Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-09-09
POISON IN BODY
OF MRS. CR|PPEN
Trial Of Alleged American Wife
Murderer Opens in London
GIRL HELD AS ACCESSORY
Prosecution Announces That Poison
More Than Sufficient to Xiii Had
Been Found In Body.

DR.. Hawley Harvey Crippen as the
principal, and Ethel Clara Leneve as
an accessory after the fact, were
placed on trial III London, Eng, for the
murder of the formers wife, Cora
Belle Crippen, known ON the stage as
Belle Elmore.
The Bow street police court held a
curious, fascinated crowd, including a
few smartly dressed women and some
Americans
Mr. Humphreys, for the crown. set
forth that Crippen and his wife We're
unhappily married, and that her death
was of monetary advantage to him in
addition to the fact that his relations
with his typist were such that Miss
Leneve was unpleasantly jealous of
the wife. The death of Mrs. Crippen
would relieve the situation from the
standpoint of the man who loved one
woman and was tied up to another.
Crippen needed money and pawned
jewelry, later identified as the prop
erty of his wife. When his wife dis
appeared he made an explanation that
he later admitted was untrue.
The prosecutor told of the admitted
quarrel between the Crippens, the
elopement of Crippen and Miss Len
eve, and the finding OF the body al
legged to be that of the doctors wife
in the cellar of the Crippen home.
Mr.. Humphreys announced for the
first time that poison more than sutIi-
cient to kill had been found in the
body, which also showed traces of an
operation.
Girl Only Accessory.
Mr.. Humphreys said that the crown
had decided to change the charge
against Miss Leneve from that of a
principal to that of an accessory after
the fact. In conclusion he stated that
he questioned whether the girl could
have believed the extraordinary story
told her by Crippen in explanation OF
his wifes disappearance.
AT the conclusion of the prosecu-
tors address a few witnesses were
called for the crown. In Cross-eXamin-
ing these Solicitor Newton confined
himself to q few questions designed to
show that Crippen was amiable and
kind-hearted and seemed to be on the
best of terms with his wife
An application to admit the prison
ers to bail was refused and an ad.
journment was taken until Thursday.
Popular feeling toward Crippen con
tinues bitter because of the hideous
character of the crime with which he
is charged, but there is apparent an
undercurrent of sympathy for the ac-
cused girl.
Crippen seems not to have suffered
physically from his confinement. He is
nervous, but he has always been of a
rather nervous temperament, and if
his air of almost Indifference is as
sumed, he plays the part well.
Miss Leneve had better control of
herself than she had when she arrived
in London. At that time she appeared
on the verge of nervous collapse. 1t
is said that it had been intimated to
her before the trial opened that the
original charge of being co-principal
in the murder would be dropped and
that she would be held responsible
only for what knowledge of guilt she
acquired subsequent to the commits
sion of the crime.
This is said to have had a good
effect upon the girl, which, it is hint
ed, was the end sought by the prose
cution, who at the proper time intends
to use his companion as a witness
against Crippen.