Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-08
Detective Turned Them Over to
Stokes Attorney.
HEARING WILL END TODAY
Girls Accused Of Shooting Million
aire Hotel Man Not Placed
Upon the Stand.

NEW YORK. July s.--The prologue of
the Stokes shooting case approached it's
end today with the third session OF the
Tombs court. which will decide whether
Miss Lillian Graham and Miss Ethel
Conrad shall be held for the grand jury
on the charge OF trying to murder the
wealthy hotel man. Unless the defense
succeeded in finding some OF the miss
ing letters w. f. ID. Stokes is said to
have written Miss Graham ii expected
to close its case with the testimony OF
the elevator boy at the apartment house
where the two girls admit they filled Mr..
Stokes legs full Of bullets when he called
to recover these same letters.
The sensation OF the hearing yesterday
was the discovery that Stokes private
detective had found a package of letters
in the girls rooms after the shooting and
turned them over to his employer.
Only Eight Showed Up.
Only eight letters finally reached the
district attorney. and the defense de-
clares that Stokes held out others which
he did not wish to become public.
Where are the rest of the Stokes let
ters?' How did they come to be sup
pressed?'' who suppressed them and
why?' These are the questions thai
Robert w. Moore of counsel for Lillian
Graham and Ethel Conrad tried to gel
answered.
Under cross-examination Stokes told
how he first met Ethel Conrad: how
she enlisted his sympathies anew for Lil'
liam Graham. who, sick and penniless
Stokes said Miss Conrad told him. had
attempted suicide; how he came to cal
on the two girls after Lillian Graham!
recovery. and what his sentiments FOL
them were. His narrative only faltered
when he was questioned about the miss
ing letters. But those who had expected
the two girls to take the stand were dis
appointed. The defense succeeded IN elic
iting most of the facts on which the peo.
pie must base their case without dtsclos-
ing its own hand.
Stokes Processes Ignorance.
Only once did Stokes show signs OF
confusion Are these nine letters (pro-
duced in evidence) all you ever wrote
Miss Graham" asked Attorney Moore.
No
How many did you write her-as many
as eighteen?"
Perhaps
What became of those missing let
tiers, which you admit having written
and which were in Miss Grahams pos
session on the night Of the shooting" ;.
Il haven't the remotest idea" said
Stokes, blandly.
Counsel for the two girls called to the
stand James Cummings, house detec-
tive at the Ansonia. owned by Stokes
Cummings said he had searched the girls
apartment two or three days after the
shooting with three central Office de-
tectives, and found the letters on closet
floor behind a trunk.
Put Them in Pocket.
"And these officers Of the department
of justice Of the city allowed you to rum
mage the apartment and take from II
what you wished?"
They did not know / had found any
thing" parried the detective.
Mr. Moore bounced on him like hawk
Then you deliberately secreted these let
tiers from the sworn officers OF the law?'
he Numbered.
Il put them In my pocket
Yes or no?' insisted the counsel
Yes" admitted Cummings.
Subsequent testimony was that Cum
mings had delivered the letters TO a Mr.
Gleason, personal counsel for Stokes
who had passed them on to former Judge
Olcott, in charge OF the case for Mr.
the district attorneys office. Cummings
the detective, had not counted the letters
he swore and did not know their con
tents. Olcott swore that the package
as it reached him, contained twelve let
tiers.
There were eighteen of those letters
at least, said Mr.. Moore after the hear
ing. Who suppressed them?''
Investigation L. Started.
AS soon as Commissioner Waldo reach
ed police headquarters thisI morning he
took up the case Of the three city de-
tectives who permitted James Cummings,
the Ansonia house detective. to remove
the package Of Stokes letters found in
the apartment OF Ethel Conrad and Lii
liam Graham three days after the shoot
ing.
Cummings testified yesterday that the
city detectives did not see him find the
letters. and when hard pressed he ad-
mitted that he had ''secreted' them.
Counsel for. the two girls maintain there
were eighteen or more letters In the
package. Only twelve reached the dis
trict attorneys office after they had
passed through the hands OF Stokes pri-
vate counsel.
Commissioner Waldo instructed n
deputy to get to the bottom of the part
played by the police in the search and
transfer Of the letters. IF anybody
guilty here" he said, 1.-The iron ball will
be set rolling"