The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-03-28
SECOND DECREE
PLEA OFFERED
JAZZ GIRL
Dorothy EIIingson's Suffering
in Court Rouses Pity
Of Observers
By ELLIS H. MARTIN,
international News Service.

March ga rising tide of pub
lie sentiment may save sixteen
year-old Dorothy Ellingson from
the horror of long, drawn. out
trial for the murder OF her
mother.
State and defense today were
engaged in struggle to pass to.
each other the onus of the spec
tacle which aroused the pity Of
the most hardened observers.
With a jury of nine men and
three women selected to try her
and two women sitting as alter
nate jurors, the stage was set
today for the opening of the girls
Gethsemane Monday.
Offers To Accept Plea
District Attorney Brady issued a,
statement offering to accept plea
OF guilty to murder in the second
degree.
Attorney Alexander Mosslin. chief
OF counsel for the girl, declared
the defense stood by its original
offer to permit the girl to plead
guilty to granddaughter.
And there the matter stood while
the girl further weakened by two
complete coiIapses Friday, lay in
her cell at the county jail fighting
to regain sufficient strength to
face bravely her ordeal Monday,
which she realizes will far surpass
in severity that OF the past few
days when only the selection OF
jury was in issue.
Conferences were being held by
attorneys on both sides and disin-
terested third parties were bringing
pressure to force q compromise that
will bring justice to the girl and at
the same time end the public tor
ture which has been likened by OBJ.
servers to a cat playing with IA
mouse.
Girl Doesn't Complain
The girl enters the room and
generally her strength Gibbs. She
faints and court recesses until con.
seriousness can be restored, when
the girl is led back to court and
court continued until another col
lapse occurs
The girl herself doesn't complain.
She feels her weakness deeply and
repeats over and over the words
'oh. dear me- That is all.
I'VE are not responsible for pro
tracing this CASE" said District
Attorney Brady's statement. That
responsibility rests entirely on the
shoulders of the defense. II tho
defense desires to end this case they
can do so Immediately.
"All that the defense need to do
IL enter plea Of guilty to murder
in the second degree. That is the
the case. II they did this the dis
trict attorney legally could agree
to such plea"
1t was explained that If such a
plea were made and accepted by
the court under the law the judge
could hold a hearing, investigate the
facts, hear the opinions nf the alien
lists and then commit her to sonie
charitable institution rather than
to the penitentiary.
Father Would Agree
1.-THE district attorney knows that
we could not and should not allow
our client to plead guilty TO a Dc.
gree of murder when all the evil
dence will show under the law that
the charge should be manslaughter, :"
said Defense Attorney Mooslin.
Long ago in good faith we went
to the district attorney and offered
to interpose a plea of guilty Of man.
slaughter charges. That offer
stands"
But 1t was learned today that
the father of the girl, wrung almost
to distraction by the suffering he Is
forced to witness his chill undergo,
is ready to agree to a plea to the
second degree murder charge pro-
vided he has some assurance that
a prison sentence will not be melted
out but that rather an effort will
be made to bring the girl back to
mental and moral health ana
strength in some institution fitted
for her care.