New-York tribune., 1911-12-08
HOLDS STOKES TO BLAME
Accused by Lillian Graham in
Letter Read in Court.
SHOT FOR ATTACKING GIRL
Defence to Show That Miss Con.
rad Fired Only When Friend
Seemed in Peril.

] Graham and Ethel Conrad. charged with
shooting w y. H. Stokes was resumed
Yesterday in the absence of tho plaintiff.
who was stil too in to appear in court.
Justice Marcus ordered the testimony Of
/ Stokes on redirect examination, upon which
| the attorneys for the defence had not CONES
/ pleted their cross examination. 20 be strick-
en- from the record. and ruled that the trial
should proceed under those conditions. The
defence opened its case. and began the OK
animation OF its witnesses before court ad-
/ 5ourned for the day. II is expected that one
or beth Of the defendants will testify in
their own behalf to-day
! Clark l. Jordan, OF counsel tor the de
fence, prior 10 his opening address to the
/ jury read in evidence a letter which Miss
Graham is said TO have written to her
roommate. Miss Conrad. when the former
attempted suicide because. as she wrote.
Stokes had accomplished her downfall aud
then deserted her The reading Of the let
fer apparently deeply affected the two'girs
AT the bar. and Miss Graham's sisters. Mrs.
Andrews and Mrs. Singleton. who were m
court All four women wept during some
Of the time. Mrs Singleton left the court
room when she could no longer control her
tears
This letter was FIRST mentioned I'm Stokess
testimony when he said that Miss Conrad
told him about Miss Graham's attempted
suicide and said that she had left the let
ter for her ON table in their apartment
Miss Grahann's Letter
IT was dated MAY Z la1l Just month
prior 10 tho time Stokes was shot in the
Graham Conrad apartment in the Naruna.
| II read in part.
! Dearest Ethel God only knows what YOU
VIII say when YOU open this. but could
/ not help IT, and beg YOU 20 forgive me.
/ You know my circumstances and Won know
I also tho one and only man who has any
| right 10 help me. need shield his name
1 no longer. for when YOU onen this YOU VIII
! be obliged to make IT public to protect
{ yourself
! You have hecn 80 good TO me aud owed
| YOU So much. with nothing 10 repay your
/ kindness. ! have told you all, so II l. use
| less to repeat. but this man Stokes who
has ruined my life, from the time 1 was
! sixteen years old, an innocent child,
! through his wicked promises. which he
never fulfilled. has got 20 suffer now. He
made me suffer and when ! asked him
now for a miserable little favor that !
might repay YOU and go back 10 Europe
to my poor sister. who has troubles OF her
own. he in a very cold blooded and heart
less manner refused refused a paltrY $500.
I never told you. but ! attempted 10 end
everything that very day by drinking
poison. but he wrestled with mo and
snatched the bottle, but this time will be
sure.
I pray God M poor. dear sister. will for
give me. II is all that was leIt Tor me 10
do. Don't try 10 conceal anything for my
sake. for now I don't care what happens.
Let the things all come out. for he has
right 10 suffer. ! gave up my body and
soul to him when I Was mere child not
capable Of knowing or understanding the
LILLIAN.
Mr. Jordan i'm opening for the defence
drew graphic picture of the young Erl
referring TO the defendant Graham. who
came TO New York from California in 1906
and fell a victim 10 the wiles of the plain
tiff. She and her married sister. Mrs. Sin
gleton. had gone to the Ansonia to live.
Stokes early began 10 cultivate an ac-
quaintancc with the young girl he said.
He impressed his personality upon her
said Mr Jordan. "aud finally she began to
regard him i'm such a way that when day
I came that she did not see him or receive
letter from him she regarded it as being
! without sunshine"
Agrees to Visit Farm.
She had finally accepted his invitation TO
! visit the stock farm in Lexington. expect
/ ing 20 nnd q house party there, her counsel
declared Stokes had kept her there by
threats aud coercion. he said. Referring
( to the day Of tho shooting, the lawyer said
/ that Stokes had como To the girls apart
mcut 10 demand the letters he had written
| To- Miss Graham and had not been invited
| to come 10y Miss Conrad, as he testified.
The defence would show. he said, that
when Miss Graham refused 10 give mp tho
! letter Stokes seized her and choked hcr
until she finally managed 80 get a revolver
( from her room and shot i'm self defence.
Miss Conrad shot. believing that Stokes
Wa killing her friend, ne said
These girls were perfectly justified iu
believing that Stokes was n desperate man
I and in acting accordingly when he attacked
/ Miss Graham" said Mr. Jordan. Miss
/ Graham. We will show. had some time he
fore told her sister that she believed Stokes
vas Il desperate man and would stop 1T
nothing to accomplish his purpose. and that
she had heard that hc once committed
murder in the Ansouia. and she told the
; details TO her sister
/ Mrs Alice Andrews. of san Francisco
one of Miss Graham's sisters was the only
witness called by the defence YESTERDAY.
She contradicted some of the testimony
/ given by Nr Stokes
| WEMTC MRS EUERc'c ST0RY