Evening star., 1927-04-30
MRS. SNYDER LOSES
PUBLIC SYMPATHY
Precedent for Woman De-
fendant Broken as Crowd
Laughs at Her Testimony.
BY ROBERT Il. SMALL.

NEW YORK, April 30.-Public sym
pathy, usually maudlin and fearful,
has turned it's back at last upon q
woman defendant in a murder trial.
Few persons in New York ever ex-
pected to live to see such n day. But
it has come and to hardened old court
room attaches it has brought a SEN
Sation Of amaZement.
Ruth Brown Snyder told her story
to a snickering, cynical, unbelieving
audience, and hostile demonstrations
against here were held in check only
by the stern reprimands of the presid-
ing Judge. Ruth Snyder furnished
the only tears which the scene pro-
voked. There was none by her sis
ters under the skin who packed and
Jammed the biggest courtroom in New
York State.
Finds Thumbs Down.
That audience was out for a Roman
holiday, and whenever the woman de-
fendant looked out into the sea of
scoffing faces she found thumbs down.
The spectators would have thrown
the woman to the lions
The laughing unbelievers in the
temple as the woman proclaimed her
complete innocence of any wrongdo-
ing, other than unfaithfulness. made
one realize that at last Ruth Snyder
really stands in the shadow of the
electric chair. If Ruth Snyder's story
had the same effect upon the II men
In the jury box as it did upon the
courtroom, the woman is doomed. The
jurors tried not to betray their feel
ings in any way. But more than
often they changed their gaze from
the woman in the witness chair to the
tittering throng on the benches and
there can only be speculation as to
what effect the gay mood of the lis
teners had upon the men who are to
pass judgment upon the woman and
her male companion, who stand Joint
iy and equally accused of the murder
of the wOman's husband, Albert Sny-
der
Gray's Counsel Joins Scoffers.
The counsel for Judd GRAY. code.
fendant, Joined in the laughter at
Mrs. Snyder's story of her own purity
and innocence. In open court they
also called her "a designing. malicious
human serpent of a woman"
This human serpent" is either n
consummate actress or one of the
most maligned persons ever brought
before the bar OF justice She recited
narrative Of complete innocence and
said she only tried to cover up the
murder of her husband hv her fiery.
ugerish, perfect lover because she was
in mortal terror of him. The picture
OF the lover was so out of keeping
with his known character and his alb
Ject, cringing attitude in the court
room 1t IS small wonder that every
one grinned. Mrs. Snyder has been
pictured as the woman with the heart
nd hn
the crime. The public evidently has
accepted her in that role. and when
she drew about herself the cloak of
innocence and purity, until the "per-
feet lover stole into her happy little
suburban home, the scoffers in the
temple wanted literally TO strip her
and leave her naked and ashamed in
the market place.
Court Reprimands Laughers.
1t was the most bitter experience
any woman could have faced in these
modern and supposedly civilized times.
Ihe temper of the audience can best
be understood when it is related that
it laughed when the woman said she
had taught her little girl her nightly
prayers and helped her with her Sun.
day school lessons.
When the woman said she didn't
smoke, the women in the crowd. evil
IDENTIFY addicted to the weed, guffawed
and brought scowl and a reprimand
from the court. When the woman
told of buying 13 bottles of assorted
liquors for a party of 16 persons
a gale of half-suppressed laughter
swept the crowded room.
For a time it seemed this case
would break all known records in
that the dead man would not be
placed on trial. However, this was
not to be and modern criminal pro-
cedure is running true to form. The
woman said that her husband did not
treat her right, he did not UNDER
stand her. He berated her because
her child was a girl instead of a boy.
He constantly tortured her heart"
by telling her how much he had
loved IAN old sweetheart" He sell
dom, If ever, took her to the theater.
There was a sigh of mock sympathy
when she made the last heinous
charge.
Frankly. Mrs. Snyder was not be-
lieved by the reporters and the
audience. They expect TO see her torn
limb from limb under cross -examina-
ton and apparently win be disap-
pointed if she is not The sob
have deserted Ruth" They.
too, have thumbs down. The woman
truly is in peril But one never
knows what a jury may do.
tCopyright 1927