Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-10-23
MRS. CARMAN ON THE STAND
Woman Denies Firing Shot
That Killed Mrs Bailey.

witness stand in her own defense IN
the supreme Court here late yesterday
and entered sweeping denial of
; the charge that she murdered Mrs.
Louise Bailey. Item by item she
went over the story Of Celia Cole
man, the South Carolina negress in
her employ at the time OF the trag-
edv in the Carmm home in Free
port last June. and declared false
every accusation made against her
by the colored domestic in her tes-
timony Wednesday.
a fabrication from beginning to
end was, in the essence, her charac-
teriZation Of the maids narrative Of
the events of the night Mrs. Bailey
was shot and killed in the Office Of
Dr.. Edwin Carman, husband of the
defendant and Of subsequent hap
Denincs in the Carman home.
Mrs. Carman told the following
story:
Il am the defendant. | was mar
reG to DR.. Carman in 1892.
early in the morning Of June 30,
1914. | went to New York. spent
the day shopping. returned to Free
mort with q headache. on 4 train at
s o'clock.
"As soon as I got home took of
NV coat and went to the supper
table. I answered the front doc" once
T admitted a man I do not know.
T still had the headache at this time.
After supper I went right to bed.
I undressed and put my clothing away
Then I put en- my night clothes and
we to bed. was i'll. I heard
Elizabeth playing the piano. | told
her to stop. Soon after ] heard shot
and some commotion downstairs. !
sat up and put on my kimono. ai+@
put on my slippers. ] went downstairs
into the pantry room. ! could not
see in the Office. The door was closed
I heard the doctor talk then. went
back upstairs, thinking that every
ching was all right. l met Elizabeth
npstaus. Soon ate. It.a. Pnws+.
came up and told me that some wo-
nan had been shot in the office.
Mrs. Conklin' also came up.
"The District Attorney called about
$50 o'clock that night. went to bed
at 10 o'clock. had not been off the
premises the whole night. The rca-'
son I did not 60 into the office was
because DR.. Carman told me neve!
20 90 into the Office after we had the
trouble with the nurse. We also had
another difficulty about the office on
other occasions.
"As to the telephone instrument
had that installed because OF store&
7 had heard. People would ask him
how his girls were and he would stay
out all rlght. I was rot crazy l@1l-
Gus. but I wanted to find out II the
stories were true. If they were ! was
determined to live under the same
roof with DR.. Carmtn for my daugh-
.er's sake. But ] resolved that l
would never even speak to him
again.
Il did not know Mrs. Bailey.
had never seen her alive. | saw her
dead body at the morguc three days
after the murder.
Il have never fired Il gun or
pistol in my life. know nothing
about firearms.
81 did not go through the kitchen
as Celia Coleman said. ! did not
say 4 shot him. I did not come
down in kimono and night cap.
| did not 60 in DR.. Carman's Office
at any time on June 30.
~ did not show Celia revolver.
The only revolver ! ever handled
was a little one the doctor kept IN
his bureau drawer. That was a tiny
little one. l gave it to the district
attorney. Celia Coleman did not
speak the truth when she said she
tried to keep me from going into the
office. / did not tell Celia l would
take care of her little boy If any
thing should happen to her. Neither
did ever give Celia s. and tell her
that was for keeping her mouth
shut. never winked at Celia when
YOU were asking me questions. l did
not tell Celia the day after the mur-
der to get Mr.. Conklin from the barn
as I wanted him to get the revolver
out of the house. | did not 20 to
Celia's room the morning after the
murder. l did not say 4 hope God