New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-28
fearful and Trembling,
She Founders in a Maze
of Admissions.
WIDOW REVEALS
OLD LOVE AFFAIR
Broke Engagement with Nova
Scotia Clergyman TO Be-
come Doctors Bride.
By F. F. VAN DE WATER. JR.
ny telegraph to The Triounsl

Providence, IAN. 27.-Mrs. Elizabeth
+. Mohr entered this afternoon on the
climax Of the ordeal under which she
has suffered ever since she was accused
OF having inspired three negroes 10 Kill
her husband and wound his friend
MIss Emily Burger.
For two hor s after her direct eX-
animation had concluded q gray-haired'
DISTINGUISHED looking Attorney General
leaned against q corner Of the jury
box, now suave and gentle-voieed, now
meuscing, cutting and stabbing with a
series Of questions that left her breath
less and trembling when court ad-
tourned for the day.
For two hours the white-faced, SOM
bre little figure sat in the witness
chair, her lips twitching nervously. her
cotton gloved hands never still, trying
10 maintain her composure in the face
Of the bitter sarcasm and the sudden
denunciation that were hurled at her
by Attorney General Rice. Time and
again she was trapped into eontradic-
lions. Time and again her attempts TO
explain only landed her deeper in ner-
vous confusion. Several times her
face Redeemed and il appeared that she
would burst into tears. Once, near the
conclusion Of the day, she wept, silent
ly and piteously.
During the morning, while her senior
counsel, Arthur Gushing, was guiding
her through the final stages Of her
direct testimony the woman remained
the pallid, cold figure that she has
been since the trial began. Her voice
was soft and emotionless. so faint at
times that il was hardly audible. She
reiterated her love for the dead man,
described him in his best moments, and
contradcted the vital body OF ell the
testimony which the state had built up
against her She finished, early in the
afternoon. still the aloof, stoical woman
who has sat in the courtroom for the
last two weeks.
Since she first appeared on the stand
the scornful figure OF the Attorney
General has obviously worried her.
Time and again ne has objected 20
some phase Of her testimony, throw
ing In n barb Of sarcasm that has DIS
concerted her. When Mr.. Cushln. m
;shed Mr. Rice attacked her openly.
During the two hours which followed
lie so bewildered htr that she was IN
able 10 answer the simplest questions
accurately. As she became more ner-
vous She talked the more. Her attor-
news did their best 10 save her, follow
ing almost all Of the Attorney Gener-
ais questions with objections. She
quilted the witness stand uncertain as
TO the date of her birth, the date OF her
mothers death, the details of her mar
riage.
Not once in the fusillade Of rapid
fire questioning did the Attorney Cen
eral refer TO her alleged crime. Not a
single slur was thrown upon her tes-
timony under direct examination. Not
single vital point was scored for the
state. To-day's ordeal was concerned
simply with preliminaries. 1t was
merely the prologue OF what was IN
n store for her. II is predicted here that
she will continue under cross-eXami'
. nation tomorrow, Saturday and at
" least d part Of Monday.
Prosecutor Almost Purrs.
From the minute that Mr.. Rice began
his questioning 1t was apparent
that Mrs. Mohr was badly ratified
There was little in the manner of the
slim, black-brOwcd and black-eyed At
torney General 10 disconcert her. HIS
voice was soft, almost purrlng, and
his questions were simple enough. lie
repested each Of her answers in a
ynsditatiye voice one might use in ad-
dressing a child. This seemed to make
her uneasy.
In a hurried voice the woman de-
ecrIbed her early DAYS from the time
that she was "the baby Of ten" IN Bel
\ fast. ireland, until she left her home
at Taunton, Mass, 10 enter store IN
Earlv she began to founder. She
gave the date of her birth as leeo' pu'
Insisted that she was only thirty-foui
years old. ..
"Both the date and the age. you say
lvou are cannot be correct" Mr.. RICE
1ointed out suavely. (Which Is right :!
The black-gloved hands twisted aSon-
,zingiv. 81" am a little confused, Mrs
Mohr faltered.
"You were nineteen when you came
20 ProvidenceF
81 think so"
"You were born in 1880. you say, and
came here in 1899, did you not!
The woman was silent, glancing here
and there about the courtroom sud
denly Mr. NICE bcAIS NS"iN'4'N4 ~
serted him.
ais that correct, madam" he thun-
dered.
Both Mrs. Mohr and Mr. Fitzgerald
Jumped; the first from fright, the lat
ter to protect his client and give her
time TO recover composure by an OBJ
lection.
~ don't know" the woman faltered,
81 am trying 10 tell you, but you have
me so confused l don't mind telling
you how old am, but l can't remem-
Der"
From then on, her discontinue be-
came more and more pronounced. She
was utterly unable to recount anything
about her marriage TO DR.. Mohr IN 1908
other than that IL occurred in Brook
lyn, gin a brick house, about three
quarters Of q mile from Brooklyn
Bridge" She thought the ministers
name was Ralph Monroe. She could
neither recollect the name Of his church
its denomination, nor the names OF the
two witnesses at the ceremony.
found Marriage Didn't Bind.
Later. the woman testified that she
had left the physician IN 1903, when
,he discovered that her marriage was
not binding, and had gone home to her
mother
serted; "she was heartbroken. IL
brought on her death"
"You went right TO your mother,
didn't you?" Rice demanded sulkiIy'