New-York tribune., 1912-04-02
Mrs, Nicodemus, Slayer of HuS.
band. Testifies in Defence.
USED HER MONEY FOR DRUG
Says He Jeered at Her as a
Husky, Pretty Girl, Who
Wouldn't Trade on Beauty.

Mrs Genevieve Nicodemus. the young
woman who shot her husband Frank. ana
attempted suicide on October g. 1911, and is
on trial for murder before Judge RosalsNy
! in General Sessions testified ih her own
defence yesterday. Although she was on
| the stand all day her story did not reach
! the day Of tho shooting she tod n the
! hopes she had had when her attachment
/ for Frank Nicodemus first grew into love
and how. one by one, those hopes were
| blasted by his sights and brltallties.
The climax Of ner sorrows came she
! said, when she learned that the money
which she had earned he spent for drug,
! and that he wished her 10 trade on her
| beauty that he might buy more. Yet she
| felt comforted in a way by the very knowl-
edge which alienated Frank. for she ar
gued. he was not himself. he was he VIC
tim Of the drug. II was not the real Frank
that wished 10 profit by her shame.
She spoke in a contralto that Tas almost
inaudible ten feet away. and her voice
trembed and sometimes broke as she
spoke The jury leaned forward - catch
| every word and many of them seemed con-
sidera bly, affected. At the request of Mark
J. Greenberg. who occupied the twelttn
scat. his wife and daughter, VINO were seat
Cd in the rear Of the room. got front seats
from Captain Peter Seaman, Of the court
squad. after the Jurors signals 10 his wife
had attracted the attention of Judge ko-
salsky.
Beginning with the latter part "f Decem-
her. 1910. when she first told her mother
Mrs. Ida Summervile. that If she con'd
marry Frankie" she would be the happiest
girl in all the world. Mrs Nicodemls told
how Frank had proposed that TO save eX-
pense they have a quiet wedding, the cere-
mony TO he performed by a JusUce OF 'I'e
peace in Jersey City.
Frankie said that we would 60 the ne>t
day." she said. but the next day was
Sunday. and mama told us 10 wait. because
she wanted to go. too and she wouldn't so
on a Sunday"
At first. said Mrs Nicodemus they lived
AZ her fathers home. At the end Of the
first week she found that her husband
had given her no money. Il was ashamed
TO ask then" she said. but later l spoke
| TO him about IT, He said big. husky Girl
Ike me ought 10 be able to get lots OF
money" Frank stayed out late at night
she said. and some nights didn't come
home at all Finally her father ordered
him out OF the house. She used to "atch
for Frank. and signal to him when her
father wasn't at home so that he could
! visit her.
On one Of these visits she told him that
she might become a mother. He Just
Looked al me first" said the witness, and
h. looked so angry The young "om-
an began To sob and had 10 wait mo-
ment TO regain her composure. Then she
went on: And then he said. Gene On
| 7 can't tell you what he said II hurt.
And I said. Why. love you so and l
thought Il would make you SO happy
Mrs. Nicodemus was unable 10 continue
Iuntil q court attendant had brought her
| a glass OF water.
| She told Of brutalities praotised by her
| husband and ~ how finally her hope ot
uotherhood was lost She told of going
! n work as q dressmakers assistant at
the command Of her husband, Who jeered
a, her for a husky. pretty girl who re-
fused the easier way OF making money.
She told how he persuaded her 10 go 10
live with him in a furnished room, saving
that he would go 10 work and straight
en- up.
"One day." she said, Il asked for quar-
ter to put in the gas meter--l mad given
! him the S. ! earned helping the dress
maker-and he pulled out little bottle
with white pills in IT and said he had
| euent n for that He said he got In the
ba bit of taking the drug when he was
circus tumbler and needed something 70
grit him up and that he hadn't been
able IN stop After he had taken couple
OF pills he was so different
.But I used 20 feel that II wasn't the
real Frankie I knew, for II he took the
drug he was different somehow, and II
he was without Il knew he wasn't re-
snonsible for what he did so ! thought
would iust bear With him and pet him
and perhaps I could coax him back 10
| himself"
In July. she said, he went 70 Lacka-
vack, y. Y, for vacation. He refused
10 take her, although she pleaded to 60
She wrote to him every day Of the six
weeks he vas gone. but got only three or
four letters in reply. lie asked her 10
cut out the soft stuff and tell him only
abou, business matters. He hoped she
was working and making good use OF her
money.
She said that once before he went away
he brought home bottle OF carbolic
acid. a 90 per cent solution. and asked her
10 take II after | have gone out He
told her. she said that he knew he could
not make her happy and that she could
never be happy without him, so the best
thing TO do was TO end II all
The trial will he continued tomorrow.
There will be no session to-day, because