The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-22
NURSES ON STAND
Wife of the Defendant in the
Hyde Murder Trial
LIS Depended Upon to Refute
Pearl Keller's Testimony.
CROSS .EX EXAMINATION
Of the States Star Witness Is
Completed.
Mrs. Hyde Moved to Tears by
TOday's Evidence.
CROSS EXAMINATION


her story with a vivid illustration of
the action of her patient, Miss Anna
Houlihan, a nurse, today began, at the
Hyde murder trial, the story of the
death of Chrisman Swope. DR.. Hyde is
indicted on the charge of numbering
him.
1t was Miss Houlihan who led the
strike of the nurses against DIR. Hyde
at the Swope house last December Is.
She is a little black haired woman, of
positive manner of speech.
People are being murdered in this
house, she is said to have declared to
DIT TWyman, in speaking of her SuS
picions of DR.. Hyde.
And after she had stated her position
firmly, she put on her coat and hat and
said she or Dr. Hyde must leave the
house. DR.. Hyde left and Mrs. Hyde
went with him.
The description of the CONFUSION
suffered by Chrisman Swope following
the administering Of a capsule by DR..
Hyde, was similar to that which Miss
Keller gave yesterday of the attack of
kCol Swope under similar cfrcum-
stances.
Cross-examination of Miss Pearl KEEL
Ter, Col. Swope's nurse, was resumed
by Attorney Frank P. Walsh.
The examination of the witness Is
necessarily long, as she has testified at
four different hearings. She has been
before the grand jury, the notorial
court which Investigated in behalf of
DR.. Hyde's libel suit, the coroner's jury
and the criminal court.
Miss Keller is recognized as the
states premier witness in the hearing
Mrs. Hyde will be used by the defense
in an attempt to refute Miss Keller'S
testimony. Thus the whole fight CEN
ters down to a battle between the two
women.
Mrs. Hyde is we'll versed in every
angle of her husbands case and is
lending much aid to his lawyers. espe-
CiallV I'm fhn examination Miss KGf-
Ter. She has had her chair moved for
ward in the court room so that she is
at the elbow of her husbands counsel.
Little headWay was made by Mr..
Walsh YESTERDAY when he attempted to
entangie Miss Keller. The witness ad
mitted on the stand that she had made
q careful study of what her testimony
in the case would be as soon as the
investigation began. She retired to her
loom and wrote a history of the case
for her own reference before she ever
gave word of testimony at any place,
she said.
ContradictS Herself.
Asked if Colonel Swore took the
strychnine tonic three times day,
Miss Keller said she never testified that
he did. Mr.. Walsh then read from the
deposition of the nurse:
Il administered the tonic three times
a day
Il may have said that said Miss
Keller, "but my chart will show the
tonic was not administered three times
a day. I gave Col Swope his medicine
as often as he would take it."
Mr.. Walsh completed his examination
of Miss Keller in less than an hour.
Attorney Reed took the witness.
WAS Mrs. Hyde present when DR..
Hyde asked you to use your influence
in having him appointed administrator
of the estate?' was asked.
"She come into our presence twice"
answered the witness. when she ap-
cared, Dr.. Hyde ceased speaking
Albert NJ. OFT, an attorney and
banker of independence, succeeded
party, more than the other. He lived |
at the Swope home and often visited |
the Hydes 1t was largely due to his |
Influence that friendly relations were |
Uncle Moss" as he was called, was
considered in the light of a parent to |
all of Mrs. Logan o. Swope' children |
sitter the death of their father ten |
years ago.
Miss Anna HouIihan. who nursed |
$he typhoid patients in the Swope
home was the next witness called.
over the protest of DR.. Hyde's |
counsel the witness began an account |
of the death of Chrisman Swope. The |
court advised the jury that in case
testimony about this death did not |
tend to prove motive on the part of !
DIR. Hyde in the alleged murder of
Colonel Swope. the evidence will be
ordered excluded.
DIR. HYDE ordered the three nurses |
In the residence to lend their care to |
all of the patients in the house she |
said This course was objected to by /
the nurses, testified the witness, be- |
cause they did not believe they would |
be able to care as well for the patients |
in this manner as they would if each |
attended to one person. They also |
felt, she said, that by following the |
suggestion of DR.. Hyde. 1T would be
dificult to keep their records straight.
s'Dr. Twyman was in charge of the |
patients said Miss Houlihan, but we
felt that DR.. Hyde, as a son-in-law of
Mrs. Swope. represented her."
Charts Offered in Evidence.
The nurses charts in the case of |
Chrisman Swope were introduced as
Miss Keller on the stand. His testi-
nony corroborated Miss Keller's story
of the bleeding of James Moss Hunton
by DR.. Hyde.
''Dr. Twyman asked DR.. Hyde three
times to stop the flow and then Mrs. |
Hyde implored him to close the Incl
sion,' said the witness.
Mrs. Hyde Weeps.
Cross questioning of Mr. OFT by At
torney Walsh developed the fact that |
Mrs. Hyde held Hunton's head in her
arms throughout the operation. The
recital of the death scene moved Mrs. |
HYDE to tears. This is the first time |
that she has given way to her emotion |
since the trial opened.
Between Mrs Hyde and Hunton |
of friendship. During the entire time
of the open breach between Mrs
Swope and Mrs. Hyde over the latter's
marriage to the physician, Hunton
never gave evidence of favoring either
evidence. They showed several nurses