The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-09
WOMAN in TEARS
SOBSHER REPLIES
Lillian Graham Tells Of Incl
dents Which Led Up to Shoot
ing of Stokes.
SENSATIONS AT HEARING
Her Sister Quoted as Expressing
Belief That He Muir
dered Al Adams.

Nav York. December S.-An almost
constant flow OF tears accompanied tho
recital which Lillian Graham gave to-
day of the sordid romance which led
up to her shooting William e. d.
Stokes, the millionaire hotel proprie-
tor. on the night OF Juno I.
me hearing was punctuated with
sensations. ons came when the young
woman was asked II her sister, Mrs.
Stella Singleton. had ever talked to
her about Stokes.
"She told me that should be very,
than l had to-" replied the witness.
because he was very dangerous
man, and not to trust him. She told
me, too, not to cnrage him. because
SIC had good reason to believe that
he had murdered AL Adams.
ON the night that Mr.. Adams was
murdered she saw Mr.. Stokes come
out OF back entrance OF the Ansonia.
between IL and IL o'clock She said
that Mr.. Stokes had said next morning
nc had been In bed at o'clock tho
night before. She said that when she
opened the door she saw Mr. Stokes
rushing downstairs muttering some
thing"
Al Adams. the policy king" died
at the Ansonia October l. 1907. and tho
death was recorded as a case OF sui
eide.
Prompted by her counsel, c. l.. Jor-
dan, tho young woman sobbed her re-
plies to questions which covered her
girlhood In California, and came grad
ually up to her relations with Stokes.
These made up story OF her having
been lured to Mt Stokes's stock farm
and Of her having been detained there
Tor two nights and forced to sign self
detamatory letters releasing him from
responsibility in order to be allowed
to go away in peace
Shs declared the letters were written
In Lexington before she left. and that
MT. Stokes made her write them, un-
der threat to write to her brother-in-
law and tell him that she had been
there and forced herself upon him. The
statements in the letter, she said, were
not true.
She testified that during her ac-
quaintance with Stokes he paid her
$1,000. which she asserted fell $500
Short OF S1.f0o. which she said she had
earlier given him for investment. and
which he had reported had been lost.
The girl told the STORY of the shoot
Ing in rapid. tremulous phrases. deny
ing positively that she had invited
Stokes to her apartment Ethel Con-
rad opened the door and when she
heard them talking she rushed out and
demanded 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. He cursed me and
called me terrible names. 1 thought
he was going to kill me. opened the
drawer where the revolver was He
seized the weapon and struggled with
me for 1t. At last l got my finger on
the trigger, and IT went of. 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 1 re-
member ran out into the hall scream
Ing for help
Miss Graham, when asked what
Stokes had said, replied:
He said: 4 came here after my let
ters, and I'm not going to leave with
out them"
did he say anything more that you
have not told us?" continued her at
torney.
When he took me by the throat:
You won't have TO commit suicide when
l get through with you"
When the cross-eXamination came the
witness seemed to regain her compos-
ure. but with almost the first questions
asked by the prosecutor, objections by
Miss Graham's counsel brought on an
argument, and Justice Marcus declared
an adjournment until tomorrow.