Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-07
Prosecutor Says Motive for Al
legged Murder Was Jealousy
of Miss Leneve
CROWDS AROUND COURT ROOM
Stenographer Is Charged Only
with Being an Accessory
After the Crime
Associated Pressl

LONDON, Sept. 6.-At the opening
today of the trial of DR.. Hawley H
Crippen, who is charged with the MUIR
der of his wife, Belle Elmore, the pros
ecution announced that large quanti-
ties of poison had been found in the
womans body and that there were evil
dences that she had been subjected to
an operation.
Ethel Claire Leneve, the doctors
typist, who accompanied him on his
flight to Canada, also was brought to
the bar today, but the crown stated
that 1t had been decided to confine the
allegations against the girl to being an
accessory after the fact. This relieves
Miss Leneve of any foreknowledge 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.
CROWDS AROUND COURT
Interest in the Crippen case, which
was intense during the search for the
doctor, has by no means worn out, as
was shown by the crowd which gath
cred in the vicinity of the Bow street
police court when the trial was opened
today.
TraVers Humphreys appeared for the
public prosecutors Office, while So
licitor Arthur Newton represented
Crippen. Mr.. Humphreys made long
opening address. The prosecution
definitely stated that the physicians
who made the post-mortem examina-
tion of the mutilated parts unearthed
in the cellar of the Crippen home in
Hilldrop Crescent, Camden road, had
discovered the presence of large guam
titles of hyoscin, a colorless liquid
poison, and also detected evidences
that an operation had been performed.
It had been known that the authori-
ties had been working on the theory
that Belle Elmore had been in the
hands of one having at least a rude
knowledge Of surgery, and, further,
that she had been poisoned.
MISS LENEVE JEALOUS
The prosecutor spoke of Mrs. Grip
pen as Belle, the name used by Grip
pen when referring to his wife. The
two, the prosecutor continued, had oc-
cupied separate rooms for four years
For at least three years, he said Miss
Leneve had been Crippen's mistress.
In January Miss Leneve was feeling
her position in regard to Crippen
acutely, and particularly so at that
time, when she expressed considerable
jealousy of Mrs. Crippen.
In a written statement made to In
spector Dew when the investigation
first opened, Crippen said Belle was
living in the protection of another man
when he married her in Jersey. The
doctor also spoke of Bruce Miller's
alleged acquaintance with his wife
while he was in America, and frequent
threats which Belle had made to quit
him and go with another man who oc-
cupied a better position in life.
CRIPPENs STATEMENT
Crippen's statement concluded with
a story of the quarrel on the night of
January 81, after Paul Martinetti and
Mrs. Martinetti, who had spent the
evening with the Crippens, had left the
house. During the quarrel the doc
tor said, his wife threatened to leave
him on the following day.
On returning from his business on
February 81, Crippen said, he found
that his wife was gone. He took steps
to prevent a scandal and fabricated
the story Of her going to her family
and her death there. Counsel added
that if he were to get Bruce Miller
over here from Chicago, he would be
invited to attend the court in order
that the prisoners statement might be
put to the test.
Speaking of the post-mortem, the
said DR.. Wilcox had found
more than a half grain of hyoscin,
one of the deadliest of poisons, and
from the fact that such a quantity had
been discovered after the parts had
been buried for months, the physician
was able to say that several grains
must have been administered.
BOUGHT POISON
On January 49, said Mr.. Humphreys,
Crippen purchased five grains of hy-
dro- bromide of hyoscin, a poison of
such character that the person to
whom it was administered would be-
come unconscious almost instantly,
though life might remain for several
hours.
Counsel did not suggest the want OF
as the motive for the crime,
but did say that the disappearance Of
Belle Elmore was a fortunate thing
for Crippen from a monetary stand
point.
On January the accused had
jewelry, for which he received
S40O, and on another day he had
pawned other jewels, receiving $575.
All the property pawned had been rec
ognized as that Of Mrs. Crippen.
In conclusion the prosecutor said he
questioned whether Miss Leneve could
AMUSE
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