New Britain herald., 1927-04-20
W0MENS WEEK IN
 NEW YORK COURTS
Four Sensational Murder Trials
 Being Held

New York, April 70 UP)-This !s nonen's week in the criminal courts 0. New York and vicinity
 Three women were on trial for murder n three nearby towns. while n New Jersey fourth will be called before the grand jury for possible indictment on Ike charge,
 The unprecedented series Of trials 0, women for capital crime has come In the midst Of a campaign to ''debunk" the murder trial and to speed justice.
 Yrs. and foremost ot the cases in yolved .s that O: Mrs. Ruth Brown snyder. Jointly accused with Henry Judd Gray 0. the murder Of Mrs. Say1er's husband, Albert Snyder. Her trial is at Long Island City, across the Eas. river from Manhat- an.
 Next 1. the trial ot Mrs Christine stoble in Freehold, N. J. She is &C., cused of killing her daughter. Rosa, half hour after Rosa had given birth 10 Q child. She went on trial yesterday.
 Third is the cas-. ot Lucy Baxter l,arley at NeHburgh, New York, ac- used Of poisoning her husband, for me love O. an icaman. She is on rial before {. jury.
 Fourth is the case c. Mrs. Edwin Ease- Of Sussex county, New Jersey, rho must answer to the grand jury nn charge ot having aided Frank Van Sickle. farm hand, to kill her usband.
 In three 0, the four cases desire 70 be rid Of an unwanted husband was the actuating motive. In the fourth case. that c, Mrs. Stoble al Freehold, the answer lies in the olind rage ot mother who sa." her laughter In disgrace, the good name c. the family hesm!rched.
 Between the Barley and the Shy ner-Gray cases there is Q remarkable analogy. William Wegley. the ice nan in the Barley case and Mrs. Barley have joined In mutual re- crimina.lons, which began not long after Barley died and they found no happiness in the life they were then free to pursue. Similarly Mrs, Shy fer has turned On Gray denouncing Jim as q ''jackaL'
 None Of the defendants 1, a per son 0. outstanding prominence beauty or personality. Yet for some nnaccountable reason Mrs. Ruth Srovn Snyder has stepped forward and become the one to dominate public attention.
 If Not Beautiful
 Yet she never was intended to be- rome a figure known nationally. she appears in court dressed entirely Tn black although her type demands a little color to enhance attractiveness. Her face Is pallid under a deftly ap- piled coat of rouge. Its lines are all angles and her jaw overhangs her neck from which the cords pro- trude when she turns her head. The tip of her nose Is the apex Of a slight angle formed by a perpendicu- lar dropped to the floor which would hn tangent to her chin and another line parallel 10 the bridge of her nose and running up her forehead to tle peak Of a slightly pointed head. Her hands are over-red and her fg- ure. while not ungainly, would never pass muster before Flo Ziegteld. Her ankles are not as heavy az Aimee McPh erson's or the more familiar Peaches BroWninss. but they are not trim.
 Had Mrs. Snyder lived Tn some small town of the west she would nave been known for her ability 10 stop the sortias Of the village wise cracker. The town would have been shocked. perhaps, by her standing on her head at church social and there would be rumors that she smoked cigarettes. But that would nave brought her thrill enough and she would no. have done murder.
 But fate willed she live near New York in a sophisticated atm mosphere and 50 she became enamored of Henry Judd Gray, sI00 a week corset salesman Tho wears horn rimmed glasses over face that has TO sharp outlines and whose black halr runs unusually far down the pack oe hl. neck. Finally the amour @ccording to the allegations. went so ar that she stood by or maybe even helped while Gray cracked her hus- bands skull with q window weight
 That's more or less the story Of Irs. Snyder.
 Mrs. StOble's Case
 Mrs. stoble is of foreign birth. he mother Of 10 children. the wife ot hardworklug gardonor. l.