Evening star., 1927-04-26
FEARED FOR LIFE,
SAYS MRS. SNYDER
Woman's Confession, Read
in Court, Declares Husband
Threatened Her.
By the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, April 26.-Mrs. Ruth
Henry Judd Gray, to kill her husband
because the husband had threatened
her and she feared for her life,
/ according to her confession read in
court today.
| Immediately after the noon recess
District Attorney Newcombe read Mrs.
Snyder's confession, Justice Scudder
having overruled objections by de-
fense counsel.
Mrs. Snyder listened attentively,
while Gray rested his chin on one
hand and gazed abstractedly at the
| floor.
Meeting With Gray.
In the confession Mrs. Snyder
| stated that it became evident soon
after her marriage. II years ago. that
| she and her husband were unsuited
to each other.
The confession dealt in detail with
her meeting with Gray and their sub
seduent intimacies. AS these We're
read Mrs Snyder raised her chin
belligerently, but Gray gave no sign
| of hearing.
I'VE decided" the confession read,
| that the only thing we could do was
| to get my husband before he got me" !"
4 She recorded that together they
planned the murder, but on the first
| date they decided on they got cold
feet"
/ Staying Is Described.
| Describing the night of the Staying,
she said she put her little daughter to
| bed, stopping as she passed the upper
| hall to tell Gray, who was hiding in
/ another room, that she would be with
him soon.
she said she went to bed until her
| husband was asleep. Then she joined
| Gray, who had already drunk almost
a quart of whisky after she left him.
She said that the picture wire was
put around Snyder's throat only after
| bIood-stained garments had been
| burned and the house had been upset
to simulate a burglary.
| She said that the only reason she
! decided to do away with her husband
was that she feared for her own life
at his hands.
The confession was accepted in
| evidence.
Mclaughlin Gives Testimony.
| George ". Mclaughlin, former New
York City police commissioner, testi-
| fed in the trial to a conversation he
had with Mrs. Snyder as she lay in bed
| the day hershusband was killed.
He said she told him on returning
from card party. Of being seized
by a man with black mustache and
of fainting.
Did she know her husband was
dead at that time?"
Detectives told me she did not
I informed her of the fact She shed
/
answer questions.
You saw her later at police sta
tion?"
Yes"
vshe still told the same story"
| yes"
Lack OF Affection.
| She told him that her husband had
not shown any affection for her Tor
the last or 10 years. She said also
that she had remained away from
home all night and that her husband
| had objected.
| Later. with handkerchief 20 her
eyes, she stated, he said. that she
had rot been telling the truth ana
/ wanted to confess.
"When I handed her slip on which
was written the name of Gray, ne
said "she said That is the man. has
he confessed? -,
She then told him. Mclaughlin
said of her intimacy with Gray. he
| quoted her as saying she had toiu
Gray of her domestic troubles anu
| they had decided "the only way out
was to get rid of Snyder.
Mclaughlin then told how Mrs.
| Snyder told him of returning home
the night Of the murder, putting her
| daughter and Snyder to bed. and GO
| ing to Gray where he was hiding In
/ another room.
| She then told him, he said that
| Gray went in and struck Snyder
while she stayed in the hall watching
him. Immediately after thai they
prepared the burglar evidence ahd
| burned clothes which had become
| blood stained,
Then, after taking several drinks.
Mclaughlin said he was told, Gray
| tied up Mrs. Snyder to strengthen
the burglar theory and then returned
to Syracuse.
Diagram Is Identified.
Lieut.. Charles Dorschell, who was
being questioned when court al
| journed last night. was the first wit
ness called to the stand today.
He identified a diagram of certain
streets in Kingston. n. y, which ne
said Gray made after his arrest 10
show where he bought the sash
weight, picture wire and chloroform
with which Albert Snyder, the
woman defendants husband, was
beaten, strangied and anesthetized TO
death.
After other witnesses had testified
re .arding the diagram of the town of
Kingston, which Gray prepared for
the police, Arthur r. Bailey, an en-
ploye of a Kingston hardware store,
testified that he had sold 5-pound sash
weight on March 4. He could not,
however, recollect to whom it was
} sold. The weight was handed the wit
ness. Bailey said 1t was of type his
store carried
! Milton G. Fidgeon of Bellaire, who
had met the Snyders at Port Jefferson
and who was host of the card party
at which the Snyders were guests the
: night of the murder, called as a wit.
ness, was asked if liquor was served.
u "It WaS.p he repIiad