The Washington times., 1934-01-19

deScTtbeS heT reactions 10 Lhe LGC-
est evidence UoUen BY the State in
the trial of her mother, DR.. Alice
Wynekoop, for the operating table
murder of the defendants d1uoh'
ter-in-lGtD, Rhetd.
BY
DIR. CATHERINE WYNEKOOP
Copyright. 1884, by International
| News Service)
CHICAGO, Jan. 10 QN.SO.-
Speaking of lie detectors-which
I heard mentioned in the court
room yesterday, I wish that I had
one. I think it would be as use,
full in the courtroom as in the
third degree room.
OF course, I know that all the
witnesses swear to "tell the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth"
But somehow when they are
through they seem to have painted
a picture of a situation that looks
strange to those who have seen it
at first hand.
Mother Improved
sit beside my mother in the
courtroom through it all, pri-
marily as her physician. Fortu-
nately she seems to have rallied,
and I hope there will be no more
collapSes.
It is my duty to keep my
feelings under control in the
courtroom, and I try my best to
do so. Mother tries to do that,
too, and I know she was glad
that she was able to hold up
last evening until the jury left
the courtroom.
Yet as 1 sat in the courtroom
and listened to gruff Capt. John
Siege and Suave DR.. Harry
Homman tell in almost identical
words of the circumstances sur.
rounding mothers so-called CON
fession." I got a picture of a
woman who had been gently
treated by the policemen on the
memorable night of November %
suddenly deciding to reward her
kindly captors by telling ALL
Testimony Is Surprise
It was vastly different from
those ghaStly hours as remember
them. I wasn't surprised at Cap
tain Siege pointing with pride to
the way he had handled the queS'
tioning, but I was surprised to
hear DR.. Hoffman, whom mother
looked to as a colleague and a
friend in the ordeal at the police
station, sit there, swinging his
legs, answering all questions in a
monotone and, without change
in expression, tell the same story
that Captain Siege had told before
him.
I was more surprised when he
didn't remember" that her blood
pressure had registered $50 when
the lie detector was attached to
her that terrible night, and that
she was fatigued beyond endur'
ance.
At the time of the statement
mother had been without sleep
for 10 hours, and had been sub.
jected to a continual questioning
If she would tell their story, she
would be allowed to go home and
she would be bothered no more.
Truth forgotten"
Although these suggestions
were apparently made in DR.. Hoff-
mans presence, he seemed to have
forgotten about them entirely
when he was on the stand.
Unless one understands Rheta'S
psychology, it is difficult to under
stand mothers seemingly tireless
efforts to get her life insured.
Applied Again
Mother felt that probably Rheta
would be turned down by this COM
pany a second time. So rather
than wait for a rejection and it's
probable bad effect on Rheta,
mother made application to an
other company.
All this delay had the effect of
confirming Rheta's fears about
herself and the child became
morose. She became extremely
shy-didn't want to meet any one
and slipped away by herself
whenever she could.
Applied Again
In distraction, mother called
in her friend, Miss Mccormick,
explained the situation to her
and made application for an in
Surance policy for Rheta "just
like GATHERINGS" So that's the
great insurance mystery!
Mother said to me:
"What chance have /? Here
/ MISUNDERSTANDING against
all these men. They can get
tOgether-have access to all
the recOrds-and they GER
tainly do manage to misin-
terpret perfectly innocent cir
CumStanceS."