Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-06-20
HELLO GIRLS HEAR
ORPET AND MARION
UPON EYE OF DEATH
Operators, Listening In" e,1
Catch Conversation of
Night Before Young
Woman Dies.
SHE REFUSES TO COME OUT
Says She Guessed She Has Taken
Chances Enough as Mother
WAS Wise"
TWO UNEXPECTED WITNESSES
SHE REFUSES TO COME OUT
TWO UNEXPECTED WITNESSES

Waukegan, Ill.,, June l9.-Two tel
ephone operators, who occasionally
relieved the monotony of the night
watch by listening in" on the wire,
were Unexpectedly produced by the
state today in the case of William H.
Orpet, the university student charged
with the murder of Marion Lambert,
Lake Forest high school girl.
The new witnesses, Mary Dunn
and Edith Kennedy, testified that
they heard part of The conversation
over the telephone wire between
young .Orpet and Marion on the night
of February 8, the night before her
death.
Substance of Talk.
In substance the conversation was
said to have been:
Orpet-Hello, Marion. This is Will
Are you coming out?
Marion-No.
Orpet (pleadingly)-Oh, take a
chance and come on.
Marion--I guess | have taken
chances enough with, YOU. | think my
mother was wise last time was
sick. -
Orpet-I'll give you something to
fix that.
Marion-No, l can't.
Orpet-Well, all right; I've got to
catch the S o'clock train back to Mad
ison in the morning.
Tells Her Husband.
Mrs. Kennedy, who at that time
was unmarried and went b, her maid
en- name of Lihdke, and Miss Dunn
testified that this conversation took
place at about 8 o'clock in the eve
ming of the 8th., When they read of
the death of Marion they spoke to
others in the office about it and when
she married Miss Lihdke told her
husband, but the information did not
reach States Attorney Ralph ].
Dady until last Saturday. He in
formed James H. Wilkerson and
Ralph F. Potter, attorneys for the
defense on Sunday, too late for them
to prepare for cross-examination, and
the girls will be recalled for this pur-
pose. I'D
Mrs. Kennedy and Miss Dunn both
said they knew Marion, and Mrs.
Kennedy said that she was acquainted
with Orpets voice.
"He followed me home from work
one night and spose to me at my
door," she said.
Point Not Cleared Up.
According to letters which passed
between Orpet and Marion, the
former believed that Marion might be
in delicate condition, although evi.
dence since brought to light shows
that she was not.
Whether Orpet intended to return
to his studies by an early train and
later changed his mind is point yet
to be cleared II. and may not be un-
less the defendant becomes witness.
Other witnesses today were Olive
Rasmussen, Ethel Cole, Viola Erie,
Katherine Robinson, Elizabeth
White, Adelaide Smith, James F.
King and Percy Longland.
The girls were among the seven
teen girls at Marion's birthday party.
February E. The others testified
previously. The entire number ex-
cept Josephine Davis were agreed on
one point impeaching the testimony
of Miss Davis, who spent the night of
February 8, with Marion, and who
was at the party.
Josephine's Testimony.
Josephine testified that when she
and Marion were alone at the party
for a moment Maricn said that she
was very unhappy and that if Orpet
was untrue to her she would kill her.
self. -
All the others testified that they
had not seen the two alone together
and were practically certain they had
not been.