The Washington herald., 1916-01-27
STORY OF WOE
TOLD BY MRS.
M0HR AT TRIAL
Degrading and Distressing Ac-
count of a Wronged Wife
Is Given Jury.
WHISPERS HER STORY
Attorney Declares Defense
Will Not Be Based on
Unwritten Law.
ADMITS WIFE WAS JEALOUS
Counsel Declares Mrs. Mohr Loved
Husband with an 'Undyins
Fondness.
WHISPERS HER STORY
ADMITS WIFE WAS JEALOUS
By SOPHIE TREADwELL.


Providence, Jan. 26.-Mrs. Elizabeth F.
Mohr, on trial for murder, took the
stand in her own defense this afternoon.
She walked to the witness chair with
quick steps and turned to face with
calmness the rows of staring eyes. The
before her. The crowd was absolutely
still There seemed to be neither breath
nor movment in any of the closely pack
ed human beings.
She stood a moment, one small black
gloved hand raised in the ancient pose
Of the truth-teller, her whole body rigid
held in wise of stares. Then she re-
laxed into the chair and turnel a long
quiet look on the jury
Immediately there was a breaking up
Of the tense stiffness, a murmuring of
tongues, a craning of necks, a rustling of
papers, the quick sliding of pencils, and
the waving of hands to messenger boys
For Mrs. Mohr was on the stand-the
woman accused of plotting her husbands
death with his hostIers and chauffeur,
hiring them to stop his automobile in a
lonely road and shoot him.
DR.. C. Franklin Mohr was ambushed
and killed the night of August 81 last
while riding with Miss Emily Burger,
his housekeeper. Today his widow start
ed to tell the story, that Is depended On
to clear her Of the charge of completely
in his murder
Mrs. Mohr Tells Story.
Mrs. Mohr told her story quietly with
out hesitations, but in a voice 50 weak
that even the judge. who sat beside her,
could not hear distinctly. Again and
again she had to be admonished to speak
more clearly for her own sake, that the
jury might be able to understand her.
The story she told was most degrading
and distressing; degrading to her, de-
grading to the dead man. distressing to
all who had to listen. But it is the story
her attorneys count upon most to free
her. for It is the world old story of the
wronged wife.
Before Mrs. Mohr took the stand, Ar
thur Gushing, her attorney. made the
opening address for her defense. He
said:
Undyfng Fondness.
We want you to understand we are
not going to assume that this is an un-
written law case. Such a defense has
no place in New England We leave that
to places further south and west Even
If DR.. Mohr was a very faithless and
cruel husband, a worthless citizen, I be-
lieve he had perfect right to live. We
are making no effort to contradict this" T"
Mr.. Gushing then went on to analyze
the motives the State had given for Mrs.
Mohr's part in the murder He pro-
pounded the theory that Mrs. Mohr could
not have been both jealous and covetous
at the same time, for Jealousy has for
its foundation sexual love, and is not a
cold, calculating emotion, while covet-
BUSINESS of property Is cold and love-
less"
I'VE will say in all frankness," went
on the lawyer. that Mrs. Mohr was
certainly Jealous of her husband. She
loved him in spite of abuse and-of his
unfaithfulness; she loved him. She
always wanted in the midst of her
litigation against him to become rec
onciled."