The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1915-01-14

I~ HE prosecution produced many
witnesses during the next two
l"Sl days; Shanty Boat Tins
lSESsSe) story withstood the most Wig
orous cross examination. After him.
Mr.. Bronson from the theater corrobo-
rated Miss Hopes story of Jennie
Brice's attack of hysteria in the dress
ing room and told of taking her home
that night.
He was a poor witness. nervous and
hating. He weighed each word before
he said it, and he made a general un-
favorable impression. ! thought he was
holding something back. In view of
what Mr.. Pitman would have called
the denouement. his attitude is easily
explained. But l was puzzled then.
So far. the prosecution had touched
but lightly on the possible motive for
a crime-the woman. But on the third
day. to my surprise. Mrs. Agnes Muir
ray was called. 1t was the Mrs. Muir
ray had seen at the morgue
| have lost the clipping of that days
trial. but 1 remember her testimony
perfectly.
She was a widow, living above a
small millinery shop on Federal street.
Allegheny. She had one daughter.
Alice, who did stenograpy and tipping
as a means of livelihood. She had no
office and worked at home. Many Of
the small stores in the neighborhood
employed her to send out their bills.
There was card at the street entrance
b..r do In oh nd hn,.
strangers brought her work.
Early in December the prisoner had
brought her the manuscript of a play
to type. and from that time on he came
frequently, sometimes every day.
bringing a few sheets of manuscript ar
time. Sometimes he came without
any manuscript and would sit and talk
while he smoked cigarette. They had
thought him unmarried.
On Wednesday. Feb. 2S. Alice Muir
ray had disappeared. She had taken
some of her clothing-not all-and had
left a note. The witness read the
note aloud in q trembling voice:
Dear Mother-When you get this l shall
be married to Mr.. Ladley. Don't worry.
VIII write again from n. Y. lovingly,
ALICE.
From that time until a week before.
she had not heard from her daughter
Then she had card, mailed from
Madison Square station. New York
city. The card merely said:
Am well and working. ALICE.
The defense was visibly shaken.
They had not expected this. and
thought even Mr.. Ladley. whose calm
had continued unbroken, paled.
So far all had gone well for the
prosecution. They had proved a
crime. as nearly as circumstantial evil
dence could prove a crime, and they
had established a motive. But in the
identification of the body SO far they
had failed. The prosecution rested"
as they say, although they didn't rest
much on the afternoon Of the third
day.
The defense called. first of all, Eliza
Shaeffer. She told of a woman an
swering the general description of Jen-
ME Brice having spent two days at
the Shaeffer farm at Horner. Being
shown photographs of Jennie Brice.
she said she thought it was the same
woman, but was not certain. She told
further of the woman leaving unex-
pectedly on Wednesday Of that week
from Thornville. On cross examina.
ton being shown the small photo
graph which Mr.. Graves had shown
me. she identified the woman in the
group as being the woman In question.
As the face was in shadow, knew 4.
more by the dress and hat. She de-
scribed the black and white dress and
the hat with red trimming.
The defense then called me. / had
to admit that the dress and hat as
described were almost certainly the
ones | had seen on the bed In Jennie
Brice's room the day before she dis
appeared. l could not say definitely
whether the woman In the photograph
was Jennie Brice or not; under a mag
uifying glass thought II might be.
Defense called Jonathan Alexander.