The San Francisco call., 1910-11-01
COURT Is PACKED
ATTHOMPSON trial
Judge Dunno Compelled by the
Throng to Transfer Proceed
ings to Carpenters Hall
Nurse on Stand Almost Entire
Day, but Main Story Is
Unshaken

So great was the press OF curious
persons anxious to hear the testimony
in. the. case Of Robert Thompson. ac-
cused OF the murder OF Eva Swan. that
! Judge Dunno yesterday transferred the
scene ot-the trial from his own court
room 10 the big Carpenters hail, in
which .Ruef and Calhoun were tried.
The ava alable seating room was fully
! occupied all day. g number of women
+. listening intently 10. every detail OF the
testimony
Marie AIesserschmidt. the nurse, upon
whose testimony the case for the prose-
curion chiefly depends. spent practical
-ly:.tle entire day on the witness stand.
when she was excused she drew her
heavy well over her face and walked
ga .kly from the courtroom. Men and
women craned their necks TO catch g
6iimpse Of her
=. TESTIMONY UNsHAKEN
She had completed her testimony on
diretI examination last Friday, and yes
terda = was under cross examination
and redirect Attorneys Robert Fer
raj and J. j. Greedy for the defense
were not able 10 shake her main story
sfter hours Of clever cross questioning
She was clear in all her answers, her
lauguage being eXcellently chosen. The
LAWYERS devoted themselves mainly to
= testing the nurses knowledge Of Illegal
Operations. They also asked her much
shout her career.
Miss 1Iesserschmidt said her home
was Ia oakland Four years ago her
mother died Her father is parslyzed
and in order not 10 become dependent
pnOn her married sisters she went TO
work ia an Oakland hospital. She was
there a year but did not graduate
After thst, she testified. she was en-
ugoyed -6r- q Doctor Calhoun, with Offices
IL Fillmore street. Calhoun also made
tions size said. Leaving Calhoun. she
accepted a position with Thompson.
working in his Office II months.
ADMITS MISTAKES
She admitted in answer TO questions
10y. Ferral that on some points her tes-
rimonX did not agree with that. given
BY her before p he coroner. 7 was mis-
IA ken when I said that IN the coroner 5
inquiry" she answered more than once.
+ one Of her mistak kes was in saying that
Eva Swan visited Thompson for the
first time in April She said yesterday
that she frst. saw the girl at the Golden
Gate. avenue Office three months before
April
A new point brought out on redi-
rect examination by Prosecutor Bren-
nan was that when Thompson sent the
BODY Of Eva Swan in q trunk TO the
cottage at 32I Eureka, street he for
warded with il in q Ia tbox. He explained
10 Miss Adesserschmidt that he did this
as blind. as TO send the trunk there
alone would look bad.
- Another piece of new testimony was
10 the effect that after operating on
Eva, swan, Thompson came from the
room with sZ5 IN his hand and said TO
the nurse. Here is SIS tnat 7 received
from old hatcliet face
ACID STAINS on BODY
Just before court adjourned Doctor
Glover, autopsy surgeon TO the coroner,
testified that he examined the body Of
Eva Swan when IL. was brought TO the
coroners sofice. He found the left
side marked. and stained with nitric
acid: his, he said. had somewhat
preserved the outer skin Of the body
- The internal: organs We're so decom-
posed that he could not. determine the
cause of death. the physician said.
%. among the witnesses who viii be
examined today. is Paul. Parker. the
stanford. student whose name mas been
prominently identified with the affair.
The district attorney. expects 70 close
the case for the people. by tomorrow.
and proba bly, a verdict VIII be rendered
before the end Of the week.