The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-15
LULU RICKETTS,
IS SUDDENLY
MISSING
Waitress Friend Of Kepner Is
Sought by State for
Trial Testimony.
Continued from First PageJ

l N~~S~@AS~~N
coroner's inquest, and said to Miss
| Houck:
"Did you not say at the coroner'a
inquest that your sister was de-
| pressed? Were not your exact words
Grace seemed to be 80 depressed?'
"I don't remember saying that,
Miss Houck replied.
| She then left the stand.
Lindsay Spencer, assistant at
torney general of Maryland, leading
! the prosecution, then interjected and
ssked the court to direct Weinberg
to read. the rest Of the sentence
which he quoted Miss Houck as say
ing before the coroner's inquest The
court did so, and Weinberg read as
follows:
Grace seemed to be 50 depressed
at one time, but she seemed to have
recovered, and was in good spirits. y
It was at this point the court In.
terrupted:
"Mr. Weinberg, / think Il was
most unfair for you to read only a
portion OF that sentence and not
complete IT,"
Attorney Weinberg then explained
that he had no intention Of being
unfair to the witness, but was mere.
ly trying to pin Miss Houck down
to definite facts.
The State made an unsuccessful
attempt today to prove that KEEP
ner, while talking to a friend who
came to the Jail to visit him, said
that he would do anything in the
world for Miss Ricketts,.
Charles Hahn, called by the de.
Tense az a character witness, was
asked by the State whether Kepner
discussed Miss Ricketts, when he
visited Kepner at the jail. Hahn re.
piled, mo"
The State then sought to ask
Hahn directly whether Kepner de-
clared he would do anything in the
world for the pretty waitress. The
defense objected to the Interrogation
and the State withdrew It.
Mrs. Joyce Aids Defense.
The testimony Of Mrs. Joyce, who
told the court that she had been a
condifant Of Mrs. Kepner for about
six years, added another link to the
defenseIs claim that Mrs. Kepner
committed suicide.
"I was one Of Mrs. Kepner's
closest confidants." she related. "Sne
came over to my homo in Baltimore
last March and spent three days
with me. We talked OF different
things, and the conversation drifted
to her condition. Mrs. Kepner told
me she couldn't sleep at night. She
said she would lie awake and cry.
"She said she could not under.
stand why she did 1t. I tried to
comfort her, and told her that we
all had blue and bad days.
"'You don't understand. Helen
about my condition, and neither
does the DOCTOR" she told me. 81
have tried to take my life.'"
AZ this point, Attorney Spencer
vigorously objected to admitting the
last statement In the testimony. lie
declared It was pure hearsay and
inadmissibls. The Judges conferred
for more than fifteen minutes and
the objection was overruled.
Mrs. Joyce then continued:
Made Two Attempts.
MRS. Kepner told me that she
tried twice before to commit suicide.
She said that sometimes she could
not stand 1t eny longer.
ct have tried several times to
take my life, and failed each time.
Grace told me. 7 pray to God in
heaven that have the strength to
fight off this feeling
THE rest OF the day she was In
excellent spirits. She told me she
had taken a new lease on life, and
that she wasn't going to be blue
any more. felt from her words
that she had conquered her feeling,
and that her fits OF depression were
all over"
Mrs. Joyce then told Of q visit
with. Mrs. Kepner to see blossom
Time" in q Baltimore theater.
During the first part OF the
show, she appeared interested anu
laughed at every funny ilne' sne
said.
suddenly, she changed. and ap-
reared weary and interested. and
I don't think she was aware o.
what was going on. When mere
would be funny lines. I turned to
her to see IL she appreciated them'
h1It she never even smiled"
Mrs. Joyce testified she had seen
Mrs Kepner depressed to the ex-
tent that she was not herself.
"Her mental condition was I'M
wholesome and unnatural at times"
she said.
said Mrs. Kepner did not toll her
how she tried to commit suicide or
why she was unsuccessful.
Cashier Is Called.
Hammond .Clary. cashier Of the
Commercial State Bank, was called
to the stand and testified that KEEP
ner paid an income tax Of $26.9S for
the year 1922. He said this amount
indicated that the accused's net In
come for that year was $3,173. He
said he was exempt to the extent of
So. 500 on account of being a married
man.
Mrs. r. o. Mcintyre, wife of a
Frederick chiropractor, told the court
that on the afternoon Of Mrs. Keep
ner's death, June 10, Miss Elizabeth
Houck made visit to her husbands
office.
Miss Elizabeth told me that her
sister, Grace, had been very mel
ancholy and was thinking of CON-
ing back to the doctor for more treat
ment," she related.
Miss Houck was then called to the
stand and testified she did not re-
member making any such statement
TO Mrs. Mcintyre, although she adj
mitted talking to the woman on that
afternoon.
Just before she left the stand,
the court asked her several queS'
tons.