Evening star., 1921-12-17
LETTERS ADMITTED: :
IN EASTLAkE CASE
Defense Wins Point in Trial
of Naval Petty Officer on
Murder Charge.
wn a Staff Cnrresnondent.

other victory was scored by the de-
fense in it's efforts to clear Roger d.
Eastlake of the charge of completely
in Staying his wife when Judge
Joseph Wilson Chinn allowed identifi-
cation of the much-advertised love
letters from Miss Sarah E. Knox to
Eastlake at the opening of the trial
of the naval petty officer here today.
Arguments between counsel over the
admissibility of the epistles as evil
dence started as soon as A. Il. Crow
theirs of Ocean City, N. j.. was re-
called to the stand to identify the
handwriting of Miss Knox, and con-
tinued more than an hour.
The defense used every means in
it's power through substituting for
Commander c. A Bates of the
Dahlgren naval proving grounds.
who carHAsd the letters from that
place to Commonwealth Attorney
Watt T. Mayo after they were found
i'll Eastlake's effects at the proving
ground.
Mr.. Mayo continued his objections
on the ground of the failure of the
defense to prove that they were in
possession of EaStlake. Judge Chinn
finally permitted their Identification
by the witness, after Bates had read
them ana p1ckeu Oul tue ouSS llC re-
membered having seen at the proving
grounds. On the admissibility of the
letters as to their relevancy in show
ing motive by Miss Knox for COM
uniting the murder. the court and
counsel left the room for more than
an hour.
Student Is Witness.
Reginald Eastlake, an Oberlin Col
1ege student and cousin of the de-
fendant. was later called to the stand.
The young man, who said he was
the son of Franklin w. Eastlake and
that his mother was a Japanese, tes-
titled to having been at Ocean City on
September Is, when he was ap-
her if the Eastlakes had gone back to
Virginia. He said that he told her
that he thought they had. The wit
ness said further that he did not
know the woman at the time, but
thought her actions queer
On leaving the stand Judge Chinn
then permitted ]. H. Miller of Colo
nial Beach. delayed witness for the
prosecution. to testify. The witness said
he had several conferences with Miss
Knox when she occupied the house rent
ed by. Eastlake at Colonial Beach, and
seemed greatly perturbed. he said
that she told him she was having
trouble with her nephew" Asked if
she was not afraid that Mrs. Eastlake
would cause her trouble If she caught
her with her husband. the witness
said that Miss Knox replied:
II always carry a gun and I expect
will have trouble sooner or later.
She will probably catch me and then
! will have to kill her or she will
kill me-"
Mrs. Eastlake, mother of the de-
IIn1 70 ho CT n
and testified to having been at Ocean
City during the month of August
when her son. his wife and children,
visited her from August s to IS. The
witness said that they appeared per-
fectly happy and no mention what
ever was made of Miss Knox.
Indications of Purpose.
Evidence submitted by the prosecu-
tion indicates Eastlake's purpose to
prove that he was not at his home
at certain time on the morning of
the murder. This makes the testi-
mony yesterday by Franklin Car
ruthers of Colonial Beach, appear very
significant. "As I left my house" said
Carruthers, about 5:35 O'Clock, I dis
tinctly heard sound as If some object
had fallen. 1t came from the East
lake house. a child.s scream follow w
ed shortly afterward. l stopped for
a second. but then continued on my
way to the boat"
Asked by defense whether Eastlake
was at the boat, the witness said that
he was.
that the accused could not have been
home at the time of the murder.
The following witness, his sister-in-
law, Mrs NJ. v. Carruthers. said, how
ever that she heard the child scream
on the morning of the murder, but
Il T. hyyc inc hot
she heard it as early as $50 O'Clock,
-'or perhaps a little earlier" at the
time her brother-in-law was eating
his breakfast, and said that the noise
was much clearer when he opened the
door to leave for work.
Talked With Eastlake.
The witness further said that she
met Eastlake and her husband re-
. turning from the boat to the East
lake home after the officer had been
told of his wife's death.
Did you speak to him." asked Com
monwealth's Attorney Mayo.
Yes" replied the witness. Il told
him I had heard the screams, and he
replied that he had heard them. too.
WAS that woman there?' I asked
Eastlake. At first he made no reply.
But in a moment, he asked me, Is
she at the house,"
Not a few handkerchiefs were
drawn when Judge Chinn. after a pri-
vate investigation of the Eastlake
children at a nearby hotel, announe-
ed to. the court that the little girl
Margaret. five years old. was incom-
petent to testify, but that the boy.
Roger, jr.. nine years old, he thought
was.
81 might add" said Judge Chinn,
"tbat neither child has the 'faintest
idea that their mother is dead or
that their father is on trial for his
life. The little girl believes hen
mother is in a Fredericksburg hos
pital and thinks her father is away
on a trip"
Following the closing of the states
case, the defense called witnesses In
rapid order. most of whom. aside
from Mr.. and Mrs. Crowthers of
Ocean City. N. j.. who positively
identified the bloody hatchet as the
one Crowthers s:aarpened for Miss
Knox on September z, were char
acter witnesses. Several medical ex-
perts testified for the most part re-
gafding the lapse of time usually
necessary for rigor nnortis to set In.