The New York herald., 1922-07-14
MUXEN Says wine
PRESS DYED HANDS
Testifies He Spent Day of
Nurder Helping Get
G Juice of Grapes.
PROVES COOL WITNESS
Hands Back Knife, Saying
It's Condition Is Same
as at Purchase. 4
CORRECTs PROSECUTOR
Allowed to Produce His Dog
Brownie in Court as De-
fense Rests Case.
CORRECTS PROSECUTOR

Francis Kluxen Sd yesterday told OF
his actions on October 6. the day he is.
accused of killing Janette Lawrence in
kluxens Woods. little strip of coun-
try near Madison, N. j.
He was placed on the stand as his
own witness in the Morris County Su-
preme Court at Morristown late in the
afternoon by Elmer King, his attorney,
thus satisfying the curiosity of
court room that was packed in antici-
patton of seeing the fifteen-year-old
lad who is accused OF a peculiarly
brutal murder.
That he made a remarkable witness
was conceded even by those-and
there are many in Morris county
who have been particularly lvindictiye
toward him. He went over the ground
carefully and coolly, with marker IN
one hand following 'the course Of an
active day in the woods on a large
map stretched across the wall at the
side of the witness stand.
His memory seemed perfect. On sew
eral occasions he called attention to
errors in the questions of ]. Henry
Harrison, the Prosecuting Attorney. and
at no time during a severe cross-ex-
animation did he falter either in man
ner or response. When the prosecutor
handed him the Boy Scout knife with
which 1t is alleged the crime had been
committed, he examined 1t carefully.
running his finger down the blade, and
handed it back. announcing that 1t was
practically in the same condition in
which he bought it several weeks before
the murder.
Much had been made by the prosecu-
ton Of the fact that Kluxen stopped
at hydrant near his home and washed
his hands shortly after the time at
which the murder was supposed to have
been committed. The boy disposed Of
this by saying he had been chasing
Brownie. his pet cocker spaniel. and had
run some water over his hands because
! had been sweating" At the close of
his direct examination Attorney King
asked the youth point blank.
did you kill Janette Lawrence ?"
mo, sir" Kluxen responded in a clear
voice.
His version of the events Of the mur-
der day was as follows: In the morning
he gathered wood for his mother from
to 10 80. Then he went over to his
uncle's house and helped his relative
make wine. He explained the process
quite carefully. telling how first white
grapes were put through the presses and
then red ones and how the troughs were
thoroughly cleaned out afterward - a
task in which he also assisted.
How the boy dipped the red pomace
Juice from a trough three and half
feet high in pals and emptied 1t into a
vat six feet high was gone over in detail
by Attorney King as an explanation for
the red stains found on the clothes of
the boy later. and also as the justifica-
tion of the actions of his mother in
soaking the clothes in a pail of water
when he returned that evening. Mrs.
Grace Kluxen. the mother. testified that
Il was she who ordered the boy to
change his clothes that evening before
supper and that he had not done so vol
unfairly.
The wine making continued during the
afternoon and later Francis went to the
station and unpacked some crates be-
longing to his uncle from truck. He
came back at 4 80 and played around
with his cousins, Billy and Joe Schultz.
finally hooking up a pony cart and taxi
ing them for ride several times around
the block.
Then he came back. Embarrassed the
pony and went into his aunt's house.
There he found Alma Nelson. another
playmate. with whom he took walk
down the Woods Path to show her a
tree where he had shot at a squirrel
and missed. This excursion explained
the use of the Boy Scout knife. which
was used. he said, to dig the bullet out
OF the tree.
"Alma left me then" he said. and
ran up the path with Brownie and cut
across the fields until I came to our
heet patch ! picked two beets for the
rabbit Then l went into the coop. but
the rabbit had gone. Brownie finally
scented the rabbit and ran into the
corn field with me after him. Later he
chased up a cat and I lost him and
went out on the roadway and stopped
az the pumping station TO get a drink.
"a few minutes after 7 got home
Brownie came in and I asked him where
he had been. ! played around with him
in the parlor for a few minutes and
then went UP stairs to change my
clothes because they were sticky with
pomace."
Although the prosecution strenuously
objected. Supreme Court Justice Parker
allowed the defence TO introduce
Brownie as an exhibit. and he was
brought in under the arm OF Kluxen
Sr., and shown TO the jury and taken
out. Fishing. hunting, squirrel shooting
and rabbit breeding seemed to consti-
tute important Incidents In the life Of
young Kluxen and he recounted his ex-
periences in the field with Brownie with
evident relish.
His physical appearance seemed 10
bear out the impression of a healthy
nut Of door life. His cheeks had n ruddy
glow and his tall. erect figure gave the
picture OF physical development far
beyond his years. He testified that he is
elk feet tall and weighed 132 pounds at
the time OF the murder and 40 pounds
az the present time
The defence rested It's case yester-
cay, and the prosecution announced
there would be no rebuttal
t. nTruG cons tn ga NIT II IurM