The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-01
WITNESS AFTER WITNESS
TESTIFlES AGAINST HER
They Tell of Her Alleged At
tenpts to Divert Suspicion
of Murder.
NARROWING DAY FOR DEFENSE
Suffers BLOW When Court Decides to
Adnht Evidence as to
Fires.
Special to The Times-pispa,eh

t2ptt!aI 10 i nc lines DlSpAitll.
Louisa, Va, July 3l.-Circumstancc,
as it is known in Law, dealt to-da,
more harshly' with Mrs Elizabeth a.
Hall, on trial for the alleged murder OF
her husband, ana her face waa nush-
cd and anxious as she watched the
slow weaving OF the web about hcr
feet. With infinite patience. the prose
.ution IL slowly linkinc together iso-
lated facts Ind statements and fors
ing them into :, chain that may bind
, 10 the accused the stigma of convic-
/, ION and the horror OF legal penaytc
= Witness after witness told OF the va
'ious statements she j. alleged to have
made and OF her alleged attempt to
ward on suspicion.
If i, had been nay first . husband
who was shot" Robert c Mackay. OF
the Pinkcrton National Detective
Agency. testified she told him. ~ would
have gone straight to Jail without
question. | know they are suspcctlng
me She told the detective that o.
w. scott OF the state Bureau Of In
surance. had accused her OF the mur-
der. and she asked: What motive
would have for killing Victor?' She
Told Mr.. Scott the latter testified, that
people were talking about her and Mr..
Roberts, and that some Of them thought
she had poisoned her first husband.
But he died of pneumonia Scott
said she told him, and YOU can ask
Or. Porter. Mrs. Hall looked hard
AT tho witness and her checks. former
j. so pale, were flushed to dull red,
When he was questioned the
stand as to Mrs. Hairs dcmcanor when
hc saw her after the murder. Or. f. l..
Banks, of Gordousvillc. said: she
was more distressed than gricvcd:
more composed than the others" NJ.
+, Peers testified that she had told
him Of Il message she was sending to
Miss Elsie Wood. The message. the
witness said. was that Miss Wood
should not change the statement she
had made before the coroncrs inquest,
when she appeared before the grand
jury. But Peers admitted. on cross
examination. that Mrs. Hall thought
the young school teacher had changed
Ier statement when she sent the mes
cage to her.
George Trainhan told of hearing Es-
sic Dunkum say that her mother was
so bloody when the girl came down
stairs that She thought at first that it
was she who had been shot L. l..
Marks, of 2oo7 Pleasant Street Hich-
mond. said on the stand that Mrs.
Hall told him TO tell W. X. Dunkum
not TO talk too much; that he WAS sus
pcctcd and might get himself into
trouble
LONG, NARROWING DAY
For Oi3Fl;NSE'S LAWYER
1t was long. narrowing day TO X.
Lindsay Gordon, of counsel for the de-
fcnse, and his white. haggard face cX-
cited the sympathy OF the crowd of
spectators. lie worked more slowly
to-day, and hcsitatcd long and fire.
duently in his questions on cross-ey-
animation.
The defense lost ground this morn
ing, when, after hearing argument in
chambers, Judge Shackclford decided
to admit evidence i'm relation to the
last fire lit Mrs. Halls store: With
this as "A basis, the prosecution will
attempt TO prove a connection between
the fire and the murder. and to show
that the inccndiary torch was lit in
order TO direct suspicion from the Hall
home.
Other and moro important evidence
is yet to come, il is stated. Testimony
Continued on Third Pagel