The Washington herald., 1917-12-01
AGED MOTHER
OF MRS.KING
ACCUSES MEANS
Brought in Court in Wheel
chair, She Tells of Alleged
Slayer's Methods.
By DAVID NJ. CHURCH.
International New Service COrre-
spOndent.

spOndent.
Concord. n. c., Nov. 3O.-A little
gray-haired mother risked her life to-
night to give evidence that may aid
in convicting CASTOR B. Means of the
murder of her daughter. Mrs. Maude
A. King.
For more than an hour Mrs. Anne
J.. Robinson was a witness in the case
against Means. With her strength
rapidly waning. due to her age, she
summoned courage and gave her
strength to appear in court late this
afternoon. She was brought into the
court in a wheel chair and gave her
testimony from it while a nurse sat
in attendance.
The evidence OF Mrs. Robinson re-
pudlated the revocation of a trust
agreement offered as legal by Means.
This trust agreement in favor Of
Mrs. Robinson mad been for Sl35, 600
Means had had it revoked according
to earlier testimony.
In bringing about the revocation
Means offered what purported to be A
signed request from Mrs. Robinson
and Mrs. King for the revocation.
Mrs. Robinson testified that she had
never been asked to revoke the agree
ment, nor had she made any such re-
quest. She denied her signature to
the paper which was offered in evil
dence.
Mrs. King n Captive.
The virtual Imprisonment inflicted
upon Mrs. King by Means was also
testified TO by Mrs. Robinson. She
declared Mrs. King was never allowed
to be alone with her and that Means
took all mail that came, she did not
believe she received all of her own
mail.
According to the testimony of Mrs.
Robinson, Means had attempted to
nave her sent TO a sanitarium and had
taken her medicine away from her.
During this testimony the daughter
OF Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. May c. Mel
win, sat beside the defendant. She
was highly excited and hung on every
word her mother spoke. 1t was the
hrst time she had seen her mother
since the death of Mrs. King.
Mrs. Robinson. who has called Mrs.
Melvin an unnatural daughter,
never once looked at Mrs. Melvin and
wheh she referred to her she spoke of
her as the other daughter" Means
was All anxiety throughout the tes-
tiihohy OF the woman he had been
quoted as calling "old 76." His face
was somewhat more Pasty than usual
ana ne continually mopped his brow.
Al Ilhnes ne smiled in a leering man.
her at the woman and once became
% anxious TO hear what the weakened
voice was saying that he jumped
~ run MS chatr and attempted to cross
.ne court room. He was told to take
ms seat and had the testimony re-
peated to him.
defense Counsel Jumpy.
Counsel for the defense was oIso
evidently on edge. E. T. Cansler burst
INTO invective against his collea ef1es
and openly censured them for at
to dictate to him while he
addressed the court.
Mrs. Robinson, on direct examina-
ton, testified that when she first met
Means some two years ago he was
some sort of a detective living in a |
cheap Harlem fiat. but soon after he !
moved to Park avenue"
Cross-examination of Mrs. Robinson
woman Of 76. was a striking pic
.ure, for Judge Frank Osborne. a !
Southern lawyer in the
sixties. conducted the examination.
3e stood by her wheel chair.
All Of the drafts which were paid
% Mrs. Robinson as the interest from
Ter trust were presented to her. She |
aid that, at a time several months
Igo Means had told her that her !
;hecks would increase from $500 |
to 81, 200. J.