The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-12-09
LILLIAN. GRAHAM
TELLS STORY OF
SHOOTING
Sheds Many Tears While On
Witness Stand.
SoOTHED BY HER COUNSEL
Was in Condition of Complete Col
lapse When Court Adjourned for
the Day.

New York, Dee. Am almost con.
slant flow of tears, the cause OF
which counsel for the prosecution
questioned accompanied the recital
which Lillian Graham gave yesterday
of the sordid romance which led to
her shooting William T. ID. Stokes,
the millionaire hotel proprietor, on
the night of June Z. The crowd
which sought admission to the court
room at the afternoon session when
the climax of her story was reached,
surged through the doors SO violently
that many spectators were pushed
bodily over the benches IN the rush TO
get seats
Prompted by the soothing tone OF
her counsel, G. L. Jordan, the young
woman sobDed her replies to ques.
tons which covered her girlhood IN
California and came gradually up to
her relations with Stokes. These
made up story of her having been
lured to. Mr.. Stokes stock farm and
of her having been detained there Tor
two nights and forced 10 sign self
defamatory letters releasing MIN
from responsibility in order TO be al
lowed to go away in peace.
She declared the letters were writ
ten in Lexington before she left, and
that MIR. Stokes made her write them,
on the threat that he would write TO
her brotherin-law and tell him that
she had been there and forced her
self upon him. The statements in
the letters, she said, were untrue
She testified that during her ac-
auaintance with Stokesc he paid her
81. 200. which she asserted, fell $500
short of s1,7OO which she said she
had earlier given him for investment
and which he had reported did not
turn out well.
She told of meeting Ethel Conrad,
who is Jointly charged with her for
shooting Stokes last April. She testi-
fed that the Conrad girl bore tales Of
defamatory things Stokes had said
about her miss Graham). The ques-
tioning then came as to the shooting
itself. She told the story OF this in
rapid tremulous phrases, denying posi-
lively that she had invited Stokes 10
her apartment on the night OF June Z.
Ethel Conrad opened the door and
when she heard them talking in the
hall she said she rushed out and de-
manded to know what business he
/ had there.
HE grabbed me by the throat and
/ tried TO choke me-" she said. He
/ forced me back into my room and
against the bureau lie cursed me
/ and called me terrible names. |
thought he was going to kill me. |
| opened the drawer where the revol-
yer was. He seized the weapon and
struggled with me for IT, got my
finger on the trigger and II went on.
/ Then he got the gun away from me
and ran into the front room. Miss
Conrad cried to him. Drop that gun
or I'll shoot Then she shot The
next thing | remember ran out into
the hall screaming for help
Miss Graham sought refuge in her
handkerchief, and when she lifted her
head she was asked what Stokes had
said. "He said. My God came here
after my letters and I'm not going to
leave without them
Did he say anything more?" asked
her attorney. when he took me by
the throat he said: You won't have
to commit suicide when | get through
with you
Miss Graham denied the very diff
ferent circumstances which Stokes
had previously related OF their
threats to kill him and demands for
money
When the cross.examination came
the witness seemed to regain her CON
posture and Assistant District Attor
ney Buckner, in an inviting tone, ask
cd Miss Graham are these tears
that you have shed genuine tears OF
shame or only tears OF self pity?"
Il don't think We will call upon this
witness to characterize any tears she
has she'd interposed Justice Marcus
Justice Marcus then declared an
adjournment It was believed that
by so doing he had saved the witness
from complete collapse, for IN,
high strung woman was nervous anc
distraught with the long day on IN,
stand, and she let herself fall almost
like dead weight into the arms OF
hos NnN.