Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-08-10

sibly for religious reasons II was
as sudden as II was unexpected. Chief
Judge Hammond Crner announced at
the close Of the hearing Yesterday
that the bench would recess ever Fri
day out of respect TO the late Presi-
dent Harding
In minute Mr. Weinberg. pale,
wan and showing the strain he had
been under since early morning, leap
ed TO his feet and said. May il please
the court, we should like 10 ask that
recess be taken until Monday morn
ing. saturday as you know, is my
portunity to observe IT in my usual
way"
murmur Of surprise ran through
the courtroom and all eyes were
turned upon States Attorney Aaron
K. Anders and Assistant Attorney
General Lindsay Z. Spencer. They
onered no objection, however, and
after or fifteen minutes consuIta-
ton with Associate Judges Glenn H.
W orthington and Edward c Peter
spect Mr.. Weinberg's religious rites
Had Expected Setting.
only the previous day, however.
men he expected the court to sit
through Saturday in an effort TO
complete the defenses case by Mon
DAY, and give the judges an oppor-
, nunlty TO reach decision before
Tuesday night LAWYERS who sat
through the proceedings yesterday
were OF the opinion that the events
OF those eight hours had caused Mr.
weinberg TO suddenly change his
mind.
Three new and highly important
developments were presented by the
state yesterday which expert Grim
NAL lawyers declared had damaged
the case Of Mr.. kepner as much, IL
not more, as when an eleventh hour
witness told the grand Jury of the
defendant asking to be shown how
10 use the pistol with which Mrs. Keep
ner was slain
The developments were:
/. The discovery of a note kepner
wrote to Miss Lulu Ricketts, several
weeks after his Wife's death warning
her that he was under suspicion and
intimating the answers she should
make to the questions OF detectives
when they called to interrogate her.
;. Proof that the dark stains which
covered the death bed upon which
Mrs. Kepners body was found were
blood and that at least three OF those
streaks were many feet beyond the
reach of the dead woman
3 Admissions by Lulu Ricketts, that
kepner. explaining hiS,wife' death TO
her a few days after the tragedy. had
said his Wife must have been playing
with the pistol that killed her. for he
did not think she knew how to shoot
IL. He had told scores of others that
he was sure she had committed sui
eide.
Merchants Testimony.
In addition to these statements. the
state already had testimony of Charles
F. Zeeger. a local hardware merchant,
that only few days before Mrs. KEEP
81,
him with the death pistol and asked
him why it wouldn't shoot"
The merchant showed him that a
safety catch was on. explained the
loading mechanism and sreturned it
to him with the safety catch still off
stress was laid by the state upon the
fact that kepner had kept the safety
catch off from then on.
The state rested its case at 4:05
o'clock yesterday. after presenting
these facts. and Justice Alvan NJ.
Wood. the coroner who rendered a
verdict Of suicide without the for
mality of an inquest the day Mrs.
kepner was slain. was called as the
first witness for the defense. His
testimony was the same as that Of
fered at the inquest, and as soon as
he was excused the court adjourned
To refute the testimony of medical
experts that Mrs. kepner could not
have inflicted the bullet wound that
ended her life last June IS, the de-
Tense has at least four secret wit
nesses. the names of which had been
kept from the prosecutioH with great
care. All are from Washington and
one Of them is so we'll known that
Mr.. Weinberg promised his entrance
in the case would prove the biggest
sen saton Yet.
Il have never unlimited the task
that is before me-" said Mr.. Vein
berg significantly.
In addition he promised that he
will have some surprises for the
sterday with evidence that no one
had dreamed was in their possession.
He intimated that before he is
through the life of Frederick will
have been subjected to open investi-
CATION, The names of some of the
, countys finest families might have to
suffer. he intimated. before Kepner
L. q ~