New Britain herald., 1926-11-17

of testimony already heard. The trial of Mrs. Frances Stevens Hal and her brothers, Willie and Henry Stevens, for the murder of Mrs Mills will reach it's twelfth day of actual hearing tomorrow.
 Collapsed In Court.
 Mrs. Gibson collapsed in the court room on the first day Of the trial and was taken to the Somerset County hospital. After unsuccessful attempts to have her brought into court or to have the trial adjourned to her bedside, MT. Simpson had Mrs. Gibson removed to the Jersey City hospital. Here she underwent 8 blood transfusion and began to improve. Since Mrs. Gibson is the states most important witness, the ordeal of cross- examination to which she will have to sumbit will be a severe one.
 Counsel for the defense asked that sworn medical testimony be offered on her condition. but the court. through Justice Charles w. Parker, said it was willing to take MT. Simp- sons statement.
 Court Grants Recess.
 Everyone knows she has been a sick woman," Justice Parker said, "and If the adjournment is asked for by the state until Thursday morning. the court is inclined to think that it will be fair to allow it."
 The adjournment Of one day also enabled the battery of defense at torneys to lay still better their plans for attacking Mrs. Gibson's story. They have announced that they will assault the credibiity of the states star witness by calling her aged mother Mrs. Salome Ceren- ner, to discredit the veracity of her own daughter.
 Evidence All Circumstantial.
 Several witnesses have given testi- mony which is expected to have a bearing on the story to be told on the witness stand by Mrs. Gibson, and it Is by the use of her testi- mony as capsheaf that the prose- cution hopes to fashion into com pleted pattern, its version of what happened under a crabapple tree on the deserted farm, where the Rev. MT. Hall and Mrs. Mills were slain on the night of September 14, 1922. So far that state has built it's case entirely on circumstancial evidence.
 Almost half of the seventy-five witnesses already called by the state have been questioned infinitely by the prosecutor along lines to elicit testimony such as would buttress Mrs. Gibson's story as she has told it previously. The defense attor- ney's in cross-e examining these same witnesses, have just as carefully laid their groundwork against the day when the star witness for the state would take the witness stand.
 40 Defense Witnesses.
 With the state on the eve of rest ing it's case, the defense announced that it probably would call only about forty witnesses. The present plan is to call all three defendants to the witness stand.
 The prosecution, which has re- peatedly advanced the contention that Mrs. Hall, in employing private detectives after the double staying did so not to solve tn. crime, but to protect herself from becoming sus- pected of the crime, yesterday re- called to the stand Mrs. Mary De- marest and drew from her testi- mony, adding a new angle to the trial. Previously Mrs. Demarest had testified that she saw Henry Stevens In New Brunswick the morning after the staying, and told of having seen her cousin, Mrs. Minna Clark, "spy- ing" on the Rev. Mir. Hall and Mrs. Mills. Yesterday she testified that Felix Di Martini private detective by Mrs. Hall, had asked her how she would like to have enough money to clear off the mort gage, and little more" after telling ner he knew she had a mortgage of s2,500 on her home.
 New chapters in the love affair between the Rev. Mir. Hall and Mrs. Mills were added yesterday. when a prayer which he wrote for her when she entered hospital for an opera ion, was admitted in evidence, and ! diary, which he kept was read to the jury. The couples love letters had been admitted previously.