Evening star., 1938-06-13
lands ON. TRIAL
IN W|FE'S DEATH
Girl Acquaintance on Hand
to Testify Against
Ex-Fireman.
BY w. H. sHIPPEN, Jr.

A girl acquaintance was in court to-
day to testify against 23-year -old
James L. Lands as the dismissed fire.
man went on trail for his life in the
Staying of his estranged wife, Mrs.
Blanche Gertrude Lands, 20.
The chief prosecution witness was
expected to be Miss Virginia Lee
Simpson, pretty brunette student
nurse. who was said to have accepted
diamond ring from Lands which
she returned when she learned he vas
under arrest for the death OF his wife.
Miss Simpson left for her home at
Atkinson. N. c., shortly after reading
newspaper accounts Of the fatal beat
ing of Mrs. Lands, which occurred
early on the morning of March ~ on
q lonely section OF Twenty-fourth
street near Taylor street NE. The
young matron's skull was crushed with
stones and 4 sandbag improvised from
q mans sock.
The slender, dapper defendant gazed
curiously at Miss Simpson as she
stood in court this morning in answer
to the roll call Of Government wit
nesses. The girl did not glance in the
direction Of the accused man.
Lands is represented by Attorneys
Jean M. Boardman and Z. Russell
Kelly. The latter won an acquittal
for former Policeman Robert LAngdon
several weeks ago in the seven-year-
old murder Of Beulah Limerick. As
sistant United States Attorney Cecil
r. Helm is prosecuting the case, aided
by John c. Conliff, a special assistant
in the United States attorneys ONCE.
The Government has summoned 4S
Witnesses, including . psychiatrist ex-
rected to be put on the stand should
the defense attempt to prove insanity.
Selection of q jury got under way
shortly after 10 O'Clock. The jury was
expected to be completed this after
noon.
lands Contention.
lands contends that Mrs. lands
was injured when she plunged from
his moving automobile. Investigators,
however, found two bloodstained
stones and a broken sand bag lying
beside the body. Medical testimony
was offered at the inquest to the effect
that the fatal injuries could not have
resulted from fall.
Lands was said to have had q num-
Der Of dates with Miss Simpson during
the period Of his estrangement from
his wife. One Of the prosecution wit
nesses is jeweler who last March sold
Lands diamond ring and = wedding
ring. The accused man, police say,
did not give the latter ring to the
girl, who, police were told, did not
know Lands was married until his
arrest.
In . statement made to police,
Lands said he slipped away unob-
served from the fireboat station about
! o'clock on the morning Of his wife's
death. He drove to the house where
she boarded, in the 1000 block of Mon
roe street NE, and sounded his auto
mobile horn. His wife hurriedly
dressed and ran downstairs, entering
the automobile. Lands told police
they got in an argument and the girl,
becoming frightened. leaped from the
moving automobile.
Explains Blood on Hand.
The defendant said he got blood on
his hands when he went back to ex-
anime her. Lands was quoted as
having said he then became fright
ened and drove back to the IRE sta
ton, leaving the injured girl lying in
the street. Lands entered the station
unobserved. He at frst told police he
had not left the fire station that
morning. He changed his statement.
however, after police arrested him
and found bloodstains on his clothing.
Lands had washed the blood from his
hands. but chemical test given him
q few hours later revealed the fact
that his hands recently had been