Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-30

pended upon whether a mark on a piece
u flesh was the scar Of an opera ton or
merely q mark caused by folding and
pressure when beneath the bricks OF the
cellar floor. The medical experts for the
crown brought overwhelming evidence to
prove the mark was a scar. and &c was
known that Belle Elmoic had such a scar.
the result Of an operation.
The medical witness for the defense
gave a directly opposite opinion. After
both counsel had finished with him the
Judge took him in hand. pressed him and
shook his evidence Then. expressing re-
gret that the witness had absented him
self from the court when the crown wit
nesses gave their evidence. he called one
OF the latter into the witness box and
made him demonstrate on a piece Of skin
and flesh his grounds for declaring the
mark must be a scar This done the
Judge said to the witness Tor the defense
Now after hearing and seeing MIR. Pep
per's reasons for declaring the mark must
be a scar resulting from such an opera
ton, is not your opinion modified? So
you not think It may be a scar?
The witness adhered to his own opinion
but when he left the witness box there
was no doubt that his evidence had been
robbed Of all value in the jurys ewes.
Earlier in the case. when numerous eX-
hibits Of the dead womau's jewelry were
produced for Identification by witnesses,
the judge examined all and selected few
for the jury to inspect, dismisslng the rest
as OF commonplace, ordinary appearance
and thus of no value for purposes of iden-
tificaton, so that IL would only be a waste
Of time for the jury to examine them.
Checks on Lawyers.
Again, when counsel for the defense
outlined the story of Crippen's arrange
ment with the quartermaster to hide him
on board the steamship Montrose, after
the first sentence the judge interposed,
asking, DO YOU produce the quartermas-
terT
No. my lord, counsel responded.
The judge nodded, and tbs weak story,
evidently shortened. fell ineffective from
counsers lips. So it was throughout the
trial; the Judge would pull all counsel
when, after receiving an answer from a
witness they worked around to the same
question.
He has answered you, Lord Alverstone
would say, and you must take his an
swer.'
Frequently he would interpose, telling
counsel: IT is now time to press this
point or to press another point as being
important 1t was the judges questions
that made Crippen contradict himself on
an important question the date of the
purchase and who purchased, himself or
his wife the discriminating suit Of pyjamas
part of which were found with the remains.
chief Conductor of Case.
Twice the judge interviewed In behalf
/ Of Crippen, once when the prosecution
was pressing him as to what he meant by
the word it when he said to Inspector
Dew Of Quebec: 1t is only fair to say l
| told Miss Leneve nothing about it. Crippen
said he had meant he had told her nothing
Of his series of lying letters and kilograms.
The judge made counsel accept the answer,
but in summing up he drew attention to
the weakness OF the explanation. Again
he refused to put a question a juryman
suggested because, said he, It is rather
argumentative.'
! In fact, il is hardly too much to say
he was the chief conductor of the case
both for the crown and the defense What
little could be suggested in Crippens favor
he pointed out in summing up. What
points might be considered debatable-and
they were very few-hef stated, saying II
was for the jury TO decide on them. But
his whole lucid retelling of the story from
the evidence could not have been more
damning had it come from the mouth OF
] the prosecuting counsel Indeed, It's i'm
pressve delivery and its aloofness from all
personal feeling made 1t far more con
vtncing Of the prisoners guilt than the
/ final address of the prosecution TO the
jury"