New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-26

Acquitted as Accessory After
Fact in Crippen Murder.
TRIAL LASTS A FEW HOURS
No New Testimony Offered at
the Neutrality-suspicious. Throng
Fills New Bailey Court.

London, oct 25.-After a trial lasting but
few hours in the New Bailey Criminal
Court to-day jury found Ethel Clara Le-
neve not guilty as an accessory after the
fact to the murder of Cora Belle Crippen,
for whose death her husband. Dr. Hawley
H Crippen. will die on the gailows on
November S
Miss Leneve was ia love with DR.. Grip
pen and slept in his house on the night OF
the day following the day on which the
doctor murdered has wife and buried the
dismembered parts I'm the cellar of his
Hilldrop-Crescent home. She accompanied
Crippen in his flight TO Canada, and With
him was arrested and indicted.
From the first she has maintained limo
cence of any knowledge of the crime, but
the crown alleged that her behavior sub
eeauent to the disappearance of Mrs Grip
zen, or Belle Elmore. as she was known on
the stage. was such as to betray a guilty
knowledge Of the murder
When arraigned to-day Miss Leneve
pleaded not guilty. and witnesses were in
PRODUCED by the prosecution to show that
she had experienced periods of great mental
distress following Belle Elmore's death.
The Crown Prosecutor, Richard Muir. in
troduced only such evidence IS had been
brought out IN the earlier hearings
Miss Leneve's counsel. Frederick E.
Smith, 3 member Of the House of Com
mons, asked the jury to hear in mind that
his client had been under the influence Of
D.. Crippen. one Of the most dangerous
criminals Of recent years, since she was
sixteen years of age. This. he asserted, &C.
counted for her fight In the doctors COM
pany. There was no proof that she had
guilty knowledge of the crime. He said
that he took on his own shoulders the re
sponsihility for not putting Miss Leneve
in the witness box.
Lord Chief Justice Alverstone, who pre-
sided in summing up for the jury, said
that he saw no reason why DR.. Crippen
should have told Miss L.eneve story diff
ferent from that which he told to others.
Miss Leneve's counsel took advantage of
every technicality Of the Jaw to protect
their client. AS she sat in the prisoners
dock to-day she was pathetic figure. She
is tEenty-seven years old, of medium build,
light brown hair. gray eyes and excellent
teeth. Her face IS pretty, she wears good
clothes, and. being naturally buoyant and
affable, she is a prepossessing woman. To-
day she was attired I'm the same neat blue
costume which she wore at the preliminary
! hearing I'm the police court.
She entered the dock between two
mattresses and remained standing during
the few minutes occupied by the swearing
in of the jury. She was an object for keen
scrutiny on the part of the women. who
composed the majority Of the spectators.
After she had pleaded not guilty Lord
Chief Justice Alverstone called Richard D.
mir hn TKbn pIT-Ii
the case against the accused.
Inspector Dew. Of Scotland Yard who ar
rested Crippen and Miss Leneve, and the
other witnesses for the crown were taken
rapidly through the evidence which they
had given IN the lower courts No new
testimony was brought out and the prose-
Cution closed its case before the luncheon
hour.