The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-06-25
WILKINS IN TEARS
ON WITNESSSTAND

| body shaken with emotion, DR.. Wal
ter Keene wilkins wept openly in
, the court house here as he told on
the stand of the visit he paid to Mas
sau County Military Hospital the
night OF the death of his wife, of
whose murder he is accused.
The officer of the day told me she
/ was dead" said the aged prisoner
! Then l fell back on seat sobbing,
and I thought my heart would stop
! throbbing."
I 1t was within a few minutes Of re-
cess time when the doctor broke
down. The court, seeing his emotion,
Immediately ordered recess.
Describes His Movements.
In the course of his evidence DR..
| wilkins traced in detail the move
ments of his wife and himself on Feb
] ruary %, the day of the murder. He
| said he had spent the morning max
! ing out bills in his house in West
Fifty-ninth street and about noon his
wife Joined him. He remarked to her
that he had much to DO that day be-
cause OF the moving OF furniture TO
| the Long Beach house.
The story went on that the couple
had luncheon together; that the doc
! tor subsequently did some marketing,
that they planned TO catch the 6:52
p. m train for Long Beach, but miss
| ed il, catching one a few minutes
after s. The doctor recalled that he
/ had spoken on the train to a conduc-
tor named Boyd, whom he knew.
| When the couple got to Long
I Beach, according to the testimony,
they took a short cut to the Wilkins
| home, Mrs. wilkins tying veil
/ l. IL IL
| When they reached the door, the
doctor said, he saw the portieres move
and turned to his wife, saying:
Il believe there are sneaks in here.
Better not come in"
The doctor then told the story of
the tragedy in practically the same
words he has used already.
Says Burglars Attacked Him.
He said two men attacked him and
felled him, one of them holding him
on the ground while the other pointed
a gun, and said:
doc, we don't want to shoot you
IL we can help it."
The second man then seized his
overcoat, the doctor testified, and
tried to turn him over, tearing the
coat in doing so. The men then stole
his watch, chain, pocketbOok contain
ing S45, and stickpin, the prisoner
said.
"Did you hear the burglars speak
to each other?" asked the prisoners
counsel
yes. heard one say something to
the other. 1t sounded like, Go out
and quiet that, Dick
The Swiss watch which was put in
evidence by the prosecution was then
shown the doctor, and he was asked
If he wore ii on the night OF the
crime.
mo" he replied, Il didn't wear it.
1 saw it in the courtroom for the first
time"
In response to questions from his
counsel, Charles n. Wysong, the &C
cused gave the story Of his early life
on a farm in Maine, his stay in Cali
fornia, where he married his first
wife, Grace Masfield, and his coming
to New York to take up an appoint
ment as physician TO the insane asy-
lum on Wards Island.
Opening the case for the defense,
Charles y. WysOng, counsel for the
accused, told the court he would show
that an overcOat, q matchbox, watch
and a stickpin which have figured
largely in the prosecutions case did
not belong to Leon Kraus, stepson Of
the prisoner, as the prosecution has
tried to show.
OvercOat New, He said.
Mr. Wysong laid great emphasis on
his contention concerning the over
coat. He said he would show from
its texture and style il had been
made some years after Kraus died.
OF the matchbox found in a pocket
Of it. Mr.. Wysong said ii was an ad-
vertisement for a tire company is
sued in 1917. The cigarette case. he
said, bore a revenue stamp dated
eight years after Kraus' death.
The watch found in a bloodstained
towel in the wilkins home, Mr.. Wy
song said he would show, had never
belonged to DR.. wilkins and was not
the one the doctor contends was
stolen the night Of the murder.
Another statement by the counsel
for the accused was that the stick
pin with a lovers knot. which was
found after the murder in an overcoat
alleged to belong TO the accused vas 1
not the pin Dr. wilkins says he lost. |
Mr.. Wysong limited at a frame (
up" when he said detectives had gont
to DR.. wilkins while in Jail and got (
ten descriptions from him Of the .ost |
pin. The detectives made drawings /
from the information so supplied, !
Mt. Wysong said. He said jewelers. /
who had mended Dr. wilkins own /.
pin would prove the one on exhibit |
was different
VIII Deny Story About Suit.
Mr.. Wysong also promised to show /
that DR.. wilkins had not brought 2 |
bloodstained suit to Jacobson, the |
tailor, to be cleaned on March 3. as
has been sworn. The only time the [
accused had gone to JacObsOn's that (
week was to have a pair Of trousers
pressed, he insisted.
Before opening his address, Mt.
Wysong made the usual application
for acqUittal on the grounds Of in
sufficient evidence, but this was
formally denied by tho court Fro
quently during his address he con- 4
suited DR.. wilkins as to dates znI II
facts. and the doctor gave the II
answers without any seeming per Il
turbation. He did not even shny II
a trace Of emotion as counsel prom II
ised 10 prove the doctor and his wife II
had been most loving cOuDle II