Evening star., 1923-08-11
SPARE MRS. HOUCK
ORDEAL Of COURT
Attorneys Find Mother OF A.
legged Murder Victim Too
+: Feeble to Testify.
BY a stan Correspondent.


FREDERICK, Md. August 1.-THE
fast-dimmlng life Of Mrs. Ezra E1uck
is not to be shattered by the ordeal
of being ordered into public court
and forced to tell whether she saw or
heard anything unusual June IS, the
day her daughter Mrs. Grace SIM
mons Kepner, was murdered in bed~
room directly across the han from
where she lay a helpless invalid.
The mental and physical condition
of Mrs. Houck. who is eighry-four
years old and virtually bedridden
from paralysis. was today declared by
Dr.. j. o. Hendrix to be such that not
only would 1t be dangerous to subject
her to such an experience. but the
court would not accept her testimony
as that Of fully responsible person.
At the request of the county cir
cuif court, where r. Evard Kepner
has been on trial for the murder of
HIS wife. DR.. Hendrix and States
Attorney Aaron r. Anders visited
the aged mother of the tradegy's
victim. definitely TO learn whether 1t
would not he possible to summons
heE Both agreed, after careful
examination. that such a step would
be out of the question.
Only Three In Home.
Mr. Houck. her husband. and Addie
Tyler. a colored maid. were the only
persons In the Houck home last June
lS. at the time Mrs Kepner is sup
posed to have been shot to death.
Mr.. Houck and the maid were on
tha first floor, leaving Mrs. Houck
alone on the second floor. confined to
her bed. The fact that her room Is
directly across the hall from the
death chamber. in which Mrs. KEEP
nerS body was found. was regarded
byt member of the court to be an
important fact
Physicians have asserted that Mrs.
Houck IS too deaf TO have heard the
fatal shot. even II she had been
awake at the time There are also
periods when she is practically In
capable of understanding fully what
Eots on around her. In view of these
circumstances il has been agreed that
it would be useless to summons her.
At! this moment she does not even
know that Grace" as she always re-
fers to Mrs. kepner. was murdered.
She only realizes that her daughter
has passed on.
Kepner Reads in Cell.
While his attorney. Leo Weinberg,
remains locked in his town home to-
day, denying himself to all visitors.
kepner is spending the next forty
eight hours before he takes the stand
in his own defense reading books and
swapping stories with his cell mate
Milton Banks. II is an unusual posi-
tlon for the architect. who once held
title S being one OF the best dressed
men in Frederick. and the strain Is
beginning to tell more day by day
score Of persons called at the
home of Mr.. Weinberg today, but
all were asked to postpone their
business until next week az the
lawyer Is busy studying out his fight
for the life OF Mr.. Kepner For the
first time since the architect was
placed in jail, his lawyer did not
visit him this morning and it was
said that he probably would not
leave his house before late tomorrow
Events Of the last forty-eight hours
have necessitated complete change
in the order in which he will have
his witnesses. - -...
The trial has created virtually two
factions among the women Of Fred
erick-those who believe a genuine
airing of conditions in this little
mountain city will do it's morals
Sood, anu those who think even men
ton of the murder and the sordid
circumstances that preceded 1t is
Contaminat!ng. Some mothers have
openly declared they wanted their
daughters to attend the hearing so
that it might be an everlasting les
son for them. Others have forbid
don newsboys to deliver any papers
to their home while the trial is in
progress.