Evening star., 1939-04-02
Stinson Nurse
To Take Stand
Tomorrow
CIoirvoyont Tells Of
Visits From Wife
Of f'Attorney

The third week Of the Stinson an
nulment trial in District Court
closed yesterday with psychic
medium who had been consulted at
various times by the three key
figures in the case revealing re-
luctantly portions Of their discus
sions regarding the November ro-
nance that chilled swiftly after
marriage.
The clairvoyant, Mrs. Ella Nc
Laren, elderly and plump, main
tanned her composure while she was
on the stand, but melted into hys-
terics as she left the courtroom
and was ministered to by matron.
She had not wanted to testify,
she explained to Justice Oscar r.
Luhring, because she was afraid
she might hurt both sides. She
had known Joseph Whita Stinson,
56-year-old attorney, artist and
architect, and the former Mrs. Lola
(PepitaD Crounse, 54-year-old poet
and socialite, years before they met
and were married in 1887, she said.
She also had received visits now
and then from the present Mrs.
Stinson's nurse, Miss Jessica Shoe
maker, who is charged in the an
nulment complaint with conspiring
with Mr. Stinson to bring about the
marriage.
Nurse Will Testify.
A6;ce CboayooLor u,hoyo -, op,, ,.,}t
resses have referred to during the
long trial, is scheduled to take the
stand tomorrow. Her part in the
case. according to the wife's COM
plant, was to ply the then Mrs.
Crounse with sedative drugs the
spring and summer Mr.. Stinson was
counting the wealthy widow so that
the bride did not know what she was
doing when she went through the
ceremony at Bar Harbor, Me-, Sep
tember q, 1887 This accusation
Miss Shoemaker is prepared to deny
emphatically. Her testimony is ex-
pected to be high point of interest
for the crowd of spectators that has
clamored for the few seats available
in Equity Court.
In an effort to complete the trial
before the courts adjourn for the
Easter recess next Thursday night,
Justice Luhring held an unusual
Saturday session.
Mrs. McLaren described three
frantic telephone calls from Mrs.
Stinson late one night not long
after the couple had returned from
| the wedding trip to the Crounse
mansion on Wyoming avenue. The
matrimonial voyage had struck a
reef by then. The medium quoted
Mrs. Stinson as declaring during
these phone calls:
Il think they're trying to kill me.
I heard Joe talking to somebody
about trying to sell his interest to q
gangster They're trying to
poison me. They've locked me in .
ROOM"
Called Her Attorney.
Mrs. McLaren said the next morn.
ing she called Charles S. Baker, then
Mrs. Stinsons' attorney. and sug-
eested that some trusted friend be
sent to the house to see what was
going on. She didn't know what was
done, however.
| About Christmas of 1887. several
months after the Stinsons had sep
arated. the witness said, Mrs. Stin.
son visited her.
She burst into tears" Mrs McLa-
rem added. land said she didn't know
why this thing had happened, that
she still loved Joe"
| Mrs. McLaren said the widow con-
suited her the previous spring when
Mr.. Stinson. was beginning to pay
court. The clairvoyant said she had
been dubious of the affair and. when
told of the trust agreement which
Mrs. Crounse was about to draw up,
warned her mot to sign away every
thing"
Did she ever say anything about
a conspiracy to force her into mar.
riage or about being placed under
the influence of drugs or held pris-
oner that summer at Chester. Nova
Scotia?" asked Carroll L. Beedy, at
torney for Mr. Stinson.
"She never did"
did she ever say anything about
| taking medicines?"
mo. she once sent me some medi-
cine by Miss Shoemaker to make
me sleep when I had complained
that I couldn't sleep"
Blamed Miss Shoemaker.
Mrs. McLaren said Mrs. Stinson,
after the marriage had broken up.
blamed Miss Shoemaker for taking
her husband" and said she intended
to mail her to the cross"
The clairvoyant said she had one
letter from Mr.. Stinson from Nova
Scotia the summer before the mar
riage informing her he was going
to New York! that he couldn't
stand it any longer"
When Miss Shoemaker consulted
her, Mrs. McLaren said, it was nearly
always about the then Mrs. Crounse.
The witness said of the nurse that
she always seemed to be living the
life of the woman she worked for"
Roger Hollingsworth, an officer Of
the Metropolitan National Bank,
which had handled the Crounse es-
tate, testified he considered Mrs.
Crounse entirely competent to exc
cute the trust agreement, though hs
had nothing to do with it.
Justice Luhring asked whether
the banker had known at the time
that the widow was about to turn
over some $3.50 900 to a man she had
known little more than q month.
The witness said he had not.
Attorney Beedy said he wanted to
clarity the point by emphasizing the
trust was to have been her property