Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
Accused Officer Holds Board
Spellbound With Dramatic
Story of Inquiry.
QUOTES FROM MEMORY
TEXT OF THREE LETTERS
Trial to Continue Monday, When
Deposed Detective Head Will
Finish Testimony.


mind of Lieut.. Edward j. Kelly, the ex-
traordinary police trial board was given
a graphic and comprehensive picture
yesterday afternoon of the incidents
surrounding the mysterious death of
Mrs. Virginia Mcpherson, the investi-
CATION Of which he and Inspector Will
liam S. Shelby are charged jointly with
bungling.
Kelly, the ninety-ninth witness in
the prolonged trial. testified in his own
defense, recounting step by step and in
the most minute detail, how he con-
Quoted the Mcpherson case investiga-
ton. The story was unfinished, how
ever, when the trial board adjourned
abruptly, and he will be recalled to
complete it when the trial is resumed
at $50 O'Clock tomorrow morning.
KeIly's Story Dramatic.
Kelly took the witness stand after In
spector Shelby had recited a complete
and chronological version of the part
he played in the investigation of the
Mcpherson case, which required nearly
four hours, including more than an
hour of cross examination. But Kelly's
story as far as he progressed with it
was more engroSsing, more absorbing
and more dramatic, because 1t revealed
his remarkable power of memory.
Kellys story was not drawn from him
through questions by counsel as was
done in Shelby's testimony. He was al
lowed to outline, with but few inter-
ruptions, every act in his investigation
up to the time the trial board adjourned
1t was 3:15 O'Clock when Kelly was
called TO the witness stand and 4:3O
O'Clock when the board stopped the pro-
ceedings, and in that hour and Is
minutes he was only able to relate the
details of his preliminary investigation,
so thorough did he cover every phase of
his movements. Kelly talked rapidly, so
rapidly, in fact. the stenographer be-
came exhausted and appealed to the
trial board to take brief recess so he
might rest his cramped fingers.
Talks at Rapid Rate.
Talking at the rate of $50 words a
minute It took Kelly IS minutes to
describe conditions and contents in the
Mcpherson apartment in the Park Lane
as he found them when he went there
on the afternoon of September IA to
view the garroted body of Mrs. Nc
Pherson and undertake his investiga-
ton. He did not fail to mention an OBJ
ject in the room or give its position and
lCS relaClOn 10 the case SO detailed was
his description.
without note and without a mo-
ment's hesitation Kelly reviewed every
angle of his inquiry, but the most re-
markable demonstration of his memory
came when he quoted verbatim the text
of three letters he found in the Nc
Pherson apartment-letters which he
has not seen for several months.
Kelly, however, did not disclose any
thing that has not already been made
public in connection with the now ia
nous case, with the exception, perhaps,
of certain incidents in connection with
the domestic life Of the McPherSons.
But the coherent, unhesitating and in
teresting way he portrayed the case
held the trial board and the spectators
spellbound.
Plans had been made to bring the
trial to close yesterday afternoon, but
when it became evident that Kelly
would need several hours longer to COM
plete his story and the prosecution in
Dictated that it proposed to call several
witnesses In rebuttal, the trial board de-
cided to further prolong the proceed
ings over the week end. There is a
likelihood now that the trial may end
tomorrow although neither the defense
nor the prosecution gave any definite
assurance to that effect.
Prosecution Guards Witnesses.
The prosecution is guarding with ut
most secrecy the names of the witnesses
it plans to call for the rebuttal teSti-
mony, but there have been rumors that
several of the July grand jurors have
been found who are willing to testify. |
The prosecution was not very fortunate |
in its first efforts to get testimony from |
the members of this grand jury, two of
them fatty refusing to take the witness
stand, while the foreman, Merritt o. !
Chance. declined to submit to cross-ex- !
animation after completing his direct |
testimony.
In the hour and Is minutes Kelly was
on the stand he traced his movements |
from the time he was called to the Nc !
Pherson apartment after the finding of |
Mrs. McPherson's body until his return !
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