Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-30
MYSTERIES CLIMAX
HEARING ON KANE
Mother of Drowned Woman
Breaks Down on Stand
After Five Minutes.
Ry the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
HAMPTON, Va, September 30.-Pre-
liminary hearing fer Prof. Elisha Kent
Kane on charges Of drowning his wife
was interrupted here today when Mrs
w. c. Graham. mother Of the dead
woman, went into Mysteries on the stand
ana had to be removed for treatment
after five minutes Of sobbing testimony
MRS. Graham, whose illness caused
postponement Of the hearing week ago,
burst into sobbing and crying, my dar-
ling daughter. how can I i've without
here" A physician was called and she
was removed.
She had told Of the arrival of Prof.
Kane at her home two days before the
drowning. She said she called 10 the
couple to come to breakfast the morning
Of the drowning and that her daughter
accompanied her 70 the dining room.
Breaks Down In Sobs.
"she told me her husband wanted to
60 to the beach to swim and she locked
at me with appealing eyes, e. If to say
don't let me 60, or so with me-" MRS.
Graham said.
"They went and my darling daughter
never came back alive"
Her testimony went no further, Is
she broke down In sobs.
Coroner George X. Vanderslice re-
iterated his belief that Mrs. Jenny
premeditated murder when called today
as the f1rgt witness
On cross-examination DR.. vAndefslice
said he did not perform an autopsy be-
cause he at first thought the body would
be sent to Tennessee for burial. He
later wrote q second death certificate
listing homicide as the cause Of death.
In examining the body he said he found
no cuts or bruises. but did not test the
ref1exes Of the limbs ana eyes.
The witness said fishermen near tho
heard screams, but paid no particular
attention because they were used to
great hullabaloo" on the beach because
Of drunken parties"
A big crowd packed the court room
and janrned entrances outside Is the
hearing opened. Police Justice J. e.
Dixon presided
Among the witnesses present was DR..
Evan O'Eeill Kane, father Of the young
professor.
81 witnesses Excluded.
All witnesses, after being sworn, were
excluded from the court room during
the coroner's testimony. Prof Kane
was seated where he faced the wit
nesses.
Dir. vanderslice said he was at the
Hampton Hospital q few minutes after
49, S1s2AA "a
saw and learned later, death was from
drowning. The commonwealth brought
out that DR.. Harry Howe was the other
physician present.
Harris Dahl New York, alleged 70 be
the writer Of the Betty letters, re-
manned In doubt She had been quoted
by her mother as saying she would do
anything she could to assist Prof. Kane
IN this case, but whether or not she
would be called as q witness at the hear
clined to say.
The defense asked IL the coroner had
not based his first death certificate on
what had been told him at the hospital.
The coroner said he gave accidental
drowning as a probability to permit
Prof. Kane to remove the body TO
Tennessee, and that he made an ex-
amlnatlon OF the po0y, Due no autopsy.
Coroner Recites Inquest story.
Asked why he wrote homicide on the
second death certificate, he recited the
story as he heard it ct the inquest.
Prof. Kane told him, he said, that he
and his wife were having q picnic at
Grand View Beach and that he swan
out from shore, leaving his wife on the
beach.
prof. Kane said his wife called 10
him. and he saw her N On awkward
position to dive, but that she gave a
pitiful cry and went into the water"
the coroner continued.
"He knew she was In trouble, and he
went after her. Mrs. Kane driftAd 50
or more yards before he reached her
She grabbed him. and he had great
dif11culty in breaking her hold. After
gettiag her ashore he was exhausted
and had to lie down. AS the fishermen
would not respond to his calls for help
he put his wife in the automobile and
rushed her. to the hospital"