The Washington times., 1927-06-14

So let me fall back for the
time into some Of the contested
points growing out of the joint in.
dictment Of myself and Judd Gray
for murder in the first degree:
The case for the State, summed
up. is as follows:
Ruth Snyder, wearied Of her dull
husband, who was IL years older
than herself, q frivolous blonde of
many loose contacts with men, had
plotted to murder her husband for
several years, having given him
poison, detached a gas hose in the
room where he slept, and consid.
cred drowning him; without his
knowledge she had increased his is
surance from $1,000 to $4,000 and
calculated the amount in double
figures provided for violent death.
Accused of Vamping Him
Ruth Snyder met Judd Gray, a
corset salesman and married man,
through a restaurant filtration, Sc
duced him, encouraged him to drink
heavily, and starting gradually. at
last operated bluntly in demanding
of him that he help her kill her
husband, during which she expert.
mented with poison. had him sew
eral times on the verge Of doing
the deed but failed, and finally got
him so infatuated and intrigued
that he reluctantly consented and
bought a sashweight, chloroform,
cotton waste, rubber gloves. etc.
That by a pre-arranged plan, on
cot IN
Snyder was to leave the downstairs
doors Of her home open on going
to a party with her husband and
daughter; Gray was to enter while
they were out; certain signals were
to be left to guide him; and whiskey
was to be placed to keep his nerve
up, all of which transpired as ar.
ranged.
Accused of Striking Blow
That Ruth Snyder got her hus.
band as drunk as she could, came
home with him. communicated Sec
fetly with Gray in the house while
getting her husband asleep, sig.
nailed to Gray that he was asleep,
handed him the murder tools and
went in with him. That Gray
struck the sleeping man with the
sashweight. That the blow did not
stun him and Snyder came to and
fought. That he was overpowering
Gray when Ruth Snyder picked up
the bludgeon and struck Snyder on
the head, fracturing his skull. and
rendering him senseless, after
which Gray strangled him.
That Ruth Snyder said, I'VE
must make sure he's dead, because
if he isn't this time, I'm ruined. I"
That they drew down the covers
and made certain, and thereafter
the two murderers drank liquor,
engaged in amorous embraces and
Ruth Snyder then robbed the
pockets Of her murdered husband
and gave the money to her guilty
lover. who left for Syracuse to go
through with an alibi after the two
had mussed up the house to give
appearance Of a burglary, and Gray
had trussed Ruth up to appear
that she was attacked and tied.
Those are the important details,
roughly speaking. Roughly enough!
Had to Fight Two Foes
The defendant Gray, after a
feeble attempt to lie, made no con-
test of the facts as alleged: in
truth, most of them came from
him in the first place, his story
entirely guiding and changing the
States theory already pieced to-
gether. Ruth Snyder went to trail
defending herself against the COM
bination of the prosecution and the
co-defense, both tremendously Sc
lecting the same jury, both demand
ing the joint trial, both standing on
the same story.
Ruth Snyder admitted portions Of
the allegations in direct examination
to the following effect:
That it was true she had never
loved her husband, that It was true
she had been intimate with Gray;
that she had left the doors open that
night, had protected and shielded
Gray after the act, had lied in her
first story to the police and in both
her confessions before trial.
Was Not in the Room
She admitted that she had been in
the house, but not in the room at
the time of the killing.
She swore she had not struck a
blow nor had she seen one struck,
nor had she fastened the wire around
oHyueT HECK, nor naQ she SplIled
chloroforn on his pillow.
Her defense was that Gray had
conceived the murder plot originally,
that she had many times dissuaded
him from it. and that on the fatal
night she was ill, overweight and
hysterical, and, believing she had
again prevailed on Gray to dismiss
or postpone his fiendish designs, she
had left the room, and that when
she returned there Snyder had been
killed by Gray, single-handed.
She was supported only by med!
zeal testimony to the effect that
any Of the blows struck Snyder
therefore the first one-would have
made it impossible for him to have
struggled; that, therefore, Snyder
did not fight as alleged and that,
therefore. Ruth Snyder was not
called on to help Gray, and that,
therefore, Ruth Snyder did not help
Gray, and that, therefore, Ruth
Snyder did not participate in the
killing, and that, therefore, she
could not be guilty of murder in
the first degree.
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