New-York tribune., 1919-06-19
Witness Identifies Doctor
as Man Who Brought
Clothes To Be Cleaned
After Woman's Death
His Housekeeper Testiies
Says Defendant Declared
:. All Sympathy in World
Couldn't Recall His Wife
STAFF Correspondence

world won't bring me back my old
woman"
With a strong foreign accent that
made her testimony almost unintelligi-
BILE, Mrs. Mary Nitzel to-day quoted Dr.
Walter Keene Wilkins, on trial here
for his life, as having made this re-
mark when she offered her sympathy
following the murder of his wife.
The testimony of this witness, en-
gagged as housekeeper to the Wilkins
in their New York home a week before
the murder, caused several tilts be-
tween counsels for the defence and
prosecution, and involved Louis Friess,
who is assisting the defence.
"Did you converse with Mr.. Friess
about your subpoena 2" inquired the
District Attorney.
EYES," said Mrs. Nitzel.
"And he told you not to come to
COURT"
Eyes"
Phone Messages Repeated
Under cross-examination the witness
qualified her statement by saying she
had been nervous about coming to
court, \and MIR. Friess had told her that,
as request subpoena had been given
her, it was not absolutely necessary for
her to appear. Under direct examina-
tion Mrs. Nitzel quoted DR.. Wilkins as
having saidA you know how awful
bad this looks for me" when she told
him of having talked to friends about
the telephone message she received
after the murder, asking if DR.. Wilkins
had committed it. She told of DR..
Wilkinss actions before he left for
Baltimore. If he should not return, the
defendant enjoined her to take care of
the house and told her that Mr. Friess
would look after things and collect the
money just as he had done, said the
witness.
Joseph Jacobson, tailor, identified
DR.. Wilkins as the man who brought
him a dark suit of clothes on March
8 for cleaning. The defendant jumped
up with alacrity and stepped forward
to the rail to give the witness a chance
to decide if the suit brought in for
cleaning and pronounced by Jacobson
as having been bloodstained, was
similar to the one he had on. The
witness said it was not. The suit he
got for cleaning was sack suit of
some dark color combination.
Affixed Numbers to Suits
It was his custom to affix numbers
instead of names, he said Cross-exam-
ining the witness, Charles N. Wysong.
counsel Off Wilkins, shook his finger
sccusingly at the witness and said:
do you mean to say you did not
put that number on later in the
Nassau County Jail"
"The Jail is no tailor shop" was the
retort. II put it on in my store'
Julius Kaplan testified to finding
bloodstains on the suit of clothes
given him by Jacobson to be cleaned
and alleged to belong to the defendant.
Mr.. Wysong contended that this evil
dence was not competent, but was over
ruled.
Kaplan said bloodstains could be
identified by putting peroxide and am
monia on them, with the result that
they turned white.
Kaplan testified to seeing stains
reaching from the collar to the lapel
and front of the coat.
Try to Identify Hammer
Charles Becker, an electrical con-
tractor of Rockville Centre, told of his
knowledge of the defendants hammer
In 1916 he did work on DR.. Wilkins's
car, using a hammer out of the phv-
sician's tool box similar to the hammer
produced in court, said Mr. Becker. He
termed 1t "mahcinist's hammer" No
wire was bound around it at the time
ana 1t might possibly be shorter than
ehe one IN evidence because it fitted
easliy INTO the tool box, said the wit
ness lie later admitted, when oues-
tioned by District Attorney Weeks.
'tnar ne had seen the hammer in evil
-oence fitted into the tool box during
recess to-day
Joseph Van Raalte, "World" re-
porter, repeated in detail the story told
him by the defendant on the dav fol-
loving the murder. He identified the
na' produced IN court as being the one
SHOWN him by DR.. Wilkins, but there
were no splits in it at the time, he said
It was simply crushed in. The witness
testihed to asking the defendant if he
taought a housekeeper he had dis
charged from his home in New York
had anything to do with the crime
Or. wilkins became excited, said Mr..
Yam Raalte, and replied:
Please do not mention that wor-
ans name in connection with this case
She is respectable woman and
friend of the family"
Thought to Save Wife
when l asked the defendant why
he left his wife out in the dark run
way, he laughed and asked why he
should run away" the reporter said
He said he thought he was sending
her to safety instead Of to her death"
Samuel L. Dashieil, Tribune re-
porter. corroborated the testimony of
Van Raalte.
Sheriff Phineas Seaman, of Nassau
County, identified the four pieces of
paper found inside the lead pipe. He
stestified to noticing dust on the glasses
which the alleged burglars were sup
posed to have used.
Solomon Pearsall, of Lynbrook.
bridge tender at Long Beach, testified
'tnat no car containing three men with
caps pulled down over their ewes had
crossed the bridge on the night Of the
murder
When court opened Justice Manning
'ordered that the statement of Jua-
1scs of the Peace Cassius Coleman re-
eardiEg conference in the viking
b0fue. In which Mr. E~f.as ,,.s tfs