Evening star., 1932-04-22
W|MbLEY LEAVES
STAND IN COLLAPSE
as He Tells Jury Wife
Drowned as Result
of Accident.

Harry C. Wimbley this afternoon
cried as he told his version of the
drowning of his wife, which the Gov
trated by him and John M. Crowder,
then collapsed on the witness stand in
District Supreme Court, where he Is on
trial.
He told the jury the canoe turned
over in the middle of the Chesapeake
& Ohio Canal last September II, when
his wife and her baby were fishing in
midstream.
When my wife picked up the fish,
ing pole and sort of turned 1t over in
her hands as II to change ends, she
hit the side OF the canoe and the con-
founded thing turned right over" he
said
Says He Was 50 Yards Away.
He said at the time the canoe up
set he was so yards away. slightly be-
low the bank between the canal and
the river, and that he shouted to
Crowder:
That boat has turned overr He
looked startled and turned and ran.
I pulled off my coat and ran, kicked
my shoes of just as jumped into the
water.
"I saw what looked like my wife's
face and her hat floating on the water
/ dove for it. When I grabbed the
hat nothing was under it. Then
shouted to Crowder:
For Gods sake, get somebody to
help us get them out!'
He said: 'Who?' I said: The police,
rescue squad, anybody
"I swan downstream and dove and
dove but couldn't see anything"
Then he said he got the canoe, feel
ing for his wife with a paddle.
II saw a fishing pole floating on the
water" he said, land got hold Of 1t.
I pulled 1t up and my wife was on the
other end, holding 1t with a death
grip.
and took her ashore"
Then he told of how he had ap-
piled artificial respiration until po-
liceman came and took the work over:
Afterward a doctor came, he said, and
pronounced her dead. He then COL
lapsed and court recessed for 10 min
uteS.
Real Name Dickerson.
Wimbley took the stand after Will
liam l. Boyd, District Government sur
veyor, had testified Mrs. Wimbley ano
her daughter were drowned 72o feet
! inside the Maryland-District line on
the canal.
Asked his name, Wimbley replied:
John German Harry Clayton Dick
erson."
He explained he had changed his
name to Wimbley, the maiden name OF
his mother, as a result of a fight ne
had in 1914 or 1915 with an Army SER
geant while he was serving with Per-
shing's troops on the Mexican border
He said he subsequently enlisted in the
Marine Corps under the name OF
Wimbley and when he launched into
detailed discussion of his services
Assistant United States Attorney Will
| liam H. Collins objected to the court
Ito this waving Of the flag"
Describes Third Marriage.
Testifying as to his third marriage
to Miss Ida May Graves, former Cen
sus Bureau clerk-Wimbley said she
suggested why can't we get married
and pose as man and wife" He said
he told her he had another wife living
in Virginia, but she replied that she
did not care to continue keeping COM
| pany" with him unless they were mar
ried. He married her April 3 at Rock
vile. Md, using the name Dickerson.
Shortly after the marriage, he said,
he went to Oklahoma, stayed there two
months and returned 70 Washington
after receiving letter from the third
wife informing him she was to have a
baby He told the jury an operation
was performed in Baltimore and on
| September or 10 he said "good-by" to
her finally and sent her nome to Exeter,
Mo.
Talks Of Crowder.
Wimbley declared he had seen
| Crowder only three times in my life
prior to September H." He said IL
/ was Crowder who suggested going down
! to Virginia after he had received a let
ter from his wife and that 1t was
Crowder who suggested renting an au-
tomobile with $40 he (Wimbley) had
borrowed from his roommate, William
Max Jungren.
Il said to him." Wimbley told the
| jury, IMAM, you can't rent a car ano
| go down there and back for 500 That
| is alright Crowder told me, I can Fl,
that for you Then he told me how hs
could fix the speedometer so that II
would not register, and in that way We
could make the trip. He demonstrated
on an automobile at John Marshal
place and c street"
Rad;n pvn0yane an ps~a 60