Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-06
CHARGE AGAINST GIRL
is MADE LESS SERIOUS
Changed From Murder to Being an
Accessory After the Fact.
CROWD IN BOW STREET COURT
Accused Doctors Written Statement
Admitting Quarrel Quoted by
Public Prosecutor-Both
Prisoners at Bar.

4 TIlSOuer6 at Dur.
! LONDON, September 6.-At the open
ing today of the trial OF DR.. Hawley H.
Crippen. who is charged with the murder
| Of his wife, Belle Elmore, the prosecu-
ton announced that large quantities OF
poison had been found in the woman's
| body and that there were evidences that
she had been subjected to an operation.
Ethel Clara Leneve. the Doctors typist
| who accompanied him in his flight to
Canada after the disappearance OF his
wife and who has been held on the same
charge. also was brought to the bar to-
day, but the crown stated that it had
against the girl to being an accessory
after the fact.
This relieves Miss Leneve Of any fore
knowledge Of the crime and is in line with
| the belief of her family and friends that
! she did not share Crippen's confidence up
| to the time that his wife dropped out Of
| sight and was said by him to have died
| in California.
Several Witnesses Called.
At the conclusion Of the prosecutors
address q few witnesses were called for
| the crown. In cross-examining these
Solicitor Newton confined himself to a
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 prisoners
to bail was refused and an adjournment
was taken until Thursday
The evidence offered by the crown today
was along the same lines as at the pre-
vious hearings. A pawnbroker bore out
counsefs statement that Crippen had
pawned his wife's jewelry. Inspector
Dew added a few minor facts TO his story
OF the arrest Of the accused and promised
TO make a more important statement
later
The only new testimony. and which
will doubtless be elaborated later by
the physicians who conducted the post
mortem, was the statement Of Mrs.
Paul Martinetti to the effect that Mrs
Crippen had once shown her a scar on
the lower part OF the body which had
cut The doctors who examined the
body found in the Crippen home dis
covered a piece Of flesh bearing a SINH
lar scar.
Interest in the case which was intense
during the search for the doctor, has
been in no means worn out. as shown by
the crowd which gathered In the vicinity
Of Bow Street police court when the trial
began.
Travers Humphreys appeared for the
public prosecutors office, while Solicitor
Arthur Newton represented Crippen. Mr..
Humphreys made long opening address.
in which he reviewed the case from the
time that suspicion was aroused against
the husband by the unsatisfactory expla-
nation which he offered for the disappear
ance Of his actress wife. to his return to
London and the arraignment Of the doctor
and Miss Leneve on the joint charge of
murder.
Tells of Finding Poison.
In the course of his remarks the prose-
cutor definitely stated that the physicians
who made the post mortem examination
OF the mutilated parts unearthed in the
| cellar OF the Crippen home. in Hildrop-
the presence Of large quantities OF hyoscin.
a colorless liquid poison. and also detected
| evidences that an operation had been per-
| formed.
| It had been known that the authorities
had been working on the theory that
Belle Elmore. or properly speaking. Cora
Crippen. had been In the hands of one
having at least a rude knowledge of sur
gerry and further. that she had been pois-
oned The official announcement of these
alleged discoveries. however. have not
been made before.
At the time of the arraignment of the
/ two prisoners August = Mr.. Hum-.
phreys said that the governments evi-
dence against the typist pointed only to
her as being an accessory after the fact.
Today he said that 1t had been decided
to thus limit the charge against her.
| Both Crippen and his wife were born In
the United States. he at Coldwater
Mich and she in Brooklyn. Her maiden
4 name was Cora Belle Makomaski. They
were married in New Jersey and subse-
uuently came here where Crippen was a
patent medicine agent and later engaged
in the dental business. Miss Leneve was
employed by the doctor as a typist and
/ II is alleged that he became infatuated
with the girl.
| Crippen and Miss Leneve fed to Amer
4 lea on the steamer MontrOse and were
arrested as the vessel was approaching
i Quebec.
! The prosecutor went over the whole
| story for the benefit of Sir Albert de Rut-
zen, senior magistrate of the Bow street
court, who was not present at the last
4 hearing.
| Speaking OF the relations between Grip
| pen and his wife, Mr. Humphreys said that
4 the affection apparently was on the sur
/ face, according to Crippen's own state
| ment as the result of Bellies outbursts OF
| temper The prosecution spoke of Mrs.
/ Crippen as Belle. the name used by DR..
/ Crippen when referring to his wife. The
i two the prosecutor continued had occu-
| pied separate rooms for four years For
| at least three years Miss Ieneve had
| been Crippen's mistress. which might ac-
| count for the wife's anger. In January
Miss Leneve was feeling her position in
regard to Crippen acutely, and particular
ly so at that time. when she expressed
| considerable jealousy OF Mrs. Crippen.