New Britain herald., 1917-10-30

home because of Wise were unfound- ed. The letters sent to Wise at Fort Slocum by Mrs. Tobin greatly upset him, witness said, and made him lose all faith in the army He said he used to stay awake nights breeding over her threatening letters and was worried for fear he would get up in the morning, and learn she had made good her written threats and con- mitted suicide.
 On September 16, Wise said, he left Fort Slocum and came to New Britain, paying his fare with money Mrs. Tobin had sent him for that purpose. He met the girl and waited for her while she took her child back to its father, finally meeting her at 7:3O on West Main street they strolled through Walnut Hill park until II o'clock the accused said, and during the evening Mrs. Tobin told Wise of her great love for him and said he had como back to her just in time as she surely would have killed her. self had he not visited her. On Mon- day Wise said he spent the morning at the Jewish synagogue. He said that following the death of his mother and up to the time he met Mrs. Tobin he was a faithful attendant at the services at the Jewish Synagogue. pn the same afternoon he met Mrs. Iobln by appointment and took her to Hartford. Here she told him she had packed Up a suit of her hus- bands clothes and his draft registra- ton card and was ready to elope with him. She also suggested that Wise go under the name of John Edward Tobin. The woman suggested going to Rockville and there to Philadelphia, Wise said he declined to desert as he was proud of his army uniform and did not want to def1lte it. They got back to New Britain that night at 10 p. m. and he sat up in the lobby of the Regal Hotel till the next morning when he went to the Y. M. c. A. and took a cold shower, then to the syna- gogue. Wise also related how O'Brien. the barber had voluntarily sharpened his razor as had been previously testified, Wise said the girl te1e- phoned for him to meet her on Tues day afternoon at ? D. m. at F'ox's. He met her in the theater and told her he couldn't see her that night as he was going to the banquet. This caused her to cry bitterly and she said she would call him up at the Hotel Nelson at 10 o'clock that night. Wise said he made speech at 9:45 o'clock, in which he told how he liked army life and was going to re- turn to the fort in the morning. At the fearful request of Mrs. Tobfn, via telephone, he met her at the corner of Myrtle and Washington streets from whence they went to Walnut Hill park
 While there Mrs. Tobin begged and pleaded with Wise to desert the army and elope with her, saying it was easy ito get away with it.'' They left the park at 12 o'clock, after the woman had threatened to kill her. self should Wise leave her. En route home the couple stopped at the Cor bin Cabinet Lock doorway, an old trysting place. While there Wise said the woman "said she'd be dead in the if I went away He pro- tested with her unavailing, but she insisted she could not, would not love her husband and wanted only Wise. 1 Wise replied that he would kill him. self before he would desert and be | shot as a deserter. Then he took his l razor, slashed his face, neck and 1 throat and fell over onto the side 1 walk unconscious. Wise said he wrote with his right hand and uses his left hand for other things and 1t was his left hand in which he held the razor. The girl jumped up and said: Bill. Bill, don't, I'll get the blame" That was the last he remem- bered fon when he came to he looked around and saw the woman lying out in the road. Wise Insisted that he really tried to kill himself. He also said that when he became uncon-
 sr HS0 hand. Wise said he thought he was going to die and told the police fake story because he didn't want it known that he committed suicide. He was also afraid, he said, the police might blame the girl for cutting him and he was also afraid he might not be accorded a military funeral if it be- came known he had taken his own life. The accused denied having any talk with Officer Hellberg en route to the hospital and said that when he talked to Dr. Elcoclk and also with the police and Prosecutor Klett he was In agony For four days, Wise said, he thought he was going to die and it was lie that he told the police at theNhospital He lied, he said, because he thought he was going to die and he feared the police would blame Mrs. Tobin.
 What I've told here is the truth Gods honest truth" said Wise.
 On redirect examination by At torney Forward Wise said he did not mean to say that he cut hlmself Tn such way as to cause suspicion to he directed toward someone else. lie said he did not understand the ques- tion.
 Mrs. Lillian Simons of 39 Pleasant
 street said on September Is she
 was with her husband and visited
 the Economy New England drug
 store when she saw Mrs. Tobin use