The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-10

tied so short a time before the shoot ing, if really settled at all; his eager ness to pay in cash; his possession Pf the combination to the safes his dria matic appearance in the Trask home only a short time after he had seen Trask in his own home; the elusive accomplice, who had disappeared-all pointed, in the minds of the hearers of Mrs Trask's testimony, to willful, de liberate murder, only to be expiated in the chair of death
 Having told heP story of the shooting itself, Mrs. Trask was retained in the witpess chair to ten of the subsequent happenings in her home on the fatal night and to undergo cross examina- ton by the attorney for the defense Z
 A few minutes after the shooting the police arrived, she said, but her hus- band waS dead by that tfzee- He died instantly, the doctor said.
 fsNow, Mrs. Trask, did you observe the safe before the police arrived Y' asked District Attorney Gray.
 EsYes; the safe was opened 2
 "Did you notice if any of the con- tents were mfssing7'
 teYes, sir; the $1O,O00 were gone.'
 That's all, Mrs. Trask.' 's And MT. Gray turned to David Arbuckle, chief counsel for the defense with, ssYou may cross examine the witness"
 Then the district attorney, his rnili- tant air giving way to a relaxation that told of relief and satisfaction with his witness. settled back in his chair to watch the proceedings closely. He was a faithful prosecuting officer, intent on safeguarding the rights of his client, tsthe people of the state of New York.'' It was now the turn of the defense
 Mrs. Trask,Y said ArbuckIe, rising. "did you recognize your assaiiants the man who opened the safe ?s'
 'sNo,'' replied the witness. e.He came upon me so quickly. And the room was in total darkness.
 ssAre you sure that no one but MT. Trask knew the, combination of the safeg'
 Was there a momentary pause by the witness? Did tt enter her mind for brief fraction of a second that the question and answer would be marked important in the minds of the jury?
 The answer came, eMr. Strickland knew it.''
 tI move to strike out the answer as not responsive said ArbuckIe.
 With that the district attorney sprang to his feet The point made by Ar buckle was too important to be per- mitted to go anchaIIenged to the jury.
 'eI-your honors' he exclaimed
 In the cold, quiet manner which marked him throughout the case Judge Dinsmore made his ruling
 '-The motion is denied"
 q respectfuIly except, said Ar buckle, and he turned again to the wit ness, Mrs, Trask, did any words pass between Strickland and your assail- antr7
 .eI can't be sure There was ring ing in my ears. He almost strangled me"
 'tBut to the best of your knowledge they did not speak to each other?"
 T can't say one way or the other"
 Dropping this line of questioning and taking up another, Arbuckle asked the witness:
 Mrs Trask, do you know who May isr'
 Up to this point the manner of the witness had been calm She had suf- fered much in the months which had fntervened between the killing of her husband and the trial of his assafIant, and the first fire of her grief and shock
 
 kindness Of good woman she had for given the ontenses of the err1ng hus- band who lay in the grave. He had wronged and insulted her grievously, and no effort of the will could erase the memory of his wrongdoing, but he was dead now, and she was not a woman to carry even justified anger beyond the grave.
 RHf now
 The simple question of the attorney aroused her. Her lips frightened and her eyes flashed as she answered with emphasis:
 "NO, SIR. DO NoT.
 This ended her testimony. Both Gray and Arbuckle signffed that she was not to be questioned further, and she stepped down from the stand
 At this point there was slight hitch in the trial of Robert Strickland. Dis tricte Attorney Gray called for Dr. Morgan, but he was not at hand.
 Explaining to Judge Dinsmore that pr. Morgan was the physician who ex- amined MT. Trask's body and that Dr. Morgan had said he might be detained. the district attorney asked and obtain ed permission to call Stanley Clover to the witness stand
 From a waiting room entered, in re sponse to call from an attendant the dapper young man who had been the private secretary of Gerald Trask. He had been present on the fatal night and he was conversant with all or near ly all of the details of the case. It was he who had taken the money from Trask for deposit .in the safe whence it had been removed.