Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1921-03-21
Defendant Treats Trial
As Joke; Has Sneering
Smile During Hearin||
Details Of William Fitzsimmons' Murder of His Wife IN
Woodbridge Feature Early Developments in Court To-
day--LttIe Time is Wasted Selecting JWy--capitaI
Punishment Issue is Raised--2 Lawyers for Defense

ing. the assistant prosecutor contiu1
ued.
The assistant prosecutor pointed
out that the state would produces
witnesses to show that Mrs. Fits
simmons cleaned her yard betweeH
and o'clock every morning. but
on this morning when the murder
wNs committed, the husband wa9
the only personsfo come out of the
house shortly att-T O'Clock when
he was going to work. The woman
was not seen sweeping her yards
or feeding her cows and Chickens
as usual, on this morning. the ass
sistant prosecutor told the court
Assistant Prosecutor Toolan ex-
planned to the court certain signifl-
cant statements made by Fifzsim
mons. and questions asked by him
after he was brought back from
Camp Raritan. where he worked
The assistant prosecutor stated the
defendant asked, Are there any
clues? Assistant Prosecutor Toolan
told the court that the man had
signed confession in the presence
of FIVE witnesses. short time aft4
I the murder admitting the deed The
/ jury was requested to return ver-
diet of murder in the first degree
| DR.. John L. Suydam. county phy~
sician. was the first witness called
and related the results OF his au-|
topsy, and how the woman va
killed. Dr. Henry Cotton OF th9
State Insane Asylum. was in th9
court room, but it Is not~-ulDx6
whether he win be : witness sz
The defendant seems to be fix-'
/ ing the whole procedure as fokes
and while his lawyers. cross-exam mial-
I ed the witnesses there was a half
smile or sneer across his eecc. II
is possible that he may deny maxi
| ing the confession. The defendants
| lawyers in cross examination made
mention of SLIM a negro who gof-
merly lived in the same house with
the Fitzsimmonses, and who was
ordered out by the landlord at .iae
request OF Fitzsimmons.
Helen Demko, a personal friend
of Mrs. FitZsimmons. was probably
the most important witness of to-
days session. The girl told of visit-
ing the FitZsimmons home while 4
quarrel was in progress. when Fftz-
simmons is alleged to said: Il will
kill you some day." and the woman
replied. IF they find me dead. they
will know who done it."
Thomas Sheridan, of New York.
was doing most of the questioning
for the defense. and inasmuch as he
was doing considerable questioning
on matters not touched by the state.
and on which Justice Bergen ruled
against. he intimated that he would
call many of the state witnesses as
witnesses for the defense.
Louis FRANKIE, father of the dead
woman, her mother, and Lake Sc
guine. told similar stories about
Fitzsimmon's assertion few days
before Christmas. in reply to 4
question as 10 whether he was going
to have a Christmas tree for Mn
! children. and he replied, that hesex-
pected to have a crepe on his door.
Asked what he meant by this as
sertion, he said that it was 'sJust
the usual story" Seguine lives IN
the same house with the FRANKIE
family on Oak street. Perth Amboy-
and overheard the conversation be-
tween the FRANKIE parents and their
son-in-law.
Emile Kline and James Walsh,
Woodbridge policemen, told OF find-
ing the woman's body on the morn-
ing she was murdered, and gave I
description of conditions at the house
and how the defendant acted when
he came into the house after being
notified of the affair.
Lizzie Sanbo. the eleven-year-oid
errand girl of Mrs. Fitzsimmons and
who lives two doors from the de-
fendant, told of finding the woman
after coming into the house several
times to ask if she was wanted 10
run an errand. This girl was the
first person TO find the dead woman.
The mother of Lizzie Sanbo testf-
fed 10 seeing Mrs. Fitzsimmons on
the morning the murder occurred.
but could not say just what time It
was. although she did safe that i
was still dark. The witness was not
sure whether 1t was Mrs. Fitzsim-
mons or not.
When County Detective Ferd'
David was called to the stand Coun-
selor Sheridan requested that De-.
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