The Sentinel=record., 1911-12-09
WOMAN TELLS
 0F SHOOTING
LILLIAN GRAHAM soBs OUT STo.
 RY OF HER SENSATIONAL AFFAIR WITH STOKES.
Says Latter Was Choking Her and Threatened to Kill Her--Ethcl Conrad Shot Him as
 He Ran.

New York, Dec. s-An almost i constant flow of tears accompanied 1 the recital Lillian Graham gave today of the sordid romance. which led up to her shooting " E. D. Stokes, the millionaire hotel proprietor. The hearing was punctuatcd with sensations. One came when tho young woman was asked if her sister Mrs. Stella Singleton, had ever tals- ed to her about Stokes.
 "She told me that I should be very very careful and not see him any more than I had to. replied the witness, because he was a very dang crous man, and not to trsut him. She told me, too. not to enrage him be- cause she had good reason to believe that he had murdered Al Adams On the night that Mir. Adams was l murdered she said she saw Stokes come out of back entrance of tnv Ansonia between II and 12 o'clock. She said Stokes had said next morn ing he had been in bed at o'clock the night before. She said that when she opened the door she saw Mir. Stokes rushing downstairs mattering something.
 Al Adams, the ''policy klng', died at the Ansonia October |. 1907. and the death was recorded us case. or suicide.
 Prompted by her counsel, c. T.. Jordan. the young womau sobbed her replies to questions. which covered her girlhood in California and came gradually up to her relations win Stokes. These made up story of her having been lurei to Mrs. Stokes stock farm and of her having been detained there for two nights and forced to sign self .defamatory letters releasing hin from responsibility to be allowed to go away in peace.
 She declared the letters were writ ten in Lexington before she left and that MT. Stokes made ler write them. under threat to write to her brother in law and tell him that she had heel there and forced herself upon herself. The statements in the letter she said were not true.
 She testified that during her ac- quaintance with Stokes he paid her s12OO which she asserted. fell $500 short $l700 which she said she bad eariser given him for investment. g.1d which he had reported had been lost
 The girl told the story of the shooting in rapid tremulous phrases. denying positively that she had in vited Stokes to her apartment.
 Ethel Conrad, slfe said, opened the door and when she heard them talk ing she ran out and demanded to know what business he had there.
 He grabbed me by the throat and tried to choke me- slfe said.
 He forced me back into my room and against the bureau. He cursed me and called me terrible names. thought he was gong bo kill me. opened the drawer where the revolver was. He seized the gun anu struggled with me for 1t. At last got my fin- ger on the trigger and 1t went off Then he got the gun away from me and ran into the front room. Miss Conrad cried to alim, drop that gun or I'll shoot you then she shot Tho next thing remember I ran out ln- to the hall screaming for seLp,'
 Miss Graham when asked what Stokes had said Tepiiutii:
 He said T came nere after my set ters and I'm going to leave with out them ]"
 1 "Did he say anything more than you have not told us?' continued her attorney
 When he took ne bs the throat he said. You won't have to commit suicide when I get tirough with 1 you. v
 When the cross examination came the witness seemed t5 regain her coni- posture. but with almost the first questions asked by the prosecutor objections by Miss Grahams' counsel brought on sa argument and Justics Marcus declared an adjournment un- til tomorrow.