Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-10
CHARGES AGAINST
SNOW DISMISSED
|NPOL|CE COURT
Judge Harrison Asserts 1t
Would Be FarcicaI to Find
Murder Plot.

lionaire patent attorney and seventy
six years old: Mrs. Ena 2. Acker
private detective, and Milton II. Lang
don chauffeur. had been on prelim-
fnary trial in the United states
branch of the Police Court for two
days. was dismissed late yesterday
by Judge Hardison-
In taking this action. speaking pri-
Y,arily with respect to Mr.. Snow. who
was accused of having hired the two
others to murder his divorced wire
with poison and an automobile acci-
dent, Judge Hardison said:
Il don't believe the grand jury
would ever indict him on the evidence
| presented here: petit jury would never
convict him if indicted; it would be
farcical for me to hold MN. vi
course if he is not held the others
can't be-
There was evident relief through
| out the crowded courtroom when TINS
| decision was announced at the close
of a day damned full of testimony
purDorting to show murder plot ana
counter conspiracy to blackmail ana
then to extort a large reward for the
sale of valuable information 10 MT
Shows divorced wife.
Relatives and friends of the aged pat
ent attorney gathered about him ex-
pressing their qualification at his vindi-
cation.
Based on Common Sense.
In rendering his decision, Judge Hardi
son made 1t plain that he was using
his common sense" fully as much as
giving consideration to the law. He
thought the accused should be given
| the benefit of the doubt. if the evidence
could be reconciled with a supposition
| of innocence. He ruled that the evil
| dence showed that Mrs. Acker and
Iangdou We're carrying out the husl-
,.1IN t6Ar iSrI M
hired. namely, ito trap or detect Mrs,
Snow in some indiscretion." rather than
TO carry out any alleged plot or con-
spiracy to kill her.
He said that the only significant testi-
mony leading in the direction OF impH-
eating Mr. Snow in plot to murder
was the conversation which Henry E.
Davis. attorney for Mrs. Snow. testified
he heard over the telephone. The court
read this testimony from the official
record and said that while the testi-
mony to the effect that Mr.. Snow
was at the other end of the
when Mrs. Acker spoke of FIN
ishing it today was mistaken, he
thought that this might Just as easily
be understood to mean Shell be COM
her" for which purpose Mr.. Snow had
sworn he hired Mrs. Acker. as to mean
well kill her"
Judge Harrison said there was one
significant fact-that when Mrs Acker
was telephoning and as Mr. Davis had
stand everything very well util she men,
tioaed 1.-The stuff-dope-novocain -
Then he apparently did not understand
and commenced asking WHAT"
ITO my mind this indicates that she
was talking Greek to him and he did not
catch on" said Judge Hardison.
View to Mrs. Acker's Purpose.
To Il
Acker was trying to convey the i'm
preston to Mr.. Davis and Mrs Snow
hat Mr.. Snow was agreeing to 1.-The
scheme which she had concocted, and
that they put that construction on it."
Judge Hardison said he thought 1t
impossible that man Of Mr.. Shows
standing, his shrewdness as a bust
ness man. who was no novice and
had been put over the jumps BEFORE
would have been fool enough. espe-
cially when he had been warned
against this woman. to have held a
conversation that would have in
Terminated him." titfsrS '..s1S-7
In his plea for dismissal of the
charge George p. Hoover, Mr.. Shows
attorney. emphasized that while this
telephone conversation between. Mrs
Acker and Mr. Snow from Mrs.
Shows home was held last Monday
MIR. Snow and Mr.. Hoover had Mrs
Acker's alleged counter-conspiracy
against Snow revealed to them on the
Thursday previous.
Mr.. Hoover. in summing up his con-
tentions, said that before any testi-
mony based on what any of the co.
defendants had said could be admitted
against his client, Mr.. Snow. the con-
6piracy must be shown by outside
evidence He contended that there
had been no meeting Of the minds
pr the parties accused, since the testi-
tall
Acker and Langdon had said they
hever intended to kill Mrs. Snow, anG
that the killing was the alleged OBJ.
feet of the, conspiracy. He argued
also that after. a conspiracy had beer
proved. it would be necessary to show
that overt acts had been committed
Judge Hardison ruled that there wa.
evidence Of overt acts in inducinf
Mrs. Snow to attend the dinners a.
hotels and to go on auto rides ant
parties.
Plenty Of Opportunities.
Mr.. Hoover also pointed out to tn,
court that two methods of killing Mrs
Snow had been suggested-by poison
put into her tea or other drink ant
by an automobile accident. He called
attention to the fact that Mrs. Snow
had gone automobile riding repeated,
with Mrs. Acker to places where Their,
would have been plenty of chance TO
an accident; and that she had ais,
been at dinners and teas where /
would have been easy for Mrs. Acke
to put poison into her drink if she s,
desfred.
'Peyton Gordon. representing Mrs
Acker. and E. Osterman, Representing
Mr.. Langdon, made somewhat simila
pleas to the court for release of thei
elients. contending that no evidenc,
had shown that they ever INTENDED
% agree to a conspiracy to kill Mrs
Snow. but merely to continue as Ions
rs they could on Mr. Shows pay roll
United States District Attorne,
Archer made long plea, urging thu
eourt to hold the accused for tn,
grand jury on circumstantial grounds
Ind said that he had another com
plant and warrant ready which woult
tover any omissions made in tn,
warrants under which the three de
endants were before the court.
Medical Witness.
DIR. Wilfred NJ. Barton. ASSOCIATE
professor of medicine at Georgetown
University. was the only witness
called yesterday afternoon after Tn
Stars report closed. He was put upo,
court regarding the effects of tn
irug "novocaine," which was fire
huently mentioned during the testi
nony as the one with which it was in
ended to poison Mrs. Snow.
DIR. Barton was called as an exper
bn internal medicine and the nervou
Eystem. His testimony was in efYec
hat il would require a large and yer
noticeable dose of novocaine to pro
HUGE Inconsistencies and that
could not be classed as 'knock-ou
brops."
His testimony was later brushe
side by Judge Hardison, who sal
hat 1t was not so much the natur
# the drug as what the accused be
ieved il would do with which tn
al. ifpalf