Evening star., 1931-12-09
KANE WAS BRUTAL,
WITNESS TEST|F|ES
Chapel Hill Home Described
as "Mad House" at Trial
in Woman's Drowning.
BY the Associated Press.

by the Associtteo Fre1,
HAMPTON. Va, December 9,-The
home OF Prof. Elisha Kent Kane while
At Chapel Hill, N. c., was described to-
day as mad house. by Mrs. w. II.
Graham. wife Of Mrs. Kane's brother,
who testified for the State in the, pro-
fessor's trial on charges Of drowning
his wife.
She said Kane tortured his wife by
blasphemy and treated her brutally and
boasted Of his disbelief In God and re-
lations with other women.
Stricken From Record.
Judge G. Vernon Sprately ordered
part Of Mrs. Graham's testimony
stricken from the records.
@. M. Saunders, friend OF Mrs.
Kane's family, testified for the State
that Kane told him he was trying to
teach his wife to swim at Grand View
Beach. Saunders said Kane told him
he did everything he could to revive
her after he brought her ashore.
Miss Emma Robelin Of Richmond said
she saw Kane driving down the beach
at terrific speed and that he asked that
she and her sister call hospital. She
said there was woman In the car and
that she appeared to have her eyes
closed. She said Kane was very much
excited.
Describes Arrival At Hospital.
Miss Hazel Wells, a nurse at the
Dixie Hospital, described the arrival OF
Prof. Kane there with his wife. She
said he had on one sock and no shoes
and wore a dark bathing suit.
q
fisherman, was brought to the stanc
told of seeing q struggle in the water
near the Grand View Lighthouse anc
OF hearing screams at the time Of Mrs
Kane's drowning.
He admitted that at first he thought
1t was child's voice he heard. He
answered mo, sir,".when asked: There
wasn't any good reason for you to go ir
and stop any trouble, was there?"
Witness Replies "If You Say So."
j. F. Holloway, another fisherman
said he was attracted by "a hollering
in the water, where two persons were
| splashing around. Under cross-exami-
nation he said the screams were distress
In the preliminary hearings for Kane
that the calls were the sort Of screams
heard every day on the beach, Holloway
said: 49,, .- 49,.
"It you say SO. I did"
Heard Screams for 10 Minutes.
Lon Furmin, another fisherman, who
said he was In a boat, testified to hear
ing screams for 10 or Is minutes
Afterward, he said he saw man brins
something ashore, back up an auto
mobile and put the object In the car
j. T. Fuymin, father Of Lon, said he
also heard screams and they made him
SO nervous he quit work. His boat was
| 400 to 500 yards off shore.
Getting rapid start after g.. jury
was selected yesterday Common.
wealth Attorney Roland D. Cock SCI
about attempting to prove that the
domestic relations of the Kanes
had reached the breaking point" anc
| that this furnished a motive for the
| drowning of Mrs. Jennie Graham Kane
as wilful, premeditated act.
Defense Has 40 Witnesses.
More than two days may be required
| for the defense to present its case. There
are 40 witnesses. They include num-
| Der OF persons who knew the defend.
ant as professor of romance language,
| at the University of Tennessee ano
others, the nature Of whose testimony
| Is unknown.
w, G. Graham, father Of the wife
who WIS drowned Oh Grandview Beach
N Chesapeake Bay last September, yes
| terday accused Prof Kane Of curstne
ana abusing his wife.