Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-01-18
Detective Nurse Unshaken
In the SChenk Trial.
Goes Through GrueIIing Cross
Examination for Hours.
Character Attacked, Called a Liar,
She STANDS by Evidence.

| Wheeling w. Va Jan. l1-t'iNc
hours o. the most bitter cross-cNam-
| ination To which any witness has been
| subjected by the defence in the case
Of Mrs. Laura Farnsworth SeHenk.
charged with administering poison To
her millionaire husband, John O..
Schenk, failed to shake Monday the
story told on direct examination Sat
uraay by Eleanor Zoeckler also known
| as Mrs. Elein' the detective nurse.
who alleges that Mrs Schenk offered
her $1,000 to put poisoned pill in the
medicine given Schenk while Ire was
at the North Wheeling hospital.
! Miss Eoeckler was on the stand all
! day. and with the exception Of a half
hour, she was in the hands of d. o.
| Boyce, who grilled the witness with
out mercy.
The woman's yeracity, her character
and her past life We're probed. So
fierce was the attack at the very out
set that Prosecuting Attorney Hand
land objected Defending his line of
questioning, Mr. Boyce said;
This is a commercial witness and
will treat her commercially. She
was employed to squirm and ingratlate
herself into the confidence of this
defendant with u tissue of lies. she
has agreed TO lie for money, ami /
will croSs-examine her on those lines.
The detective profession is an hon
orable one, if conducted along regular
lines. but in this case it WAS not.
I will conduct this questioning along
lines to show that she lied and en-
tered into a conspiracy against TINS
accused
Time after time. he asked: 'Wheh
YOU told Mrs. Schenk that, you lied
again. didn't vuIi?" Without falter-
ing or changing her expression, the
witness answered on every occasion
with aightforward res OF
sure. | did" She declared i'll eNplana-
ton Of her course. she was put on
the case to gain information from
the prisoner by any means possible.
In her brief direct examination Mon
day. Miss Zoeckler said she mad heia
conversations with Mrs. Schenk re-
garding the probable death OF her nus
band, and that Mrs. Schenk had often
expressed a fear that she would not
get what was coming to her and was
not sure she would get good home II
her husband should die
Il watched every board, every stone
going into our house. Mrs. Sehehk
told her. the witness testified and /
knew it is worth a lot of money.
She added; Following our talk when
she offered me $1,000 to poison John
Mrs. Schenk evaded me for seFerai
DAYS. on the morning of her arrest,
she came to the hospital and asked me
if she could see her husband. / told
her yes. to go in. Miss Evans ordered
her out, as she was just giving Schenk
a treatment
You can give him the deVli Tor all
I care, said Mrs. Schenk
Both the regular nurse and hefsell
had instructions not to leave wife and
husband alone for moment, an at
tempt on his life being feared
Mr.. Boyce took the witness in charge
and his first question revealed the line
which the defence would follow
You were told to break into Mrs
Schenks confidence by any means.
weren't you?'
Those were my instructions" she an
swered
Again he asked:
isn't it a fact that every statement
YOU have made relative to Mrs. Schenk
offering you $1,000 to poison her hus-
band is a tissue of lies. manufactured
out of whole cloth by yourself"
/ "Everything | have told is true
isn't IL a fact that the only mention
of $1,000 was made when you told Mrs.
Schenk that Albert Schenk Johns broth
| er, had offered Miss Evans that amount
| to take Johns keys to his safe deposit
, box and turn them over to Albert, and
you said that it ought to be worth that
amount to you if you got them for Mrs
| Schenk?"
THAT is not true. No such conversa-
| ton took place"
Later Nh Boyce attacked the character
OF the witness. She denied. however, that
! she had been coached during intermis-
sions by Prosecutor Handan or anyone
else; that she had been out In Schenk 5
automobile or had talked about the case
| in any way.
| When Attorney Boyce announced at
o'clock that he was through with the wit
ness, Mr.. Handlan stated that he would
| reserve the right to recall Miss Zoeeklel
to the stand, and would prove her good
character before the trial is completed.
A human interest turn i'll the over-Sun
day recess was related Monday whll'
Juror Albert Leach with the others wht
| will weigh the evidence i'll the Scheuh
case WAS out walking under guard of the
| deputy SheriffS Sunday he expressed d
desire to see his two-days old baby. The
jury walked i'll body to his home and
his wish was gratiied
I