South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-12-12
MRS. SUHL ENDS
TESTIMONY IN
FIGHT FOR LIFE
Defendant in Murder Trial Sub
mitS to GriIIing by Attorneys
for Eight Hours Before
Crowd of Spectators.

rIludy Witnessed the close Of the
ninth day Of the trial of Mrs Augusta
sum, charged with having killed her
husband by the administration of
arsenic. The defense has yet to hear
several witnesses and, in addition.
there Will be testimony to be presented
by the state on rebuttal. The trial of
this case cannot now be finished be-
Tor next Tuesday night at the earliest.
Those who have been in close touch
with the circuit court in official ca
paclty during many years past say
that no previous case before the court
has attracted such continued large
crowds of spectators. 1t is also be-
heved that the Suhl case will have
been the longest in the annals of the
court with the possible exception of
the Ben Kahn arson case of a year
ago. A poisoning case, demanding as
Il does, expert testimony and an I'M
usually large number of witnesses Of
other sorts. is necessarily dragged out
beyond the usual length of criminal
trials. 1t was believed by the defense
in the Suhl case when il was taken up
that IT would be finished within a week
but 1t Is now apparent that it will con-
tinue more than two weeks. 1t is
probable that there will have been
heard close to 60 witnesses before the
arguments are taken up.
AFONu Each Ddy.
There has been little change in the
size of the crowd of spectators in at
tendance at the court since the first
day of testimony on Wednesday, Dec
:. Every person was admitted during
the first two days, but thereafter it
was found necessary TO lock the doors
Of the court room after all available
space had been filled without unduly
congeSting the aisles. Seats have
been SO at a premium that a large
number of persons have made it a
habit to bring their lunches in order
to gain first admittance when the
court room was opened for afternoon
sessions. Invariably all seats have
been filled within half an hour after
the opening of court.
Defendant Thanks Jury.
Mrs. Augusta Suhl was permitted to
leave the witness stand Friday after
noon at o'clock. For eight hours she
had sat before a crowded room and
had told her story of the incidents that
bore on the death of her husband,
Charles Suhl. There was little varia-
ton in her story from the first answer
she gave in the direct examination to
The final question of the cross exam
ination.
When she was told that she could
leave the stand she graSped the arm
OF neE cndlT DIS IL 10 ARISE anu lilen
she settled down again and glanced
for an instant from the judge TO the
counsel She saw no further sign and
so she rose. slowly and turned to the
jury. Gentlemen, 1 thank YOU" she
said. She would have spoken further
but her counsel fastened forward and
led her to her seat.
Proceedings are Dramatic.
There was more Of the dramatic
in the proceedings of the afternoon
than there had been during any other
period of the nine days in which the
case has been before the court. The
number of spectators taxed the ca
pacity of the court room. There was
no demonstrations ii was apparent
that each spectator felt that the wit
ness on the stand was pleading for
her life as she told her story.
During the entire afternoon. every
seat in the court room had been filled
and on three sides other men and
women had stood patiently against
the wall. In the rotunda and in the
corridor others waited for a chance
to enter When the recess was taken
and the door was opened the rush
for an entrance caused a jam which
was cleared with no little difficulty by
the court officers. All persons for
whom there was any space within the
room were admitted but even then
there were many who were forced to
remain without.
Mrs. Suhl wept again, as she had