Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-10
AUTOPSY ADDS
TO WEIGHT OF
history BY new
Examination of Body of Girl He
Slew Reveals She Was About
to Become a Mother.

Los Angeles, July 10.-What Erie
ia Lesser would have concealed
with all her woman's instincts,
were she living, was the long-kept
secret yielded by her dead body
yesterday under the autopsy sur
geon's examination
The fact that she was about to
become a mother, which has car
rted it's new burden of woe to her
mother with her already immeas-
urable desolation OF soul, has,
through the irony of the strange
situation, become the corner stone
in the structure Of the defense.
An effort was made yesterday by
the girls relatives to prevent a
post norton by R. J. Clark, an at
torney. who. on behalf OF Mrs.
Clyde MINIS, Frieda's cousin, serv-
ed formal notice on the coroner
that the autopsy should be held,
but this was disregarded and the
lazy inexorably took its course
9Th its crushing truth as the
Idnale.
Inquest is Dramatic.
The drama of this discovery,
which corroborates the story OF
Harry s. New, Jr, the girls slayer,
was the climax to the brief but
tense inquest scene.
1t Is doubtful if the body Of
Frieda Lesser lying in an adjoin-
ing room was so poignantly ex-
pressive of death as the animate
man Of the under-deveIoped jaw
who sat with head averted and
strained eyes looking downward
through the pulled flesh AROUND
them as he heard the story of the
murder from the lips of the few
witnesses.
After this New. clinging to the
paper bag he had brought to the
inquest, which contained a pair of
socks, a suit of underwear and a
Sttle fruit-all brought to him in
thSN morning by his devoted half
sister Edna-Was arraigned be
fore Justice Hinshaw The setting
OF his preliminary examination for
July Il was Immediately followed
by his transfer to the county Jail
Act to Prevent Suicide.
The same precaution against pos
sible self-destruction which was
adopted in the city Jail is being OBJ
d
trusty will occupy the cell with
him every night. During the day
he will be under close guard.
1t is the loss of the girl he loved
and not fear OF the murderer's
portion which, as observers ana
lyze it, might lead him to end a
life from which the light is gone.
And it is the same consideration
ri frh i
nurse at the bedside OF Mrs. Lesser
to be unrelaxing in their watch
fulness. 1t was reported that she
had expressed a wish 20 die in
such terms that measures were !
taken TO forestall any violent act.
AS there never has been case |
in the history of the local courts |
in which a man has urged such a |
defense as will be News. that is, |
that he shot his sweetheart be-
cause she was going to destroy the |
life of her child and his, prepara-'
tons for the trial ire arousing un-
usual interest both in the district |
attorneys once and among law
yers generally.
Senator's Friend Interested.
IT was learned today that a |
friend of United States Senator |
New. whom the confessed slayer |
claims to be his father, has made !
inquiries by wire as to the cir |
cumstances Of the tragedy.
This has led up to the conjec- |
ture, which appears to have a good |
deal of color. that Senator New
will provide for the prisoners de- |
tense through the fundamentally |
Of second party.
1t is even said that one of the |
most famous criminal lawyers in |
the west may be retained
Gets Vital Testimony.
New is at present represented
by Attorney John Richardson, who |
brought out at the inquest a few
bits of testimony which he regards /
as emphatic IN their bearing upon
the plea Of insanity.
He sought to learn from Autopsy
Surgeon Wagner what his exam
nation had disclosed as to the
girls condition. but the objections
of Deputy District Attorney Keyes