The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-26

A WITNESS room, like an ocean, EM liner, begets strange friend EA ships in it's enforced intimacy.
 and also has this in common with the great ships, that those who come on deck only toward the close of a stormy passage, find themselves un- reasonably ostracized by their fellow passengers who have been daily shar- ing the excitement of the voyage. Thus the three newcomers among the wit nesses in the trial of Mary Page were left sitting primly on bench close to the door while the incongruous but friendly group of those who had all ready testified stood near the window.
 The trio themselves were oddly con- glomerate-a burly man in what were obviously his best clothes, with col lar a size too small and a buxom wo- man whose flushed face looked out f,.om under a marvellous purple bon -st. Her hands were encased in very large white cotton gloves and she held back her skirts aggressively from con- tact with the short and elaborate gown of the over dressed tired-looking wo- man whose face was pasty with pow der and hard with rouge.
 All of the witnesses. for that matter, from the little bell-hop to Mrs. Page herself, surveyed this last conner with disapproval; and Amy declared suc- cinctly that if MT. Langdon put THAT on the witness stand-it would be GOOD NIGHT!"
 Langdon, however, greeted her with a warmth that more than overbalanced their chilliness. and his welcome to the other man and woman was equally enthusiastic. To him, the presence of these three was a triumph. It meant that he had succeeded where the po- lice had failed. and that he had still another surprise to spring upon the jury in this most astounding trial.
 Some hint of all this crept into his tone lending it a new, almost boyish note. when, at the beginning of the days proceedings, he rose and said:
 Your Honor, and Gentlemen of the Jury: Ever since the beginning of this trial one point has remained a mys- tery. The state has admitted it's in- ability to offer evidence on this moot ed subject, and therefore crave the indulgence of the court to digress from direct proceedings this morning, to show you where and how Mary Page spent those hours between the death of David Pollock and her surrender to the law on the following morning!"
 What" The startled exclamation was wrung involuntarily from the Dis trict Attorney as he half rose from his chair, but 1t was drowned in the stir of excitement that swept through the entire room. For this had indeed been a mooted question and a decidedly sore point with the Prosecutor-the whereabouts of Mary during those hours immediately following the mur- der.
 Miss Page" continued Langdon when the Judges gavel had restored order, "did not herself know exactly what was happening. As always fol- lows an attack of repressed psychosis, the mind of the sufferer was like that of a patient coming out of ether-a flash of recollection and stretch of blank unconscfousness; therefore, it is not until now that have succeeded in piecing together the story of that night. and I shall call as my first witt ness Kate O'Neill!"
 Kate proved to be the buxom woman in the purple bonnet who gave her age as round about thirty-five" and her occupation as "a cook, and a good one'' to the delighted amusement Of the spectators.
 Miss O'Neill." said Langdon after the preliminary questions. you say you are cook. Where were you last em- ployed?"
 Tn the boardin'- house of Mrs. Wat son." she answered with strong Hi- bernian accent. And the very ould divil of job it was. tool"
 "That is on the same street as the Hotel Republic is it not?"
 Sure! and it's but two doors away, and what wid the dancin' and the mu- sic goin' on there. and the phonygraph at the Club back, 'tis never a quiet moment we had the whole night through
 But your duties at the boarding house kept you up pretty late, anyway, didn't they?"
 Sure an they did then. What with hot bread two days week. and me