Evening star., 1926-11-07
COMEDY BR|CHTENS
Up MURDER TRIAL
Defense Finds 1t Has Met
Tartar When Mrs. Dema-
rest Is Questioned.
BY FRANCES MOVES HART.
Dispatch to The Star,

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SOMERVILLE. y. j.. November g..
For the first time since the trial
opened the mood of the courtroom
this morning was keyed to comedy.
The Air pouring in through the open
windows was as SUNNY and balmy as
Spring. Children's laughter rose from
the grounds, gay and careless. The
branches of the trees. glimpSed against
the hlue-WaShed sky. looked like
black lace.
Prosecutor Simpson had donned the
most festive of lilac satin ties, and
his --hite shirt and collar were barred
with lilac checks. Senator Case was
brave in gray flannel. Willie Stevens
tie was cheerful copper. and Mrs.
Mary Demarest mounted the witness
stand to continue her cross -examina.-
ton with almost A prance. in spite of
her lameneSs
Mrs. Demarest is "A matron of gen
erous proportions. soberly arrayed in
black and gray. but her conduct
proved extremely enlivnning. During
the entire course OF 'rosS-eXamination
she kept An eve like lion tanner on
Senator Case. and undo: provocatiOn
she widened and flashed those eyes in
a truly menacing fashion.
She Even Winks.
Her answers fairly pounced at him.
and her triumphant grimace at the
conclusion of a successful bit of fenc-
ing on her part was both amazing and
diverting 1t seemed that only "A
miracle Of Self-control kept her from
sticking out her tongue at the suave
counsel for the defense. She unde-
niably winked on more than one oc.
Casion.
She corrected the Senator CON
Stantly. with both accuracy and
aplor'lL
NO, didn't say daisies: said
vioets. I didn't say that I was pick
ing them. | said that my little boy
was. I didn't say that I saw Henry
Stevens on those grounds. said
that ] thought that II was on the
grounds of Mr.. John Carpenter"
Her statement that she recognized
Henry Stevens in New Brunswick on
the morning following the murder.
when Stevens claimed that h. was
still in I4avallette. remained mistaken.
and she stuck valianily to her guns AS
to the fact that she had observed her
cousin. Nina Clark. and Ralph Cor
sine twice apparently spying on DR..
Hall and Mrs. Mills in Buccleugh
Park although she somewhat neu-
tralized the force of the first occasion
by admitting hat she thought they
all might have been attending YES
per ser"ire at the Parker Home for
Incurables IN that vicinity.
Simpson Takes Hand.
At one stage of the game she re-
piled NO" with such vehemence, in
reply to one of Senator Cases ques
tions. that the Senator peremptorily
inquired Why she used such tone,
and in a flash Prosecutor Simpson
was on his feet, objectinG that this
was a purely frivolous question, as it
made no difference whatever whether
Mrs. Demarest replied to the Sena
tors question in c minor or major.
On the whole. il was voted that
good time had been had by all while
Mrs Mary Demarest occupied the wit
ness box.
Charlotte Mills appeared briefly,
this time entirely selfpossessed, and
identified two letters from Mrs. Hall,
written to Henry Stevens after Will
lies arrest They established the fact
that Mrs. Hall had been much hurt
by the fact that Henry had not been
near hPr-that there was gossip on
that score--that it had been hinted
that Henry's wife had been keeping
them apart. but that she believed that
Ethel was too intelligent to do this.
The only ray of significance in
either of them was the rather curious
reference to Ethel" The second let
ter also established the fact Mrs.
Hall is by no means the carefree
plutoCrat that she is frequently
labeled--it enters at some length into
her financial difficulties. Later in the
day Charlotte was to weep bitterly.
Cousin Takes Stand.
Anna X Bearman, Mrs. Halls first
cousin. testified in a pretty, precise,
cultivated voice that she in no way
considered it unusual that Mrs. Hall
should have asked her 70 send a
brown coat and blue scarf to be dyed
black in Philadelphia. in spite of the
fact that she had three maids and
chauffeur to attend TO such details.
she was dressed well. but not smart
ly, in a large fawn -colored hat and a
dark blue satin dress embroidered
with touches of orange and green.
Tho heavily marked. arched black
eyebrows of the Stevens clan gave
characteristic owllike cast to her
countenance.
\ murmur of qualification ran
through the courtroom when eX
Trooper Dickman took the stand. 1t
had been very generally rumored that
next to Mrs. Gibson he was to prove
the States star witness, unfolding
tale of bribery and corruption that
would raise the hair on the heads of
all true lovers of justice and involve
practically every one but the Pres
ident of the United States.
About 10 minutes later the only
sound in the courtroom was a col
lective and resoundinS dropping of
Jaws After an eXamina ton that
sbrouGht out nothing beyond the fact
that Dickman had asked Henry
Stevens If he had an alibi or had ever
had 81 or .3S caliher gun, and had
found Mr.. Stevens reply that he had
had ooth the guns and the alibi
evasiv-. the prosecutor abruptly sur
rendered his star witness for cross
examination
Spectators Disappointed.
The haffied and frustrated spec
tatorS sat staring blankly at the close
eISrped. shifty-eyed. lean young man
in me dark suit and tie, who admitt ed
that he had deserted from both the
Army and the Navy. but denied any
such escapade from the Marine Corps
with virtuous Indignation. They were
TOO dazed to do more than smile
feebly when. in reply to a question
from senator Ease as to what he
was doing now. he replied Governors
Island" and his explanation that he
had deserted from the Army because
he had been on 81 day drunk was
also greeted in stunned silence
During the luncheon recess there
was much wagGing of heads and
tongues-they stopped long enough
10 read a New York specialists bul.
Iet.n stating that. in his opinion
Mrs. Gibson would not be able to
appear in court for two weeks. and
then resumed waggins. The only ex-
plantation seemed 10 be that either