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Show Prosecutor Says Offer to Accept Manslaughter Plea Was Refused. LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 25. Harry New, alleged murderer of his sweetheart, Freda Lesser, offered through his attorneys attor-neys a few days before he was placed on trial to enter a plea of guilty to manslaughter, according to a statement made today by Thomas Lee Woolwine, district attorney. Woolwine said he would have accepted a plea of guilty to .second degree murder, but refused to accept the manslaughter plea. Le Compte Davis, leading counsel for New, denied New had been willing to plead guilty. New ate turkey in the county jail today, to-day, apparently passing a cheerful Christmas Christ-mas and to all outward appearances as indifferent to the outcome of the trial as when he first faed the 'jury. Mrs. Lillie VI. Burger, his mother, and Miss Edna Clancy, his half-sister, visited him and took him home-cooked food, candy and flowers. While the accused was thus passing his Christmas, attorneys for both sides took only part of the holiday for their own pleasure and devoted the remainder to strengthening their lines of renewal for New's life fight tomorrow morning. New's counsel prepared to continue testimony as to his client's alleged mental unsoundness un-soundness not only at the time of the tragedy, but before and since. In addition addi-tion to more depositions from persons who knew the accused in the middle west, the defense expects to place before the jury testimony of a dozen or more witnesses wit-nesses who have known him in Los Angeles An-geles and elsewhere in South California in the last two years. Miss Clancy probably wilt testify after these witnesses wit-nesses have finished that she was unwittingly unwit-tingly the cause of the slaying of Miss Lesser. Defense counsel would not tell the details of this supposed testimony by Miss Clancy. Mrs. Burger then will take the stand and tell of her alleged relations with Senator New of Indiana, reputed father of New. The defense asserts the unfortunate unfor-tunate circumstances of New's birth preyed on his mind and unbalanced it. |