SCENES AT MURDER TRIAL

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 141, 17 June 1922, Page 10

SCENES AT MURDER TRIAL

HYSTERIA FOLLOWS ACQUITTAL. Extraordinary scenes marked the verdict of not guilty, at tho Brooklyn (New York) Criminal Court, in tho easo of Miss Oliva Stone, a nurse," who was charged with tho murder of Ellis Kinkead, a lawyer, who had contracted a common law marriage with tho defendant, whom ha later deserted to marry another woman. Throughout the trial, which attracted widespread attention because of its dramatic aspects, Miss Stone conducted herself in an hysterical manner, and the. proceedings were adjourned time after time H3 she collapsed under the strain. Judge Aupinall on one occasion told tho jury that he believod the frequent fainting spells were genuino evidonoo of physical collapse, and were not indulged in for dramatic effect, and more than once ho declared that tho case was particularly distressing. The defence was based chiefly on the olaim that Miss Stone suffered from a, "brain explosion" at the time of the tragedy, and was not aware that she fired the pistol.

When tho jury found a verdict of complete acquittal there was a roar in the packed courtroom which defied the efforts of the Court officers to suppress. Miss Stone played true to the dramatics of her trial as the fateful words, "not guilty," were pronounced-; she threw herself across tho counsel table, murmuring, "Oh, God! Oh, God!" jumped up, and in an effort to kiss her counsel embraced aj newspaper reporter by mistake, while tho orowd wildly cheered and pandemonium reigned. The courthouse was crowded from wall to wall. As Miss Stone left the courtroom a free woman, there ensued a scene winch astonished veterans at murder trials. The young woman stood at the head of thi staircaso and faced a dense mob of excited men and women. Many of them were sobbing as they soreamed, and all were frantically waving their arms and shouting. Miss Stone, with head thrown back, lips- parted, and eyes lifted, tossed kisses on every side. A largo forc9 of police was 'required to keep back the enthusiastic madmen who would have probably crushed her down in their efforts to shako her hand.