Evening star., 1939-04-03
Nurse on Stand
DeniesDruggiing
Mrs. Stinson
All Medicines Given
At Doctors Orders,
She Tells Court

Quietly and calmly, Mrs. Jessica
M. Shoemaker, the attractive nurse
who has been made the key figure
in the Stinson martial battle, took
the witness stand in District Court
today and defended herself against
the charge that she drugged the
wealthy Mrs. Lola Crounse into
marriage with Joseph Witla Stin-
son. lawyer and artist.
Facing the present Mrs. Stinson
for the first time during the three
weeks of the trial, Miss Shoemaker
described the artistic socialite to
Justice Oscar R. Luhring as highly
nervous and excitable woman who
staged stormy scenes at frequent
intervals.
The nurse explained she was
graduated from a training school
in her native Alabama in 1925.
She was engaged by the then Mrs.
Crounce in 1881, Miss Shoemaker
said, during the lifetime of the
plaintiffs s former husband, William
Livingston Crounce, and nursed him
during his last illness.
Discusses Medicines.
Discussing the sedative medicines
of which she is charged with CIV
ing Mrs. Stinson overdoses, the
nurse said the family physician had
prescribed these for her early in her
stay at the Crounse home on Wyom-
ing avenue NV. Miss Shoemaker
admitted she often had given Mrs.
Crounse these remedies to quiet her
nerves, but always, the witness
added. in strict compliance with in
structions of the doctor.
Miss Shoemaker said she contin-
ued to give Mrs. Crounse these seda-
tives after the widow dismissed the
family physician in December of
1886. At times, the nurse explained,
she gave the medicines in varying
doses at three-hour intervals night
and day, but never more than that.
These were rare occasions when Mrs.
Crounse would be "awfully upset"
the witness said. The nurse said
she always would discontinue the
sedatives for a time after four or
five days, as prescribed by the doc
tor. the nurse testified.
AFTER she dismissed the DOCTOR"
Miss Shoemaker said, "she would not
have any doctor and when I gave her
medicine pursued the instructions
religiously."
Miss Shoemaker said she first met
Mr.. Stinson about the middle of Feb
ruary, 1887, when he first called at
the Crounse home. About March l,
the witness said, before the first Mrs.
Stinson had obtained Reno divorce,
Mrs. Crounse confided she was going
to marry Mr.. Stinson. On the night
that Mrs. Crounse told her this. Miss
Shoemaker recalled, Mrs. Crounse
had retired early and sent for Mr..
Stinson to come up to her room. Il
left them alone together" the nurse
added.
The first scene" she observed
between Mrs. >Crounse and Mr.. Stin-
son. the nurse said. was after they
had dined at a hotel and returned
home At that time Mr.. Stinson
was house guest. Miss Shoemaker
said:
"She was perfectly furious. She
said Stinson had been giving such
big tips to walters and with my
money. too Mrs. Crounse said. I
am not going to stand for it, She
said she didn't like beggars on horse
back for rich mems sons"
Miss Shoemaker said Mrs. Crounse
sent for Mr.. Stinson after both
had retired but he refused to go to
her room and she went out in the
hall, accosted him and there was
a terrific row. Mr.. Stinson packed
and left the house at once, the wit
ness said, moving over to the War
renton Country Club, but the next
day Mrs. Crounse had her telephone
him to return and the row was
patched up.
Miss Shoemaker said that on one
occasion Mrs. Crounse threatened
to leave Mr.. Crounse while he was
seriously ill and went to the Union
Station, telephoning to the nurse
that she was going away but didn't
know what train she would take.
Miss Shoemaker said she persuaded
Mrs. Crounse to return home and
then there was bitter quarrel be-
tween Mr.. and Mrs. Crounse dur
ing which Mrs. Crounse charged her
husband with keeping her prison.
er and not letting her go anywhere.
Mr.. Crounse died in the fall of
1895.
Miss Shoemaker said the trip she
made to Atlantic City with Mr..
Stinson and the Crounse chauffeur
the latter part of May, 1887, after
Mrs. Crounse started for a sani-
tarium in Massachusetts was at the
insistence of Mrs. Crounse. The
nurse explained that Mrs. Crounse
had not wanted Mr.. Stinson to go
away alone with the car and
chauffeur, saying she did not know
who he might meet or how much
money he would spend. The nurse
denied there was any intimacy be-
tween herself and Mr.. Stinson dur
ing that trip. Mrs. Crounse re-
turned to Washington after one
night at the sanitarium and be-
rated her nurse, Miss Shoemaker
said, for conniving to send her to a
"bughouse."
AS the fourth week of the trial
began, Carroll L. Beedy, attorney
for the husband, hoped to deal the
conspiracy charge heavy blow with
the testimony of the nurse.
Miss Shoemaker, who, according
to testimony, has been at her home
in Mobile, Ala, since she left the
Croinse mansion on wyoming ave-
nue. in the fall of 1887, when the
marriage broke up, has been men
toned by virtually every witness who
described the romance that blos-
somed for the middle-aged couple
the previous spring and withered
soon after wedding that September.