Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-26
DRESS Of R|CKETT
GIRL NOT ADMITTED
IN THE ROSTER TRIAL
Had Been Used as Demonstra-
ton OF Pistol Power by PhiIa-
delphia Detectives.
VICTORY FOR THE DEFENSE
BY Associated Press to Every Evening.

bN AssoCl8teu fffSs 10 EVERY lsVeDtnR.
Philadelphia, Oct 26.-Identifca-
tion and submission as evidence OF
clothing worn by Oscar Roster. ad
vertisinB man. and his stenographer.
Mildred G. Reckstt at the time they
were killed last January, occupied
the morning session today OF the tyial
OF Mrs. Catherine Roster. charged
with the Staying. She is being tried
FOR the death Of Miss Recktrt.
Attorneys clashed over tho adnnis-
sion OF the black dress worn by Miss
Reckitt. II being disclosed by. testi-
mony TINT police had mutila&d the
garment by shooting at II in the base
ment OF City Hall. The reason given
for this procedure was that the po-
lice desired 20 ascertain the kind
OF hole bullet OF the callbre used
by Mrs. Roster would make.
Judge Barratt ruled out the dress
as evidence.
Testifylng on what was done to the
dress by the police. Detective Tyson
said
The hole In the bodice looked
something like a rent and we were
not sure that bullet had caused
Il. SO we went down and fred about
two shots in the hem OF the skirt
| about two inches from tho bottom 8"
/ Assistant District Attorney Maur-
| ice j. Speiser then offered the dress
as evidence whereupon John r. X
Scott. chief counsel for the defense
objected
Judge Barratt sustained the objec-
ton. The dress should be exactly
as II was removed from the body"
the Judge said. IF the police tam
! pered with 81. Il is useless"
Mr.. Scott also gained an advantage
when through testimony ELECTED from
Policeman Samuel II. Hates, recalled
witness. he had Rosters vest barred
a. evidence. Weask that IL be proved
where the vest has been since Il was
removed from 1914 Walnut street.
the scene OF the shooting"
The prosecution thereupon attempt
ed 20 show that physician had taken
the vest from the dead man.
Scott objected and was sustained
Judge Barratt declared ct is nat
ural that Mr.. Scott should wish 20
,now whether holes might have been
made in the vest as IN the dress in
the basement Of City Hall"
The day In court opened with the
submission by the commonwealth oi
pistols, cartridges photographs, Ant
, other articles necessary to complete
, It's case.
The commonwealth WIFI rest It's cas-,
this afternoon. The defense will i'm.
, mediately start calling It's witnesses
The case reached a high pitch yes
terday when a detective testified tina
Mrs. Roster told him shortly after
, the shooting occurred in the office o.
, her husban's advertising agency tha
, m yhusband killed his first wife. II.
broke her heart. I married him be
, cause l was young. L thought I coulC
win and hold him"
: Physicians and nurses who attend
ed or assisted IN attending Miss Reck
! lit were called 10 the stand.
DR.. V. s. Caviness. an ,interne, salt
, he heard DR.. Thomas H. Shallow
surgeon at Jefferson Hospital. tel
s Miss Reckitt she was in a very seri
2 Gus condition. about to die. and aske,
her IL she had a statement she wish
( ed 10 make, and she answered No
Il found her suffering from inter
j nal hemorrhages and from two bul
S let wounds. one in the front of he
! body and the other in her back" Doc
e tor Shallow testified The buIle
entered on the right side, slightl,
Y below the lower line OF the ribs, an
= exited on the left side OF the m!ddl
line of her body. between the eleventh
and twelfth ribs.
The slain girls mother is said {
have talked with Miss Reckitt afte
y she had been told by the physical
that she was likely TO die. Mrs. Reck
d lit was at her daughters bedside whe
j the operation was performed. accord
8 ing TO Elizabeth Berlin, a nurse.
3 What IS regarded as the most i'm
: portant feature OF the evidence wa
e that offered by policeman who sal
d that Mrs. Roster had told him direct
n ly after the shooting that Il wake
e into the room in my husbands office.
e and found him in a compromising pc
- sition. But even then I would nc
have done Il (shot hlm) If had nc
f been drinking. He killed his frs
= wife. She died OF broken heart.
why did you marry him il yo
= knew this?' the officer asked her. BE
ing. OF "A different temperament
thought l could satisfy his desire,
but I found that no one woman coul
satisfy him. she replied"