Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1919-12-19
Mrs. Lesser Faints at
Door Of Court; Screams
Send OtherWomen Into
Hysteria, in Audience.
Policeman Testifies to
Surrender of New With
Slain Sweetheart in
Auto; No Confessions.

Los Angeles. Dec. 1S.-Twelye men
all but two past the meridian of life,
were sworn late today To try Harry s.
New on the charge that he murdered
Freda lesser, his sweetheart. last July
Neither state nor defense permitted wo-
men to pass the peremptoFy challenges
although several were passed for cause
Formal proof Of the alleged crime
was introduced and then with set face
and motionless body, New listened while
Freda Lessers mother, Mrs. Alice Les
ser, told between intervals of hysteria of
her daughters love for New and his for
her.
Mother Faints at Court Door.
Mrs. Lesser was taken to the court
room from her home in an automobile
by county detectives and as she was led
toward the court room door, she fell in
a faint. When she was revived. her
piercing. hysteriCal screams penetrated
throughout the hall of justice in which
the court room is situated. and severai
women in the court room becoming hys-
terical, Superior Judge Bayin W. Craig
ordered a short recess till quiet had
been restored
Mrs. Lesser entered the room on
crutches. aided by detectives She was
helped into the witness stand She sob
bed for short time before gaining suf-
fIclent eomposure to testify.
New Pressed Her TO Marry.
Mrs. Lesser testified that her daughter
was in her twentieth year at the time Of
her death and that she had been courted
for some months by New They had
been fellow employees in a Los Angeles
business house. New and Miss Lesser
frequently went on long automobile trips
and sometimes Mrs. Lesser and a neigh
Dor woman accompanied them.
Two days before the alleged murder,
Mrs. Lesser said. New told her he wish
ed to marry her daughter on the day
which afterwards proved the last Of her
life. She urged him 10 wait. she said,
but he insisted that he desired to marry
as quickly as possible.
Photo Breaks Mother Down.
On the day after this conversation. ac-
cording 20 the witness she her daughter.
q neighbor woman and New went on an
automobile ride returning to the Lesser
home in the afternoon. New and Miss
Lesser left again and that was the last
Mrs. Lesser saw Of her daughter, she
said.
He seemed to love her and | know
she loved him. said Mrs. Lesser. He
said he would bring her back to me, but
he never did.
Asa Keyes, deputy district attorney,
at this point asked Mrs. Lesser to iden
tify picture of her daughter.
oh, ] can't look at it, ! can't look at
it, cried Mrs. Lesser, again breaking
down and covering her face with her
Detective Tells of Surrender.
Under cross-examination Mrs Lesser
said New had always been kind to her
daughter and also had been very con
siderate Of the witness.
Il never saw a nicer young man." she
said. Il had every confidence in him.
Mrs, Lesser was preceded on the
stand BY f. A. Davidson. police de-
tective. The witness said he was on
duty, acting as desk sergeant at Central
police station here, on the morning of
July ., when the defendant entered and
handed him revolver. No effort was
made TO introduce confessions New is
alleged 10 have made to Davidson and
others.
Davidson said he and another police
officer and two newspaper men went ont
side and saw within closed automobile
II which New had driven to the station
the body of a young woman he after
ward learned was Miss Lesser.
II is the theory of the prosecution
that New killed his sweetheart in To
1ango canyon, few miles from here, in
burst Of anger because Of her refusal
70 marry him and then drove with the
1ody beside him To the police station TO