New Britain herald., 1925-04-02

Among the spectators today were
 Chairman David l.. Dunn, Edward
 Parker and William Lange of the
 New Britain police commission and
 Joseph McGrail, clerk of the board.
 Court Behind Locked Doors.
 Court was resumed behind locked
 doors after the luncheon recess. This
 was necessitated by the surging
 crowds which attempted to crush
 their way. int the court room. %he
 news of the defendants witness
 stand appearance had spread
 through Hartford on flashing wings and a crowd that was literally a mob stormed the court house long before
 o'clock, the reopening hour. On
 order of Judge Jennings none but court officials, newspaper represen- tatives or persons with. passes signed by himself or the trial attorneys were permitted entrance. When the jury filed into the room the doors were locked.
 A great crowd Of men and women was left clamoring in the court house corridors. A second crowd, two times as large, milled about two court house entrances.
 Groehl was 20 minutes late for the afternoon session. wherers on Judge Jennings informed him that he would deduct that time from his period allowed for summation. Each side was allotted two hours and a half for summation, which began for me prosecution by State Attorney Aicorn's assistant, Rcinhart l.. Cid con. The defense lawyer, through the judges ruling. will have only two hours and ten minutes.
 Court Reprimands Groehl
 A sharp encounter between States Attorney Alcorn and Frederick !. GroehI, senior defense counsel. was precipitated yesterday afternoon during the questioning of former Captain William A. Jones of the New York police department, a pis- tol expert. In the midst of it the states attorney requested Judge Jennings to reprimand the defense counsel and warn him against con- tinuing the practice, Judge Jennings dismissed the jury to it's room and in firm statement. made his rul- ing on the evidence the defense was attempting to introduce and warn cd against any future references to the matter during the trial.
 When Captain Jones took the wit l ness stand and qualified as an ex- pert, Groehl started to question him about the famous Harold Israel 1 case in Bridgeport In which Israel was released in spite of the fact | hat he admitted murdering a priest !, md re-enacted the murder before he eyes of detectives. Prosecution of Israel was dropped because of | he states inability to prove that ! he murder bullet was fired from lis gun.
 Groehi asked a question regarding his case and Alcorn objected, but i iroehl offered an argument against . he objection and in doing so he vent more into detail on the Israel ,ase, being halted by the states attorney. Groehl then adressed Judge Jennings on the question and n doing so he brought out more acts on the famous case so the amous case so the court halted him quickly and dismissed the jury.
 When the jury had left the room, Judge Jennings said that he had itudied the record of the Israel case. put failed to find that it was similar n any way to the case on trial. He aid that he had decided that all ref renee to the case was to be eX- .luded from the testimony He in ormed Groehl that 1t was perfectly ,roper for him to question Captain Iones regarding any of the 1000 ases he has testified in as an ex- ,ert, but references to other cases would be excluded.
 The afternoon of the seventh day f the trial saw the defense swing nder way and at adjournment time, t was announced that the defense ,ould rest before noon today.
 Waited For Chapman To Testify
 An early adjournment was taken at the request of counsel or the defense which felt that it -as for the best interests of Chap nan to defer his taking the witness tand in his own behalf until this norning. Few people left their cats in the courtroom at all udr- 1g the noon recess as it WAS ex- ected that the debonair defendant -as to take the witness stand in his VII behalf during the afternoon rSsion, and 8 wave of disapFoint- lent swept the courtroom when the . diournment was taken without hapman tcstifying.