Evening star., 1923-07-14

some body gone"
Finding of Body.
| In simple language, Mr. Houck, the
dead woman's father. told how Mr.
Kepner came home from his office al
about 3:45 o'clock the afternoon OF
June Is and asked where his wife
was Upon being told that she was
| taking her usual nap in her bedroom
Mr.. Houck declared that kepneI
mounted the stairs and remained
there for fully ten minutes When he
came down, the witness testified. the
husband said, My God. Grace Is
dead"
Yesterday, on the stand. Kepner had
testified that he was not upstairs
more than ten or fifteen seconds.
II never heard of my. daughter
Houck continued. Mr.. Kepner hao
declared under oath that his wife had
several times threatened to end her
life.
Mr.. Kepner made no comment
about the death of his wife at the
tho room were raised and l saw
her body distinctly when / entered
My daughter was not accustomed
to handling revolvers."
Elizabeth Houck, the sister-inl law
for whom Kepner had professed a
told the jurors that her sister had
seemed somewhat depressed on nu-
merous occasions during the past
year, but she explained her condition
as one only similar to that felt now
and then by almost every person
The last few days of her life, Miss
! Houck said, Mrs. Kepner was as
cheerful as ever. and accompanied
her to church on the Sunday night
before her body was found lying
peacefully on the bed of her room, a
.3S automatic pistol near her right
hand and a splotch of blood on the
carpet in the center of the floor.
Breakfast Scene Described.
THE week before my sister passed
away" Miss Houck continued, II re-
member that one morning Mr.. Kepner
ate very little breakfast. When
asked him what the trouble was he
said: One of these mornings I am
going to light out of Frederick and
when I go somebody is going with
me. Grace is always nagging me
about an unfortunate investment /
made. The biggest mistake of my
life was when I begged Grace to be
my wife
II said, Why. Ez. I had always
thought you were a devoted hus-
band He replied: Well, there is
no love between us now"
The witness concluded testimony
with VI uO" lldu
left her sister, Grace, in the best OF
spirits after lunch on June IS. and
had gone to some commencement ex-
ercises with her other sister, Eleanor
When they were called home, she de-
clared, her dead sister lay on the
left side of her bed, whereas she
had always occupied the right side
1t was several days later, she said
that she received first news of her
laws alleged friendship
with the Ricketts, girl and the breach
between them began. Miss Houck
denied that her sister had ever made
threats or attempts to kill herself.
Kept Secrets From Sister.
A buzz of interest ran around the
courtroom when Eleanor Houck, the
sister in law whom kepner had sc
bitterly denounced in his testimony
Yesterday, took the stand and ex-
plained how she had carefully con-
cealed from his wife certain indis-
cretions she charged against kepner
She denied statements that Mrs. KEEP
ner had ever tried to hang herself OF
drink a quantity of poison While
her sister lay dead, Iew mlnutes
after the family returned home, Miss
Eleanor asserted, Kepner Kept re-
peating: "Grace was all the time
| jawing at me about some money
lost. She never stopped.
The witness corroborated previous
testimony of how Kepner had openly
regretted his wedding day and how
when he refused to swear after the
funeral that he hEd led a virtuous
| life the past two years, he was re-
quested to leave the home. Ques,
toned regarding Kepners disposal
| Of his wifes estate. the witness said
she had approached him on the sub.
iect and had been informed that he
might not even consider it for six
months.
Shortly after my sisters death
Miss Eleanor continued, Mr.. KepneI
came to me and said, There is one
thing that makes me feel good. That
is that the day Grace died sat at a
soda fountain with Coroner Wood al
PAS O'Clock Two days after the
said, I am going to leave Frederick
and when I go somebody is going
with me-"
Gifts From kepner.
Miss Ricketts, admitted that she
had been friendly with Kepner fol-
nine months, that she knew he was
married, and that he had taken l. Ell
on trips to Baltimore and Hagers-
town. She said he had given her
perhaps $500, in cash besides clothing
white gold wrist watch and other
jewelry. Under examination she
frankly admitted she had gone with
him to Baltimore and Hagerstown
and that as late as July z, less than
two weeks after his wife's death, she
had met him in Baltimore by appoint
ment. That any improperly had ex-
listed, however. she denied.
Did you ever receive any letters
from him." asked the states attor-
| ney
Were they mushy?" continued the
interrogation.
"A little Bit" she laughed He
addressed me as Dear VIZ and signed
himself 'Devotedly, b. Sometimes
when he met me, however, he was
out Of humor and complained that
Eleanor was constantly nagging him
Once he said. I'm damn good and
tired of this nagging. Some day
somebody is going to wake up and
| find somebody gone"
Asked If whisky had been carried
on the trips she took with Kepner
Miss Ricketts, replied in the affirma'
| tive.
states attorney.
| "Oh! Sure" laughed the witnes:
( and the jurors Joined with her. Miss
| Ricketts, ended her testimony will
| Kepner had visited her place of bust
ness the day his wife was buried ant
| had complained of feeling very bad.
| Mrs Emma Worman, distant rela
| tive OF the Houck family, sprang q
| surprise when she entered the jury
| room and demanded the right Of con.
| tradicting certain statements Kepnel
| was alleged to have made. She de-
| MED that she had stood in the room
| while he changed certain articles Of
| clothing at the Houck home.