Evening star., 1926-11-24
TRIAL FANS GIVEN BIG THRILL
BY WILLIE STEVENS ON STAND
Upsets All Preconceived Notions by At
tractive Manner and Capable Replies
in First Day Testimony. ~~
BY FRANCES MOVES HAR
pecial Dispatch to The sta

Special Dispatch to The star.
COURTHOUSE, SOMERVILLE, y.
j.. November 24.-The day started off
yesterday badly enough. Already
there had been few ominous
rumblings az to ''whorls" and indenta-
tions. A premonitory pallor descend
ed on the spectators and we cast de-
spairing eyes about us. Our darkest
suspicious were fully justified. Five
minutes after court had opened yes
terday the fingerprint experts were
upon us in full cry.
Mr.. McCarter, who has been singu-
larly inconspicuous these last few
days, has evidently been boarding all
his resOurcefulness for this spectac-
ular encounter, and now dashes into
the arena. pinker of jowl and portlier
of demeanor than ever. 1t looked for
a while lately as though he had
actually left US. Senator Case seemed
to be running things practically
single-handed. 1e 1t was who cross.
examined Jane Easton, who made the
opening charge to the jury, who how
cred solicitously about Henry Stevens,
with an objection in either hand.
But now all is changed. Mr.. Nc
Carter. who has presumably been
brooding over tineerprjnts all this
time. is with us again-and SO, heaven
help us, are the fipgerprints, In
detestably familiar words-"bifuca-
tions." "arch types, ridges" "se.
baceous"--one after another they as
sault our Mortified ears. while the re-
lentless McCarter. looking a rather
engaging cross between a kewpie and
a bulldog, not only does nothing to
restrain them, but actually eggs
them on.
Dispute Among Experts.
The morning was all theirs and a
generous section Of the afternoon.
We will not dwell on it. Fingerprint
experts will be finger experts. 1t ap-
pears, and we are trying not to be
morbid about it. Like the Belle Dame
Sans Merci. we will content ourselves
with making faint means and passing
on. 1t is a melancholy satisfaction
to us, however, that at least three
fingerprint experts may never again
after this trial testify 50 glibly and
unequivocally. Whether they will be
the three for the defense or the three
for the prosecution is still uncertain.
Each group has given the lie direct
to the other as to whether the finger
print on Mr. Halls card is Willie
brought up to believe that the only
thing surer than death or taxes was
Identification by means of finger
prints. Apparently we were wrong.
What Mr.. McCarter and from now
on we ourselves playfully allude to as
the socalled science" of fngerprint-
ing seems to be just about as exact
a science as crap shooting. 1t will
he interesting to note the effects OF
this battle on the future of that
science.
Just as we had resigned ourselves
to an afternoon as sOpOrific as the
morning the pleasantest event of the
trial took place. John Bum. the tall.
lanky down Ea st looking gentleman
who has the best hair part and the
finest soprano voice of any court crier
in these United States, lifted that
voice high and mellifluously into.ned:
"William Stevens" gasp of de-
light ran through the reprieved spec
tators Truly, it Is always darkest
Just before the dawn: Willie. the un-
known quantity was to take the stand.
and in the next few minutes one OF
the greatest mysteries of the Hall case
might be cleared up.
Smile Found Engaging.
At the end of an hour or so the
principal mystery to most OF us, as
far as Willie's status was concerned.
was Just how the rumOr of his marked
eccentricity got about. The only un-
usual things that he showed us this
afternoon were his manners and his
smile. Both of them were about 100
per cent above the average.
Some of us. even before he mounted