Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-29
MOTIVE FOR THE KILLING
 OF MRS. MAUDE A. KING
Marked First Efforts of State to In troduee Evidence in the Means Trial

Concord x. C., Nov. 2S.-First eff forts of tf.~ state to introduce evil dence designed. to prove motive for the killing of Mrs Maude A. King wealthy Chicago widow, at Blackweld- CT Spring the night Of last August 29 were blocked by the defense tonight at the trial of tiaston B. Means, her former business mana ger. in Cabarrus County court.
 Solicitor Hayden Clement announced
 that the prosecution relied upon Will
 ard J. Rockefeller, managing director of a Chicago hotel to testify that Mrs King had told him short time be-
 fore her death that she and her estate were under the absolute control of Means" bat that she expected soon to free herself and do as she pleased" Superior Judge Cline ruled. however that Rockefeller could relate to the jury only such statements as Mrs. Means.
 The admissibility of this evidence was argued and decided while the jury was excluded from the court room. When it returned, Rockefeller testified that Means, Mrs. King and party were at his hotel from April un- til early July and that Mrs. King never left the hotel unless either Means t'watchrnan" were with her. Deitch. the witness also testified watched the hotel lobby when Means was absent to see that Mrs. King did not leave the hotel.
 Means upon learning that the hotel manager had been talking with Mrs. King, Rockefeller said, warned him not to speak to the woman any more mad threatened to move the entire par ty from the hotel
 I'm. preparing to spring a will that will surprise the United States and l don't want anybody to talk to her." was the explanation given by Means. the witness declared.
 A CODY of second will found in raid on Means New York apart ment- Under it's terms, it is alleged, Mrs: King would have received about S2,000, 900 additional from the estate of her late husband.
 ] In the Means party at his hotel, Rockefeller said were Mrs. Kings mother. Mrs. Anna l.. Robinson, her sister. Mrs. Mary c. Melvin Mrs. Gas ton B. Means her daughter and nurse, and Mrs. Means father, W. T. Pat terson. Each month, he said, a check for $1,G00 came to Mrs. King and out of it the hotel bills of all the party except Mrs. Robinson and Mrs. Melvin were paid.
 In forbidding him to talk with Mrs. King, the witness said. Means told him he might talk ito Old Seventy six" all he wanted to. Means explained that '*Old Seventy six" was Mrs. Kings mother.
 She is 7s years old. The witness sad he afterwards had one more con- versation with Mrs. King and ''on in structions' from her agreed not to speak to her again.
 On cross examination Rockefeller said he allowed Means and his party to remain at his hotel after he had learned of the alleged state of affairs. He said Mrs. King left on July and that Means and Deitch left some time later. es Rockefeller's testimony came at the end of the first day of presentation of the states case and the defense ex- pected to resume his cross -examina- tiOn tomorrow, Judge Kline having an- nounced that court would sit Thanks giving day.
 Means purchased a 25-calibre auto l matic pistol several days before Mrs. Kings death. according to M F. Richie, a local hardware man. who was among the first of the states witness es. Richie said Means had desired to get 32 calibre pistol but he had none in stock.
 Captain W. s. Bingham of Concord testified that Means. at the time he bought the small pistol said he wanted a larger one because he thought it was safer. Captain Bingham also told how he and Means, Mrs. King and Af- 1 ton Means brother of the defendant had gone target shooting late the afternoon of the tragedy. Means and the woman were alone for short time. l he said, and he heard a shot and Means called the others back. They
 ! found the woman without apparent
 i signs of life. Her ankle appeared broken, he said pr. P. R. McFadden,
 1 a local physician. described the frac-
 1 ture as probably having resulted from
 seppirIg on a root.
 l Other witnesses described the scenes I around the spring. and events before
 and after Mrs. Kings death
 l Questions to States witnesses by the
 | defense on cross examination were talk
 en py some to indicate that an effort 1 would be made to show that Mrs | King might have met death when the
 | pistol fell either from her hand or
 | from notch in a tree
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