Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-05-24
.JURIOS WEEP WHEN
GRACE LUSK TELLS
STORY OF HER LIFE
Details Circumstance Of Meet
ing with Mrs. Roberts On
Fatal Day

Waukesha, Wis. May "a. - Grace
LuSk finished on the witness stand to-
day dramatic story OF her shooting
Mrs. Mary Roberts when she revied
her for intimaeies with DR.. Roberts,
her husband The murder trial defend
ant was Immediately turned over to
Prosecutor Corrigan for cross exami-
nation.
Miss Lusk S recital of the fatal
scene with the wife of the man she
loved clandestineiy for years, left hard
ly a dry eye in the packed court room.
At times in her history the witness
gasped for breath and reeled in the
chair as if about to faint. DR.. Roberts
heard her testimony from his seat in
side the rail but controlled his emo
tions.
Miss Ilusk said she could not remem-
Der the actual shooting of Mrs. Rob-
erts or herself June 81, 1917 She re,
membered only one shot, a test shot
fired in her room where she went to
get Roberts love letters to show the
wife. The sight of the revolver lying
beside the letters put the thought of
suicide in her mind.
II was telephoning DR.. Roberts
when Mrs Roberts suddenly entered
the door at the Blanca Mills home
where | roomed, " was the defendant s
story. 81 hung up the receiver.
t'I came to get an explanation of
your conduct last night, Mrs. Rob
erts said Il think it was the most
asinine performance ever saw. I"
This referred to call Miss Lusk
made at the Roberts home the previ-
lous night when she asked the doctor
for the last time te tell Mrs Roberts
of their relations. Miss Lusk contin-
ued:
"Mns Roberts said: HE said you
are the damnedest fool ne ever saw.
He said that you were continually
chasing him, that he didn't care any
thing about you
! "'You don't mean THAT he said
that, do ycu9' / said to her.
What else could you expeetl
Mrs. Roberts replied. when you chase
a married man what do you think he
will say and think about youY'
"She said he tod her he might at
least be given credit for picking out
something more than a scrawney old
maidn Miss Lusl resumed "Then
she talked about my friends and ridi-
culed them. Then she said ! would
have to get out of town and that
she would go to the school board.
My friends will put you out of
town, they will tar and feather you,
Mrs. Roberts said Then she told me
about another affair DR.. Roberts had
with certain girl who had died.
"I then told Mrs. Roberts l had
some letters which would show wheth'
er he really had any regard for me.
She said: Il want to see them. ~
When she had covered the last few un-
certain steps of the shooting, Defense
At ornoy Clancy rested direct exam
ination.
"Did you intend to shoot Mrs.
Roberts9" was among Clancey's clos
ing inquiries.
"Never, never, never, never" cried
Miss Lusk, with feeling that brought
tears to many eyes. 81 intended to-
shoot myself, +" she almost screamed.
: She said she las. remembered Mrs.
Roberts seated at the telephone asking
her husband to conle immediately to
the Mills home to confront him with
his letters
''The next thing I remembered was
that she said some such - abusive
things-I don t remember anything af'
ter that except that l was writing
something at my desk. ] didn't know
! what it was until the letter was read
in court here the other day. remem-
bered that the room was splattered
with blood. I don It remember having
: wounded myself, but saw blood on my
hands.
3 Quarrels with DR.. Roberts during
June led her to see that the love was
e just game with him, she said, and she
t made out a will, planning suicide.