The Detroit times., 1910-10-25
.cRIPPEh's TyP|sT
FREED on CHARGE
Of COMPLETELY
Jury says She Il Not Guilty A. Ally
Of Former Detroit Dentist in
Murder Of His Wife, Belle
Elmore Crippen.
She Was Pale and Unnervsd BY Grip
pens Fate When Her Trial
Began.

=
Began.
LONDON. Oct. s6.--After . trial Of
unexpected brevity today, Ethel Clare
Leneve was acquitted OF the charge
OF being an accessory after the fact
to the murder OF Belle Gilmore Crippen
The Jury was out only 10 minutes
Immediately after the verdict was
read the court ordered the release u
Miss Leneve. In order to escape the
great crowd that waited outside Old
Bailey. Miss Leneve remained In the
building for nearly an hour. by which
time the police had succeeded In dis
persing those without.
Strikingly pale apd trembling
and apparently unnerved by the
death sentence melted out to her com
panion. DR.. HI. H. Crippen. Miss Ethel
Glare Leneve, the doctors former
stenographer, today pleaded not gull
ty In Old Bailey court, to the indict'
ment charging her with being an &C
cess0ry after the fact In the murder
OF Mrs. Belle Elmore Crippen. Het
trial was In the same court that found
Crippen guilty and Kings Counsel p,
ID. Muir, who 20 mercilessly prOsecut-
ed Crippen, showed In his opening
statement TO the court that the pris.
oner. despite her frail condition, need
expect little mercy from the hands OF
the prosecution.
Miss Leneve's appearance was such
as to excite the sympathies Of the
crowd that packed the courtroom
Her former debonair bearing had com
pletely vanished and she answered
the courts question In q startled
voice that was hardly audible ten
feet awav.
The gist Of the prosecutions argu.
ment, AZ disclosed in Muir's atate.
ment Was that az Miss Leneve Wa the
inspiration for Crippen's crime, abe
must have known OF its commission,
thereby becoming an accessory after
the fact.
1T IL inconceivable,. Muir declar.
Cd that Crippen should have killed
his wife In order TO be. free to live
with the prisoner, without revealing
TO her his crime
Among the dNitnassss subpoenaed
q Q5aMz 49, fucs Millsr, d
'ChItSE6, {y5Snd a Mn. Crippcn,
who was chargod u Cfippei with
undue intimacy with Mrs. Crippen.
and Mrs. Slgtsmund HUM, OF Brook
Ign, who 10 said to be Mrs.. Crippen's
Oldest sister.
The parents OF Miss Lenevs we're
In court today.
Aggrieved 1t what he terms the
many false stories Of his relations
with Mrs. Crippen, Miller today raye
out his nrst statement of his acQuaint-
ance with her. He says that he first
met Mrs. Crfppen ~ Z dinner at which
ne was guest In London. Both be-
Ing Americans and on the stage, Il
was only natural, Miller says, for 3
friendship to spring up between them.
but he denies that their relations
were ever other than propr.
II never kissed her except once, .
Miller says, and then only in Z spirit
of jest. Along with her friends /
knew that Belle Elmore. though folly
and full Of fun, stood on high moral
grounds. trusting her husband and ex.
pecting to be trusted herself. More.
over abe was In every way worthy Of
the trust.
Il visited her at DIR. Crippen's homs
frequently when he was there and he
knew OF our friendship. which was
purely platonic. l have come to Eng
land to vindicate the character OF one
who IL not here to speak for herself
bear no grudge against Crippen for
introducing my name. He was like
q drowning man clutching At straw
The speedy and favorable verdict
by the jury was q big surprise, for
following the sentencing to death last
Saturday of DR.. Hawley Harvey Grip
pen for the murder Of his wife II was
expected that Miss Leneve.. his for
mer stenographer and sweetheart.
would receive brief prison SEN
tence.
Miss Leneve did not take the stand
In her own defense. Pale and trem-
bling and apparently fearful OF an ad.
verse verdict, she pleaded not guilty
to the charge that she did afterward
feloniously receive, comfort. harbor,
assist and maintain" DR.. Crippen.
Richard ID. Muir, the crown prose-
cutor. started out az though he intend.
ed to prosecute the girl a. vigorously
as he did Crippen and In his opening
statement he urged that the prisoner
undoubtedly knew of the murder OF
Mrs. Crippeh, as she was the motive
for the crime.
Only q few witnesses were called
for the prosecution, however. and the
examination of these was brief, with
no determined effort being made Ia
bring out damaging evidence against
the girl.
Lord Chief Justice Alverstone. who
arraigned Crippen In such merciless
fashion summed up the evidence for
the Jury and his every word and &c.
ton clearly indicated that his sym.
pathies were with the unfortunate
prisoner, whose delicate condition was
q potent point In her favor.
The Jury retired at asa and within
4 faw minutes II was announced to
the court that an agreement had been
reached. Three minutes laters che
jury returned to its box and hs4ded
the lord chief justice its ver511ct
When the acquittal was annout I'D
there was an attempt .at appiaus$ ~
the crowded courtroom. which was
quickly suppressed BY the court
bailiffs.
Miss Leneve was almost overcome
with Joy and wept and laughed ny,
sterically. Her aged father and moth.
err were the nrst to reach her and
their emotion was ms marked ~ that
OF the girl.
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