Evening star., 1926-11-24

son in the courtroom. That is diff
cult to explain to you who know him
only through what are very fair PIC
lures in the public press-pictures OF
great, globular face out of which
stare two great giobular eyes, peer
ing through large spectacles that look
as if they might be magnifying
glasses.
Under a thick wiry cap of graying
hair is a deeply furrowed brow and
two eyebrows, raised high in perpetual
astOnishment. A heavy moustache,
chin that falls away too abruptly.
great ungainly figure-all these you
know well. But the things that you
don't see--we are powerless to snow
you. How would you describe sun
shine to one who had never seen it?
Something bright, something shiny,
something yellow? Well, that might
describe brass ring, or stick Of
candy, or a $40 gold piece-but not
sunshine! No more can we describe
to you the delighted friendliness Of
Willie Stevens smile-a smile that
sends little lines of glee spraying out
about his lips and eyes, lingering long
after the disarming grin itself has
faded.
New Concept of Willie
After the little sprays have van
ished too, he will sit staring hope
fully and anXiously at this strange
world. waiting for something else that
will justify once more that radiant
greeting. We have never used the
word beaming before, because we
have never seen any one before over
years of age beam. Try to remem
ber the way the smallest child you
know looks when you have promised
it some great treat and then full
filed that promise, and you will have
some idea Of the look that Willie
Stevens turns half a dozen times a
day on startled courtroom that has
not promised him anything at all.
That smile was all that we knew
Of Willie when he took the stand. Be-
tore the hour was over, we knew
much more. We knew that the pic
ture that Senator Simpson had been
industriously sketching for us these
last few days of q sinister creature
is a woefully misleading one. Ex-
ternally there is a. faint touch of
that treasure of our childhood, the
golliwog, about him-a fainter one of
the mammoth sheep dog puppy that
Alice-in Wonderland. Internally, pos
sbly there is touch of the old gen
tleman In the black stock and the lit
tie boy who is desperately anxious to
take home good report from school,
He has very real sense of dignity
and his wits very much about him.
Only once did he slip, and that was in
reply to almost the first question
asked him. He said that he was "a
ears old. And when Senator Case
asked him if he didn't mean 81. he
assented, with an anxious beam, 81
by all means. From then on he was
entirely master Of himselh and the
situation.
Courtesy i'm Court Room.
His meticulous courtesy evidently
infected Senator Simpson; for the
time that he was on the stand our
astounded eyes and ears were greeted
by scene Of positively Old World
courtesy. All hatchets were buried,
apparently, and a pleasing hallucina-
tlon, that we were listening to two
pleasantly worldly philosophers thrash
ing out nice point in abstract ethics,
descended on all of us.
A curiOusly anxious and protective
spirit hovers over the courtroom, and
the laughter occasionally that greets
him Is as gay and friendly as his
own No one in the courtroom wants
the awkward, courteous, earnest crea-
ture in the box, proudly exhibiting
his silver watch to show that he
doesn't. wear a gold one, to prove
himself a murderer. The most hard.
ened reporters would relinquish the
greatest story of the decade, rather
than have him break now before our
eyes. We are proud of him when he
lr Cn NJ nj
avoiding Simpsons silken nets with
out even seeming to see them.
What are the high lights of this
trial? Jane Easton staring enviously
at the laughing picture of Anna
King, "the sweet-voiced singer;
Frances Halls white face turned
resolutely from the blood red and
bone-white horror of the plaster head
on the witness stand;' Louise RiehIs
defiant voice describing Mrs. Hall
seated in the library playing solitaire
at 10 O'Clock on the night of the
murder; ~tf1e tears on Charlotte Mills
pert, pretty face; James Mills fiat
voice saying, mo, didn't keep all
the tools-just a knife and whet-
stone" All these and Willie Stevens
explaining the sinister fact as to
why he kept his door closed and
locked at night.
Discloses His Reason.
81 always used to go up after din.
ner to smoke and read"
"And why did you close the door,
Mr.. Stevens?"
A really radiant grin-the grin of
a guilty, rr1schievous small boy.
well, I'm afraid they objected to
a rather horrible pipe"
who objected?"
Everybody"
Even the judges gavel fell gently
spacious gesture. And he locked the
door "for the main and simple rea-
son." as Penrod says, that it wouldn't
hold unless he did lock it.
He is rather stickler for form
gently but firmly he corrected the
prosecutor each time that he refer.
red to DR.. Hall.
Not DIR. Hall-Mr. Hall. Never
DR.. Hall, no not Rev. Hall-Rev. Mr..
Hail."
And which of US will forget the
smile that he bestowed on Senator
simpson himself when that gentleman
lsked him whether after the murder
'e went as usual to the. firehouse
here. he admitted, proudly and
lumbly, that he ran errands for the
'oys. .-
Went every day."
Positively"
Just the same?"
Positively
"Still go?"
"POsitively-''
And then, catching himself and
'1niling forgivingly down at the small
4lert figure Of the prosecutor, "Weil
not just now"
A murder trial is a cruel thing
cruel, ugly, incredible thing. But
under the spell of that rueful Rayety
the ugliness suddenly faded, and some
who sat there saw. not so far away