Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-18
NEVER MARRIED TO
MOSER, WIFE WHO
KILLED HIM SAYS
Was Deceived by Slain Mans
Statement That No Cere-
mOny Was Needed.
COLLAPSES ON STAND
AS SHE TELLS STORY
Recites Conditions Which Led
Up to Tragedy in Sterling
Street Last May.

That Mrs Mabel Moser never was
married to Ferdinand c. Moser. for
whose murder she is being tried be-
fore Chief Justice William s. Gum
mere. was the startling statement
made by the defendant herself this
afternoon shortly after she had
been called to take the stand in her
own defense
She declared she had lived with
Moser as his wife because he deceived
her with the statement that no
marriage ceremony was necessary
under the laws of the State of New
jersey
Mrs. Moser took the witness stand
when court reconvened after the noon
recess. at 2 o'clock. and was at once
led right into the details of her life
with Moser and the events leading UP
to the shooting.
Dressed all in black, Mrs Moser
appeared a triffe nervous, but her
replies were given in a distinct tone
and she spoke very slowly and was
very careful in choosing her words.
She gave her age as twenty-four
years, and said she had met Moser
in the summer of 1907, and that dur
iub lHc 1OiiONluB year SHE HdU DcS uil
to live with him as his wife. She
admitted that no marriage ceremony
had ever been performed between
them, but that she had believed
him when he said no marriage cere-
mony was necessary under the laws
of New Jersey.
Her age at that time was nine
teen years and he was thirty four,
she testified. Mrs. Moser was then
asked about an occurrence while
living at 1876 Coney Island avenue,
Brooklyn, where Moser had placed a
pistol at her head and threatened
to kill her.
AS she told of this Mrs. Moser' s
voice became broken and her story
was told in a half-sobbing manner
Questioned by Mr.. Heisley as TO
the reason for Moser's ill-treatment
of her Mrs. Moser said. II could
never understand that He did not
love children. and he always got
angry with me when I would speak
of motherhood"
At this point Mrs. Moser broke
down completely and buried her face
! in her handkerchief and cried openly.
| She was comforted by Miss Florence
Bell. guard at the Court House, and
after several minutes she was able
to proceed.
Treated Her BrutaIIy.
More testimony tending TO show
that Moser had, as arule, treated his
wife brutally was given by Mrs.
Elizabeth Schott, of Brooklyn, Mrs.
Moser's mother She told of an oc-
currence on Labor Day, 1909, in the
Moser home in Baldwin street. Mr..
and Mrs. Moser had been out walk
ing with their child. Ferdinand C.
Moser then a 4-nlonths-old infant,
and as Mrs. MoSer was taking the
chiId's cap off the cap fell on the
floor. Moser became enraged. testi-
fled Mrs. Schott. and. after curslng
his wife, ordered her from the house.
My daughter got up and said she
would leave the house." said Mrs.
Schott. "and the next think I knew
l saw Ferd standing alongside of her
with a revolver pointed at her head.
1 jumped between them and said:
"'Oh, Ferd, think of the baby.
Think of what might have hap
pened!
Pushed Him Aside.
AT the same time 1 pushed him
aside and to a storm doorway and
angry. and all he would say was
Well. if it don't happen now it will
happen some time Later on he was
sorry, and said to me: I am going TO
try and do better
Former JudgeWilbur A Heisley.
who conducted the examination, tried
to get from Mrs. Schott that at that
time Moser had told her of having
killed man in Virginia some years
previously, but an objection to this
line of testimony was upheld by Chief
Justice Gummere.
On another occasion Mrs. Schott
told of having come to the Moser
home during quarrel in which Moser
had ordered his wife from his home
because she had quit a position she
had held. At that time, according TO
Mrs. Schott, Moser asked her not TO
take her daughter or the child to her
home, and when Mrs. Schott asked
his reason for such a request said
Moser replied:
Il want to put her in the gutter. She
quit her work"
Fred w. Jadel an expert in guns
employed by koenig Sons was the
last witness called bofer the noon re-
cess. He said that experiments had
shown that powder marks from an
automatic gun such as was used In
the killing of Moser would noa show If
the gun were held at a distance of
Testimony had been given that
Moser's left eyelid bore traces OF
powC r marks and the defense intro
duceu this evidence to how that
MoSer had been very close to his wife
when thes hot was fired. So close
that she feared for her own life is the
contention of the defense which also
declares that she fired the shot acci-
dentally after picking the gun up out
of the bureau drawer to keep her hus-
band from getting possession OF it
The first witness called for the de-
fense today was Mrs. William j
Gray, of 306 Alexander avenue, the
Bronx, sister of Moser. Mrs Gray
said the Moser family, with the ex-
ception of her brother, had moved to
New York city twentyt-two years ago
and that since that time she had seen
her brother on but seven different oc-
casions, the last time four years ago,
shortly after the death of the grand
mother, with whom Moser had lived
IN this city.
Saw Marks on Neck.
The grandmother died on May 10,
1909, Mrs Gray testified. and week
.ater, on May IL, she visited the Mo-
ser family at log Baldwin street.
where they were then living. That
was about a month before the birth
of Ferdinand c. Moser, jr., Mrs. Gray
said. Asked by Charles Nj. Myers,
counsel for Mrs. Moser. IL the witness
had noticed anything out of the ordi-
nary in Mrs. Moser's appearance that