates of that
home would not impel her to reply
to his interrogatioDs. When Mr. Nc
Connico propounded this question the
witness placed her hand On the shoul-
der of her father, who was seated
close by, and said. All / have is my
father, and for him I live. My moth
er died twenty-seven years ago, and
father and I are ali In all to each
other
Witness declared that she had had
no conversation with attorney for de-
femse since her return from Artesia,
and while she admitted having con-
versed with her father she stated en-
phatically that he had not instructed
her to refuse to answer questions.
After Miss Smith had retired from
the stand her father was recalled, but
was asked only one or two unimpor-
tant questions Both sides announced |
that they had concluded their testi- /
mony, and it was decided to submit |
the case without argument. After |
consulting his colleague. Justice Mat
thews announced that the application /
for bail would be denied. and Mr..
Smith was remanded to Jail.
While the past few days have
brought no new developments in the
it is said that the prosecu-
ton is working on a theory that the
alleged seduction of Miss Smith was
not the cause of the homicide, but
that Smith killed Laurent on account
Of jealousy over another woman. In
his testimony Wednesday Smith men
toned a Miss Letitia King. who was
guest of the family on the occasion
IF Laurent's one and only visit to the
1ouse, and while attorneys for the
prosecution will not talk it is under
stood that facts have developed that
cad them to believe that Smith was
Lttached to this woman, and had his
niger and jealousy aroused because
he showed a preference for Laurent.
This Miss Letitia King, who now
GEMS to be holding the center of the {
tage in the famous case, is a grass
widow She married a man named :
Toffman. but subsequently secured a
ivorce from him. and resumed her c
naiden name. She has visited the {
mith home on two occasions. once s
4 November, 1907. and again in {
une of the following year. Smith q
tated on the stand that during her q
rst visit their relations were very v
but on her second visit they a
ecame estranged, and he was glad U
hen she left. She is now living with :
l