Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-29
PROSECUTION ENDS IN
BRANDON MURDER CASE
Defense Puts Its First Witness on
Stand
LAWYERS HAVE TIFF
Mrs. Stewart Testifies She Saw Dollar
Bill On Bureau Of Murdered
Woman

Il
nesses, the defense in the Brandon
murder trial scored its first material
point at the Towson Court House to
| day This was through the statement
on the witness stand Of Mrs. Rachel
Il. Stewart that she had seen on Mrs.
Branaon's bureau after the murder
was discovered bill OF currency.
/ What the denomination of this bill
vas Mrs. Stewart did not know, as
she had not examined it. One of the
| points so far made By the prosecution
has been the fact that there was a
dollar bill missing from the Brandon
! home, and that snowden had spent
more money than he could account
for having received is legitimate
ways
First Defense Witness.
Mrs Stewart, maternity nurse,
who had been attending Mrs. Bran-
don, was the first witness produced
by the defense. Prior to her taking
the stand Valentine n. Brandon had
gone on When he took the stand
and had been examined Tor a Few
moments by the defense, States At
torney Green raised the question of
whether he was there this time as a
defense or as a prosecution witness.
Mr. Grason, OF counsel for the ae-
cased, explained that it was the in
tention OF the defense to take several
OF the prosecutions witnesses in hand
again. with the idea OF showing,
through information obtained by the
defense since their first appearance
on the stand, that their previous tes-
timony had not been correct la this
connection he announced that among
others the defense contemplated
handling not only Brandon but Miss
Florence Baker and Mary Perkins.
Under the rules of evidence and the
methods of ss-examination, the
Court ruled that this method could
not be followed This controversy
between counsel occurred at a time
when there had been asked of Bran
don this question: Did you or did
you not say in the presence Of certain
newspaper men that the dollar bill
which you left with your wife that
morning had been satisfactorily ac-
counted for?o
Brandon was evidently very anxious
to answer this question when coun-
sci for the prosecution objected and
was sustained by the Court.
Brandon then left the stand and
States Attorney Green announced
that the prosecution had concluded
its case.
Defense Starts Case.
Without making any opening state
ment to the jury the defense immedi-
ately started the presentation of its
case
Ella NJ. Carroll, colored, was the
first witness offered She lives on
Second street. diagonally opposite
the Brandon home. After being
sworn it became necessary TO move
this witness from the witness stand
to a point very close to the jury, as
a severe cold prevented her from
talking in much more than a whisper
She told Of having been called to
the front porch Of the Brandon home
By Mrs Bureh shortly after the dis
eovery of the body She testified
that as she reached the Brandon
porch, Mr. Brandon, accompanied By
Mrs Sarles, also arrived. The en-
/ try into the house was then gone over
and the witness told Of conditions
found there.
She did not notice the marks on the
murdered womans throat. The bed
did not look to her as if it had been
/ made up She then testified to feel
ing Mrs Brandon's pulse and dis
| covering the body cold and lifeless
and said that she. Mrs. Sarles and
Mrs Burch looked around the room
for blood marks, but found none ex-
cept IN the bed
After the conclusion OF the direct
testimony Of this witness, the prose
cuton announced it did not desire
to cross-examine her.
Mrs. Stewart Tessifies.
Mrs. Stewart was then called and
testified that in response to a tele-
phone call she reached the Brandon
home about twenty minutes of six
After going into some details as te
what she did there on entering thf
house. she told Of taking the body
| by the left knee and rolling It par
| tally from its position on the ief
side TO the back. There then en-.
sued a line Of examination by the de
| Tense dealing with the question o
/ evidences Of criminal assault
Mrs Stewart in going into thil
phase of the question testified TO hav
| ing parted the limbs Of the murderes
woman
The prosecution asked Hrs. sStew
art in some detail as to the amour
4 Of strength a woman Of her size woull
have had 20 exert in such a case up
! on a body where rigor mortis had al
I ready set in. and the limbs had great
/ " sfifened
It this point the defense endeavor
cd 10 get before the jury q statemen
dealing with the presence or ab
! sence of indications OF criminal as
sault which It alleged Dr.. Joyce hal