New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-05
Day by Day She Ate from
Plate of Hatred, Says
Attorney General.
HINTS AT SACRIFICE
OF TWO NEGROES
Plea TO Jury Asserts Doctors
Fortune Is Being Used to
Defeat Justice.
BY 7. 7. VAN DE WATER
'Hy Telegraph 10 n. Tribune.

aristocratic I'm his severe cutsway and
dark trousers, stood before the Mohr
jury here for three hours this after
noon and built up, bit by bit, rounded
sentence by rounded sentence the argu-
ment which the state hopes will send
Mrs Elizabeth +. Mohr 70 TAIL for life
for the murder Of her husband.
Before him sat twelve gum chewing
men. who listened. heavy faced, 20 what
lawyers here term the most brilliant
summing up ever heard Ia Rhode Isl
and courtroom. Directly behind Attor-
ney General Rice we're the ind hercnt
! figures Of Victor Brown and Henry
/ Spellmsn, the negroes charged with
carrSng out the killing which tho
white woman is said 10 have planned.
A. his left Judge Stcarus leaned back
/ .u his armchair. At his right. sur
rounded by her counsel, sat the black
T CARRIED, stoiid woman, emOtionless, col
oriess 81 face, fearless
All morning long Mrs Mohr had
wcpt while her attorney. John J. FItz-
gerald. had taxed his eloquence 10 the
utmost IN describing her martyrdom,
. first in her married life and row in her
trial, and in asserting and reassertiug
her innocence.
Mrs. Mohr Moved TO Tears.
As the little, fighting lawyer, more
, lifted 20 browbeat on cross-examinati0n
ihan 90 voice the big emotional appeal
which was the chief weapon Of the de
fence. told Of the persecution by po-
lice and by state tnat had been her
lot aad pictured her two little children
at home. whom the prosecution were
endeavoIin. 60 make orphans, she con
tiuualF pressed her handkerchief 90
her eyes or buried her nose "a its black
borderod folds.
Not once since the trial began has
the ss.iow woman broken down and
cried outI ght, yet she has wcpt almost
invariably 81, any plying reference
which either she or her c0unse. haa
made 90 her condition. past OF present.
hot even those -.uEg.sh tears, -
plentiful 10 the past, appeared this
afternoon when. with cOnsummate
sLdl. sure touch, and perfect de
livery Herbert 4. Rec. rer chicr
PROSECUTOR blIt Up against her the
searching terribly complete charge OF
'he state. lie dld not pity her; he did
not rail against her. Not once did he
descend TO inyectlye. Piece by piece,
with tho care -ul, certain thOice OF d
mosaic uaoer. hc assembled the evil
derce against the woman and her negro
follower prisoners.
lie laid open with the impersonal
touch % surgeon all the dreary,
Jealous mess that was the conclusion
NJ Mrs. Nohr's life with the physician.
lie described coo.y the jealousy, GU
pillty and fear az divorce. 20 which he
attributed the generation Of the crime.
lie held her up IS hcart'e vampire
BOO the la-r unconscious hours Of her
dying husbands life. lie alleged that
her money was financing the cases Of
Brown and Srellman.
All this be did. and only once did
the woman he accused show any sign
% emotion. S,ealtny pressure OF a
handkerchief against her pale cheek
came during the close OF Mr. Rice's
long address. when. for the first time,
he spoke Of tho woman and her actions
40 The time OF Dr. Nohr's death.
Settled Under the Grief-Tree.
"She had come 10 Providence" he
said Ia his mellow. dispassionatc voice;
"enc had come here. and Of all the
places in the city from which she
might have chosen home she settled
under the grief-tree where she could
watch day and night tie Doctors go
ing and coming and nurse her revenge.
There she ale, day by day, from the
plate Of hatred. the plate Of envy, the
/ plate of malice"
Then ne told Of the physicians ar
rival Al the Rhode Island Hospital. d
dying Ian: OF the search for the wife
who no longer lived with him. and Of
how. late al night, a policeman raped
at her door and summoned her
"She made no inquiry az to how the
thing had occurred Rice continued.
"She knew. The first thing this wife
did when she learned that her husband
was dying was TO telephone to her law
YER. After that. and only after thai,
she went to the hospital They told
her that she could see him n she cared
TO, but that he was unconscious and his
face was covered with bandages. She
went home. she did not break down
bolt and bar 10 reach the side Of the
man who had been her lover She went
home"
tie paused for moment and then
added softly: Did she ever look upon
his face again? do l. know
For the rest. the woi an whom he
charged with having r, 1rt Of stone
and veins filled with envy, hatred and
ralice. who, be said, had "in the secret
OF her closet planned a crime and or
dercd rs execution in the dark" sat
still and self-contained and almost
cheerful under his attack. She was a
far more pitiful sight ~ noon. when
she left the courtroom, than In the
evening At midday her nose had been
red and her eyes swollen from weeping
over her plight "a presented Ia feeling
tones by her attorney While the crowd
left the chamber last night she who
had just passed through one OF the Bit
tcrest and most terrible orieals ever
decreed for a wife and mother TO bear
chattct co., 1sedly with one Of her
relatives who sat at her side
From the beginning - the end OF his
summary Rice maintained an impress
sion Of reserve and self-control A.
times he was eloquent 20 the point o.
poetry. At times he vas dramatic. bu.
be spoke no word that did not further
build up the case which he was erect
ing against the woman.
His cold logic and skilful outline Of
the bare facts Of the murder going 50
far g. % illustrate by handclaDs the
manner IN which the shots were fred
we've IN direct contrast 90 the stormy
oratory with which the three lawyers
for the defence have tried 10 protect
their clients Toward the end Of his
long address be became bitter and al
most vindictivc. lie accused Mrs. Mohr
OF financing the lawyers Who have
charge OF the cases Of Brown and Spell
man. and insinuated that Brown had
been put upon the stand yesterday 70
sacrifice himself for her benefit.
The woman who swore upon The wit
ness stand that she loved her murdered
husband sat through the entire descrip-
tion OF his murder its Causes and re-
suits practically emotionless. Yet an