Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-11-24


sister and her husband. He told of re-
firing to his room in the early evening
of September IA, 1922, and remaining
there until aroused by Mrs. Hall about
2:3O o'clock in the morning with the
news that Hall had not returned home
and a request that he join her in a
visit to the church to look for him.
No lights were found at the church,
he said, and the pair continued to the
Mills home, as the minister on leaving
the house in the early evening had said
that he was going to the about the
mills bill" referring TO hospital
bill.
No lights were observed Mt the Mills
home he said, and with his sister he
returned home.
Direct examination was closed with
the denial that he had been concerned
with or knew anything of the double
killing.
Alexander Simpson, special prosecu-
tor, opened his cross examination in
subdued tones, and several times Willie
politely corrected the states lawyer,
notably when Simpson referred to Or"
Hall. The defendant explained "Mr"
was the proper designation.
After saying he was born at Aiken,
s. c., and removed to New Brunswick
at the age of two years, he was asked
about his "grilling" in the Somerset
court house, and declared it was done
because he couldj not remember his
conversation on the walk to the church
the night of the staying. He was
called on to repeat in detail the walk
to and from the church.
The defendant declared that there
has been mo trouble" in the heme He
could not recall any conversation with
firemen about trouble, but when asked
If fire house were his club, said it
might be so considered. He denied he
had run errands for the firemen,
Answering a series of question as to
whether he had been at or near the
scene of the crime, he replied, Posi-
lively I was not there"
He also denied he had ever seen a
calling card of his brother in law,
and was emphatic when he said he did
not put one at his body, using his left
hand.
The prosecutor stressed the fact that
when the defendant went with his sis
ter to the Mills home and found it dark,
they did not knock, and asked the wit
ness: Don't you think that sounds
fishy?"
II do not think it sounds at all
fishy'," was the reply, given with
some spirit.
The defendant produced an exhibit of
his own He was being taken for the
third time over the route he travelled
with his sister to and from the church
and, explaining his return, told of un-
locking the front door with his latch
kew. with this very key" he said,
showing a key on a ring to the prose-
cutor.
Late in his testimony, Simpson re-
verted again to the description of the
early morning walk, and when the de-
Tense objected, said his purpose was to
determine if the defendant had learned
the story by rote.
There was a flare of Indignation
from the witness
"All I have to say is, I was never
taught by anyone, you insinuate,
he said Just before adjournment,
stevens said he was never confronted
with Mrs. Jane Gibson and she did not
"pick" him out in the Middlesex
county prosecutors office.
]. H. Taylor, fingerprint expert of
the navy department, started the eX-
pert testimony of the day, followed by
Frederick Sandberg of the Washing
ton police department, with Gerhard
Kuhne of the New York police depart
ment closing.
All three denied that the fingerprint
of Willie Stevens and that on the call
/ ing card SIT" in the evidence We're
the same,
Kuhne testified he believed the dis
puted print superimposition, and the
! impression IAN after thought"
| Kuhne added that his examination
of the card revealed evidences of writ
! ing having been erased He could see
signs, he said, of letters and tlgures
on the card near the alleged finger
print of Willie Stevens.
An attack of the testimony of Ed
ward Schwartz, a states expert finger
print witness, was made by intro
ducing John r. Phillips, Asbury Park
! lawyer who told of Schwartz having
shown him a card, with the eXplana-
ton that it was found at the fee'
OF the slain minister.
Phillips said that Shwartz asked
him the names of defense lawyers
iand stated he could show them how
to cast doubt upon Identification OF
the print on the calling care.
In the examination of James Mason
detective, who investigated the double
killing in 1922, it was stressed that
the witness and the late Detective
Fitzpatrick placed their initials in
link on a. card separately and dis
tinctIy" from other cards on Novem-
Der /, 1922, by Fred David, another
detective.
1t was taken from the bottom OF a
pasteboard box, he said and after
he had marked it in ink with his
initial and those of Fitzpatrick ne
gave il to Schwartz who returned i
the next day.
Mason also testified Jane Gibson
told him that two men she saw III
the prosecutors OFFICE We're not the
ones she saw IN De Russey's lane
Henry and Willie Stevens were tine
two men in the prosecutors office
referred to-