Evening star., 1927-11-22
SNYDER-GRAY CASE
APPEAL IS DENIED
Widow and Corset Salesman
Must Die. New York
Court Holds.
By the Associated Press.

| BY the Associated Pfess.
| ALBANY, y. Y. November "a
| Mrs. Ruth Brown Snyder and Henry
! Judd Gray lost their last court fight
| for life today when the Court of Ap-
peals denied their appeal from convic.
ton of the murder of Albert Snyder,
| the wOmans husba nd.
| The chief ground on which the ap-
peal was asked by both defendants
was that their legal rights had been
prejudiced by the fact that they were
tried Jointly instead of separately.
The court handed down two-line
statement that it affirmed the Judg-
ment of conviction as to each defend
ant.
Planned as Perfect Crime"
The murder of Albert Snyder. art
editor of Motor Boating, on March
10 last, was planned as a perfect
crime" but lnattention on the part
OF Snyder's slayers to a few minor
details aroused the suspicious of the
police. and both Ruth Brown Snyder.
wife of the murdered man. and Henry
Judd Gray, her paramour, were
under arrest within "a hours after
the discovery of the crime.
On the morning of Monday. March
90, the police were summoned to the
Snyder home in Queens Village. to
find Snyder strangled with a wire
about his neck, while wounds on the
head indicated that he had been
beaten with some blunt instrument.
Mrs Snyder. aged 81 years and ~
years her husbands Junior, told the
officers that she had been awakened
during the night by a big powerful
man. who bound and gagged her. She
was found bound and gagged by her
9-year-old daughter Lorraine. who ran
to the neighbors for help. The con-
dition Of the house indicated that
| robbery might have been committed.
Mrs. Snyder said that she had been
trussed up for many hours. but the
| fact that her ankles and wrists bore
no marks of the bonds aroused the
suspicious of the police.
Grilling Brings Confession.
Finally after an allnight grilling
at the Queens Village police station
| Mrs. Snyder broke down and confess.
ed that she and Henry Judd Gray
of East Orange. \. j., a corset sales
man. had planned the crime, but that
| Gray was the actual slayer.
| Gray was arrested at the Hotel
Onondaga, Syracuse, where he had
been staying for several days. His
/ dilDl WIS litIt ne Ildu DttH at the
| hotel over the week end, and support
seemed to be given this contention
| by the fact that do not disturb
| card was hung on the door of his
room on Sunday, and that there had
been a telephone call from the room
Gray stoutly maintained his innocence
when taken into custody, and
threatened suit against any news
paper that printed his name in con
nection with the murder case.
Mrs. Snyder, shortly before the mur
der had induced her husband to take
out life insurance policies amounting
in all. to $97 900. She declared that
Gray forced her into the crime. while
Gray. on the other hand. said that he
was under the influence of liquor at
the time and was completely dominat
ed by Mrs. Snyder's stronger person
ality and was merely an instrument
in her hands.
The trial Of the pair was opened on
Aprit &c. in the Queens County Court
house Long Island City.
Their appeals from the conviction
were argued before the Court of Ap'
peals month ago. Counsel contend
ed that the joint trial was prejudicial
TO the interests of each defendant