Arizona republican., 1922-03-10
MRS. OBENCHA|N
SAYS KENNEDY
PROPOSED TRIP
To DEATH GLEN
Republican A. p. Leased WireJ

lHCpupltCdn -, r. Leased WlreJ
LOS ANGELES. March g. Mrs.
Madelynne Obenchain, faltering and
weeping on the witness stand late to-
day. told the story of the Staying of
J.. Bolton Kennedy, her sweetheart,
for whose murder she stands indicted
Two shots were fired at him from the
dark in front of his summer cottage
in lonely Beverly Glen, she said (.
identify fitted past her and disap-
peared. She and Kennedy went TO
the cottage at the latter's sugges-
ton, she swore.
This was in direct contradiction OF
the states theory of the case. that
Mrs. Obenchain persuaded Kennedy
to 20 to the Glen and that by ar
rangement with her, Arthur c..
Burch, co-defendant in the case, lay
In wait as they approached.
Between the shots. according to
Mrs. Obenchain, Kennedy cried:
Good night. Mazzlyn," and that
after the second explosion she found
him lying lifeless on flight of steps
in front of the cottage.
The story of the shooting was the
climax Of an all-day examination of
Mrs. Obenchain. When she concluded
her tale adjournment was taken until
tomorrow morning when cross exam
ination will begin, The crowd in the
court room was given thrill after
thrill by the tale Mrs. Obenchain re-
lated of her love affair with Kennedy.
She told OF meeting Kennedy five
years ago and OF her subsequent
acquaintance with him, which was
interrupted for a brief period in jan
uary. 1919, when she married Ralph
K. Obenchain. But she was in COM
munication with Kennedy again after
a few weeks and finally secured a
divorce from Obenchain.
She denied, however. that Kennedy
refused to marry her, as claimed by
the prosecution, asserting that Ken
nedy irnportuned her to consent to a
secret marriage, which she refused
to do.
Kennedy Threatened Her
Shortly before the tragedy. the wit
ness asserted, Kennedy threatened to
kill her if she would rot marry him.
She admitted she asked Burch to
come to Los Angeles last July: that
she met him at the railroad station
when he arrived and that she con-
suited him concerning her troubles
with Kennedy.
When Burch left the train. she said.
they waited at the station for a time
to get taxicab and that he excused
himself and was absent during that
wait for three or four minutes. She
said she did not ask Burch where he
had gone.
Then they went up town she said
and they had dinner together at a
hotel. It was there she told Burch
that she wanted his help with Ken
nedy and she told the jury that she
had said at that time that she would
not marry Kennedy without the con-
sent Of his parents. She said Ken
nedy had urged g. secret marriage,
but that She had declined. and it was
after she had explained this situa-
tion to Burch that she sought his
aid.
Mrs. Obenchain testified that dur
ing the week after Burch's arrival
they were together much of the time.
She said they took numerous auto
mobile rides together. In response
to direct questions she said they
never went to Beverly Glen, where
the shooting took place. and that she
never told Burch where Beverly Glen
was.
Mrs. Obenchain startled the court
room by declaring that Kennedy
came to her room in local hotel in
the latter part of last July and
threatened TO kill her If she did not
marry him
Wanted me to marry him secretly
and ! objected" she testified. "Then
he said: I've made UP my mind that
neither you nor | shall leave this
room alive He drew a revolver but
grabbed his wrist and told him |
would call for a house detective,
Then he quieted down, but said: you
will either 80 to Santa Ana and
marry me or promise to GO to Salt
Lake with me, or you will never leave
this room alive"
Wanted Letters Returned
Referring frequently TO a. diary to
refresh her memory as to dates, Mrs.
Obenchain told of her arrival in Los
Angeles on January Z, 1921, and of
her frequent requests to Kennedy for
the return OF the letters she had writ
ten him. Always, she testified, he
promised the letters. but she never
did receive them.
On almost every occasion that she
talked with him he would ask her to
marry him secretly but she refused,
she said, insisting that she be taken
TO his parents and If there was to
be any marriage it be made known
to them. Always he gave the excuse,
she said. that his mother was very
nervous and because Of her condition
he could not always do the things
him mind would tell him to do" He
finally told her he would leave town
for a "few days and think things
over" she said.
At last, she said, she could not
withstand his pleadings longer and
agreed to go to San Francisco where
they were TO be married. 1t was
then she said, that she thought OF
her promise to Ralph Obenchain, that
she would talk to him before she
married anyone. She decided to &c
to Chicago to see Ralph, she testified
A few minutes before train time, she
telephoned Kennedy, she said, and
told him that she was going to Chi
cago. At this point in her testimony
one of her attorneys read from a
COPY of a letter which Kennedy wrote
to her shortly after she left for Chi
cago. Mrs. Obenchain sobbed quietly
as the letter was being read, and had
some difficulty in composing herself
Arriving i'm Chicago in May, 1921
/ she received several letters from
Kennedy, she testified. He wrote
( her. that he was planning on getting
away from his parents until they
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