The Detroit times., 1911-07-07
Stokes PAID GIRLS
TO GIVE UPLETTERS
Millionaire Is Put Through Grilling
Cross Examination by Attorney
- For Defendants.

NEW YORK, July 7.-When the
hearing of Lillian Graham and Ethel
Conrad, accused OF the attempted
murder OF w. <. ID. Stokes, multi-mil-
lionaire hotel proprietor and sports
man, was resumed before Magistrate
Freschi today, 1t was plain that the
girls intended to insist that they shot
In self-defense. The aged clubman
stfff on the stand, was severely cross
examined by Clark Jordan. attorney
for the girls. the latter endeavoring
to show that Stokes was not sent for
by Miss Conrad to get the letters he
had written to Miss Graham. but that
he went to the house hoping to see
the Conrad girl alone.
Stokes identified the various letters
introduced In evidence last night, and
was then asked to tell Of his acquaint-
ance with the Conrad girl. He said
he met her first when she called at
his ONCE in the Ansonia to ask him
to do something for Lillian Graham,
who, he said, Miss Conrad told him
had tried to kill herself by drinking
carbolic acid.
she told me that she had met Miss
Graham a few days before" said
Stokes, "and that since then she had
been living with her as she had Meth
er money nor clothes. On returning
home the day before she had found a
letter from Lillian bidding her good
bye. She found her. unconscious in
hat xxyffk fon hoAlv
burned by acid. A. doctor was called
who saved her life.
"On the table she found bunch OF
letters which l had written to her
and also number from other men.
They were addressed to the press OF
New York. Conrad told me that she
had shown the letters to lawyer
and he advised her to tell me about
them. She told me IL would give
Lillian 5000 to go to her sister in
Paris and herself $50 to pay her fare
to Mobile where her mother and
brother lived. she would give me the
letters and agreed to do so.
'The next day she camN back TO the
hotel and gave her the money.
wanted to hand her a check but she
asked for cash and got II for her.
She had previously told me that she
was the daughter of Russian noble
man, who had been killed In Blue
fields, Nicaragua, after amassing a
fortune there. Her mother, she said,
had later married another man who
had robbed and deserted her and the
mother then went to live with her
son in Mobile.
THAT was the last I heard OF her
until she telephoned for me to come
to the fiat"
Questioned whether he ever prom
ised Lillian Graham that he would
marry her. Stokes said there had
never been any suggestion Of marriage
between them. He said he knew both
Miss Graham and her sister, Mrs.
as they had lived at his
hotel. He had given Miss Grahar
money at various times and had aided
her In getting theatricai positions but
this was simply because they were
good friends"
Stokes said that he Thought" Miss
Graham remained at his farm near
Lexington when she visited him there
soon after he first met her, about
two or three days.
Don't you know that she stayed
only one night" demanded Attorney
Moore for the girls, ''and that when
she found you were alone, although
you had told her there was to be a
house party there, she left?"
II know she stayed more than one
night
Didn't you make her sit down and
write a letter exonerating you OF any
attempt at attacking her before you
would let her leave the farm"
Il did nothing OF the sort"
Were your relations with her per.
fectly honorable?"
They were"
The two girls followed Stokes testi-
mony closely. AS they left the court
for luncheon, they professed to be sat.
isfied with the outlook
Il have four other letters that
Stokes wrote me-" said Miss Graham.
and when they are read in court
they will take some of the starch out
OF his story. They will show why he
was so anxious to get these letters
away from me before their contents
became public. Stick around, kid.
those letters will be worth waiting
for"