Evening star., 1942-05-26
Model Denies lurinq
Woman 10 Her Death
In New York Hotel
Madeline Webb Says
She Left Suite Before
Crime Was Committed
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 26.-Madeline
Webb, fighting for her life at her
trial on first-degree murder charges,
denied from the witness stand to-
day that she had "lured" Mrs. Susan
Flora Reich to her death by stran-
gulation at the Hotel Sutton last
March.
The former model. accused with
her sweetheart, Eli Shonbrun, and
John D. Cullen of the Staying of Mrs.
Reich, wife of a New Jersey wax
professor, asserted shortly after she
took the stand in her own defense
that she was not present in the hotel
suite at the time Mrs. Reich was
bound and gagged and left to die.
Asked If she had at any time dis
cussed with Shonbrun, Cullen and
Murray Hirschl, Shonbruns uncle,
the Turing of some one to the hotel
to kill for the purpose of robbery"
Miss Webb began:
Il would never" as Assistant
District Attorney Jacob Grumet OBJ
jected.
mo, no, no." exclaimed the 28-
year-old girl from Saltwater, Okla.
Sought Stage Career.
Miss Webb, whose hopes for a
Broadway stage career ended in her
trial for murder, testified that she
left the Sutton suite between IL 80
am. and noon of the day of the
crime. The prosecution has charged
that Mrs. Reich was slain at about
1:20 pm. March 4.
Miss Webb recalled that Hirschl
was in the suite that morning but
she was unable to fix the exact time.
Did you leave?" asked James M.
Springer, her counsel.
well, yes, I did leave" she
answered.
WAS Murray Hirschl still there?"
asked the attorney.
It can't tell Miss Webb replied
slowly, after long pause.
Shonbrun had testified that he
and Hirschl committed the crime,
while Hirschl, the prosecutions key
witness, testified he was not present
when Mrs. Reich was robbed and
bound. Hirschl has been indicted
for the murder, too, but will be tried
separately.
Miss Webb's earlier testimony de-
scribed her marriage at 20 and
divorce a year later.
Mother Testifies Briefly.
Shortly before she began to testify,
the former models mother. Mrs.
Vera Webb of Saltwater, testified
briefly that her daughter graduated
from public school at the age of Is
and subsequently went to the Okla
homa A. and M. College, where she
was graduated in 1888 when only 49,
Miss Webb said she was married
for year. while in Saltwater.
Il knew him cher husband for
year and half" she said. Il met
him in school,"
Shonbrun, who yesterday con-
fessed participation in the murder,
but declared Miss Webb had no part
in it, slumped In his chair and
turned his face away from the wit
ness as she testified.
Shonbrun clung stubbornly to his
story of the Staying of Mrs. Reich
in which he took joint responsibility
with Hirschl-under vigorous cross
examination by Assistant District
Attorney Grumet.
The thin-faced little man mounted
the witness stand for the second
day as the morning session began.
Asked whether Miss Webb had in
quired why they did not return to
the Hotel Sutton after the crime,
Shonbrun replied:
Il told her I was unable to re-
turn"
Told Her to Go Shopping.
The witness said that Miss Webb
left the hotel at exactly noon the
day OF the murder and that he di-
rected her to 90 to department
store to do some Small shopping"
The prosecutor then questioned
him about Cullen, whom Shonbrun
said he had met six or seven years
ago through HlrSchl.
Two days after the Staying. the
witness testified, he and Miss Webb
and Cullen stayed at the home of
one of Cullen's friends in the Bronx
After spending most Of two days
at this place, during which he and
Miss Webb remained in the house
constantly, Shonbrun said they went
to another Bronx apartment to-
gether with Cullen. 1t was in this
apartment that they were arrested.
The witness said he slept with
my clothes on and carried a dia-
mond taken from Mrs. Reich's ring
in his watch pocket. At the last
apartment, Shronbrun said, he
placed the diamond in a sheet of
paper and put it under the pillow
ease"