The Washington times., 1920-09-29
ADAMS TELLS
STORY Of: LIFE
Squandered Fortune After
Leaving College and Then
Recame a Thief.
By STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

By STAFF CoRREsPoNDENT.
Frederick, Nd. sept 29.-Corrob-
Grating testimony already given BY
his wife and daughter as to Ms
actions on April 20, the day OF the
bank robbery and murder OF Francis
Haliowell at sandy spring. Clarence
j. Adams this morning took the stand
In his own defense In an EFFORT to
strengthen the alibi which his counsel
have said they will establish.
Adams said that the morning OF
April 20 he went with his wife and
daughter to Philadelphia to purchase
a stage costume for the thirteen
year-old daughter. Ruth. who Is .
dancer on a Philadelphia ~ gar
den.
TELLS OF BUYING ENC.
He said he left his wife and daush-
ter about noon and went to the store
of A. j. jolly where he purchased
a piece OF zinc, which previously had
been introduced at the trial. the de-
tense contending that the nnger
prints and the name OF Adams writ
ten on the back thereof, established
the fact that Adams was in Phila-
deIphia the day the crime was COM
mitted at Sandy Spring.
Adams gave a detailed history OF
his life for the past seven years, ad-
mitting he had started life as q stock
broker. after graduating at Swath-
more College, and had squandered, in
short time. q small furtune left
him by his father.
WORKED ONE YEAR IN five.
He said that during the past five
years he has done one years actual
work, and that he then was employed
at the shipyards and made enough
money to support his wife and fam
lily.
Asked the direct question. Ibid you
ever try to 60 straight" Adams an
swered that he had made an effort
and had succeeded In going straight
during that one year, but said imam
cial reversions had driven him into
other lines.
He said that for 'the past several
years he had been stealing automo-
biles and associating with crooks.
Adams. for the most part, answered
all questions in = lear. distinct voice.
Once during his direct examination
he broke down. and wept. That was
when he WAS describing q scene when
he had bought some toys for his son
after having punished him. for tell
The direct examination of Adams
was concluded this morning. and
cross-eXa mination was begun immedi-
ately after court adjourned for the
afternoon session.
OFFERS DAUGHTERS DIARY.
One of the pathetic features Of the
trial today was the effort of Attorney
Garrett to have introduced into the
record the diary OF Ruth Adams. thir-
teen-year-old daughter of Adams. in
a desperate effort to substantiate the
almost wrecked alibi offered by the
defendant. On the witness stand the
girl. pretty and bright, told OF her
earning through dances on the Pier
rot Roof Garden in Philadelphia
enough money to provide food and
lodging for her mother. twin brother
John. and herself since her fathers
arrest
"Since your father has been locked
up, who has been paying the bills at
homer" asked Attorney Garrett.
Il have been giving mother the
money to buy food and pay the rent,
as well as buy clothing" said the
girl. 81 am a dancer and although
I'm only thirteen years old i earn
enough TO provide for mother and
brother"
SENDS BROTHER TO SCHOOL.
During the summer. John worked,
but I make enough money TO permit
him to 60 to school and get an edu-
cation. I also am studying under
teacher when I am not at work"
During this recital of his daugh-
ter's sacrifices. Adams sat unmoved.
He heard his daughter give testimony
which was later discredited under
cross examination, in her efforts to
save him from death on the gallows.
Thumbing the pages Of the diary
to April 28, Attorney Garrett attempt
ed to show that the girl had penned
Mother demonstrated with me for
not coming straight home from
church." On another line was writ
ten Dada also scolded me-"
When States Attorney Thomas T.
Dawson glanced over the diary, he
called the courts attention to what
appeared to have been an erasure
and the substitution of other writ
ings He intimated that the substi-
tuition WAS made by the child actress
in an attempt to save her father.
larly those OF April %, "a 20. 81 and
2S, indicated that erasures had been
made and that references to the
father had been made purposely.
INSISTS HE WAS HOME.
Ruth, however, insisted that her
father was at their home in Camden
on both April 25 and 20. and that his
arrest did not cause her TO make
erssures in the diary.
81 recall dad being home on April
25." the child testified, because II
was Sunday. and mother objected to
his repai'/is a shed. He reprimsnd-
ed me, that night, too, for something
I had done. Then on Monday. the
26th, he also scolded me for not re-
turning home as soon as church terV-
ices were over" The child said that
her father had insisted that she and
her twi nbrother attend church serv-
ices regularly, and that, as a rule. he
always had been kind to her. She
states that on Monday, April 20, her
father accompanied her and her
mother to Philadelphia, where she
a dress TO wear in a dance
school carnival.
1t was then that Attorney Garrett
asked, who earns the living for
your mother, brother and yourseif.T'