Evening star., 1927-12-03
BEACH, ON STAND,
DENIES MURDER
Pale and Nervous at First,
He Grows Calm Under
Questioning.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
, COURTROOM, MAYS LANDING.
n. j., December 3.--Willis Beach, eld-
erly chicken raiser. today took the
stand in his trial for the murder of
DR.. a. William Lilliendahl, with which
he and the doctors widow are charged.
Beach, pale and nervous. denied that
he had any connection whatever with
the killing of DR. Lilliendahl
He denied that he had ever marked
any road maps with checks at the
scene of the killing. Such marked
maps were found in Mrs. Lilliendahls
bag at the scene of the crime.
Beach. completely composed. as soon
as he became accustomed to the
friendly questioning of his own cOun-
sci. said that the gun Henry Pugh of
Philadelphia had said he lent Beach's
son Ray was in fact given to the
Beach youth and not lent to him.
Tells of Friendship.
He had no guns in his house except
the three which detectives found after
the killing, all of which were said TO
have been very dusty. indicating that
they had not been fired for a long
time, he said.
Beach told of first meeting DR.. Lii
liendahl about. year ago, friendship
grew between the two families, he
said, and the doctor seemed pleased
that Beach and Mrs Lilliendahl
found each others company agree.
able.
He said his friendship with Mrs
LilliendahI never caused any quarrels
in either family. The State contends
that this alleged intimacy formed the
motive for the crime.
Beach then told of his only quarrel
with DR.. Lilliendahl which he said
was over the best methods for curing
sick chickens.
I'VE were very friendly" Beach
said, He called me Willis and 1
called him Doc or Willie .
Asked to tell of his actions on the
day of the killing, September Is. Beach
said:
II was feeling pretty bad. so l
didn't get up till 7:30. | had break
fast at and at 915 left In my car
for Nineland from my South Vineland
home.
Has Shoes Shined.
'T had my shoes shined. bought a
paper and then circled toward home,
getting there about 1915.
''My water pump was leaking, and
| repaired it. | went into the house
as the clock struck II.
II lay down little while and then
read the paper. At noon my son
called me to lunch.
Then we went out in the garden,
talked to carpenter who was going
to repair the rear porch, and l left
in my car for Hammonton.
Il went to a cemetery monument
place. where some work was being
done for me, and with Mr.. Collins, one
of the proprietors, went to the ceme-
terry, where my lot is. to see if had
land enough to put the monument I
had ordered on"
Beach said he stayed in the ceme-
terry with Collins awhile. then. going
back to the monument office with him,
arriving there at APO. Then he drove
home, getting there about ).
Witness Furnishes Alibi.
Beach could not have confessed to
the murder on October / in Baltimore
as he was in Marcus Hook, Pa. all
that day, one defense witness testified.
Mrs. Helen Parker of Lynwood
Heights, near Marcus Hook, testified
today that she knew Beach, whom she
called Uncle Bill" She said Beach
was at her house October /. This was
the day Samuel Bark. circus man. had
said Beach confessed the murder to
him in Baltimore.