The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-10-23
MRS. CARMAN
TELLS her STORY
Declares She Did Not XIII
Mrs. Bailey.
SAYS CCLORED MAID LIED
Defendant Admits She Heard Shot,
Came Down Stairs and Returned
and Did Not Enter Office.

! Mneola, L. l., Oct. 23.-While the
entire courtroom hung on every word
Mrs. Florence Conklin Carman, on
trial for the murder of Mrs. Louise D.
Bailey, in a dramatic recital denied
that she had killed the woman in the
Office of her husband.
Instead she declared that she was
upstairs when the shot was fired, and
! that prior to that time she had ad-
mitted an unidentified man into the
! house.
| In giving the lie to Celia Coleman,
the colored servant, who declared
! Mrs. Carman had cried, 81 shot him,
! the calm, stoical woman in even tones
asserted that she had never fired
! pistol or gun in her life.
Mrs. Carman also denied her pres,
ence in her husbands Office, declaring
! that after a quarrel over Mrs Var
ance, her husband, DR.. Carman, had
forbidden his wife to enter his Office.
/ Mrs. Carman told the following
story:
early on the morning of June 80,
1914, 1 went to New York. | spent the
! day shopping. l returned to Freeport
day shoppin. I returned to Freeport
with a headache on a train at six
o'clock.
"As soon as l got home l took on
my coat and went to the supper table.
| answered the front door once. l ad-
mitted a man 1 do not know. l still
had the headache at this time. After
supper l went right up to bed. l un.
dressed and put my clothing away.
Then l put on my nightclothes and
went to bed. I was ill. heard Eliza
beth playing on the piano. 1 told her
to stop. Soon after l heard shot and
some commotion down stairs. l sat
up and put on my kimono. 1 also put
on my slippers. 1 went downstairs
into the pantry room. l could not see
in the office. The door was closed. l
heard the doctor talk then. l went
back upstairs thinking that everything
was all right. l met Elizabeth up
stairs. Soon after Mrs. Powell came
up and told me that some woman had
been shot in the office. Mrs. Conklin
also came up.
"The district attorney called about
$50 o'clock that night. I went to bed
premises the whole night. The rea-
son I did not go into the Office was
because Dr. Carm7n told me never to
go into the ofie g after we had the
s-ozhla -ssi+r tlo -ts'.-s,~ We ed q ad
another difficulty about the ofNe on
other occasions.
"As to the telephone instrument, /
had that installed because of stories
1 had heard. People would ask him
how his girls were and he would stay
out all night | was not crazy jealous,
but wanted to find out If the stories
were true. If they were l was deter
mined to live under the same roof
with DR.. Carman for my daughters
sake. But I resolved that l would
never even speak to him again.
T did not know Mrs. Bailey. had
never seen her alive. 1 saw her dead
body at the morgue three days after
the murder. You (Mr. Levy made
me go there and make sure whether
knew the woman.
81 have never fired gun or a pistol
in my life," continued Mrs. Carman.
st know nothing about firearms.
"When l first saw you after the
murder | knew l was under suspicion.
I asked you to assist me If l needed
an attorney.
81 did not go through the kitchen
as Celia Coleman said. l did not say
T shot him. I did not come down in
kimono and night cap. 1 did not
90 In DR.. Carman's Office at any time
| on June 80.
"I did not show Celia a revolver.
The only revolver 1 ever handled was
little one the doctor kept in his bu-
reau drawer. That was a tiny little
one 1 ga%<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. l did not
tell Celia l would take care of her
tile boy if anything should happen
(, 20 her. Neither did l ever give Celia
! S. and tell her that was for keeping
her mouth shut. l never winked at
| Celia when you were asking me ques
tions. l did not tell Celia the day af-
| ter the murder to get Mr.. Conklin
from the barn as | wanted him to get
| the revolver out of the house. | did
not 90 to Celia's room the morning
after the murder. l did not say I
| hope God will forgive me. Oh! why