Show Tele Telegram Fiction ram JENNIFER ER HALE HAL EI EDEN t BEGIN HERE TODAY Jennifer Hale lives in Los Angeles with her only relative her aunt Cornelia Cornelia Cornelia Cor Cor- nelia Hale Miss Hale has no sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy for the girl and Jennifer has hast hasto t to cover up her dates with fibs about working lat late at th the office Conse Conse- Miss Hale knows nothing about Jennifer's friendship with David David Da Da- Da vid Corey until the thc police come come to her door hunting Jennifer for Coreys Corey's murder Jennifer runs runs away to Seattle under under un un- un der an assumed name and in the temporary temporary tem tern respite from being hunted falls in love with wilh Kent Severn Andy Young a private detective stumbles onto her real identity and turns her over to the police She is returned to Los Angeles for trial Believing her innocent Kent goes to Los Angeles to hire hir Neil Haller HaIler to defend her Kent interviews interviews' Jennifer's aunt but Miss Hale coldly refuses to help her ni niece ce Haller Hailer knows Jennifer's case is wobbly because the state has ironclad evidence against the girl cirl TIt The trial is in progress NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY TORY CHAPTER 31 Miss Hale as Jar far as you know your niece never handled a gun Hailer Haller addressed himself to Cornelia Cornella Hale who was in the witness bo box bos Miss Hale a brown turban perched on top of her gray hair a brown suit on her lanky frame kept her ncr eyes averted from the seat where Jennifer was sitting silting Jennifer never handled a gun while white she was living with me Miss Hale stated positively A little color had crept into her sallow cheeks a flush brought on by her intense in in- She had had no intention of testifying at Jennifer's trial Indeed Indeed indeed in In- deed she had fought the summons but in the an attorney she had ha consulted per persuaded her that she must testify or else suffer the penalty of being In contempt of court The attorney attorney at at- torney was sitting now among the spectators officially representing her She intended doing nothing she didn't have to do Have you ever had a gun In your house Miss Miss' Hale Never emphatically And I have never handled one myself How long was your our niece wits wUn you ou Persisting In calling Jennifer Jennier her niece The color mounted As she gazed up at her aunt Jennifer r thought she had never seen her so majestic so handsome Jennifer was with me prom from rom the time she was 2 years old July 10 1914 until September 1 1933 stiffly Miss Hale moved h her r eyes from Haller Hal Hal- ler to her attorn attorney He nodded so soshe soshe o she knew she had answered correctly You would have known Miss Hale Hille if at any time your niece had bandied han ban died a gun Couldn't Read Papers In Jennifer's earlier r years year I would have ha In Iii her later years years- Haller HaIler Interrupted quickly This was vas getting on dangerous ground and although he needed Miss Halos Hales t tes s. s about the gun bad badly he didn't want her to digress from the gun A Agun Agun gun cun any gun was never ne mentioned between you and your niece We never mentioned guns no it true that until Jennifer started to work you ou didn't permit her to read a newspaper because of the crime stories she would find there It UIt is true it true that you ou clipped the items fr tram from m the newspapers rs that you wished her to read and that these thes clippings did not include crime news It is true Ive I've no doubt that she read newspapers anyway for she always always al al- al- al ways ways ways- ways ways-to That is all Miss Hale Hailer Haller wip wiped d his brow with his handkerchief chief and waved n a hand to Kemp indicating indicating in in- that the witness was his Kemp rose roe with alacrity Now Miss Misi Hale Kemp started it equally true that Jennifer Hale Hate might have learned hew to op op- l if crate a gun away from your home when she was playing with other children chil dren I object HaIler Haller was on his feeLTh feet feeL The Th question is misleading entire entirely irre irrelevant evant Judge Gorwood leaned forward Have you other witnesses to show that that outside outside her home Jennifer Hale had rio no access to firearms Mr Haller Hal Hal- ler I 1 have your honor Objection sustained Vindictive Eyes Jennifer was trembling when Cornelia Cornella Cornella Cor Cor- nella nelia Hale left the stand Haller was dS badly shaken and in the second spectator spectator spectator spec spec- row Kent was white It had gone well bet better er than they expected J Miss Hales Hale's testimony but it was a risk Each of ot them knew what a aI I r risk k it was Haller Hailer took a drink of water before he called his next witness witness wit wit- ness nes and the girls girl's eyes went from the empty witness box cox to Mrs Hemphill Hemphill Hemphill Hemp- Hemp hill in the first row of ot the jurors Mrs Hemphill was vas smiling again her prim knowing smile She was watching watching watch watching ing Miss Hale as she left the court court- room After each witness Jennifer glanced at Mrs Hemphill There was always that prim smile the lips Ups set close together the small green eyes vindictive Hailer Haller watched Mr Mrs Hemphill too when he had time and so did old Kent Somehow the defense had to to ti get past the womans woman's prejudices Yesterday eveni evening tg Mrs Hemphill had a bad attack attack at at- tack of indigestion but she had insisted insisted in in- she was well enough to carr carry on Today her face was more florid than ever under her red felt hat Now and then she fanned herself hersel w with th her handkerchief but she didn't miss missa a thing that went vent on in the co courtroom courtroom court court- rt room and sh she had ben been n especially attentive attentive attentive at at- to Miss Hale Kales Hales s testimony The briefcases and note paper on the table in front of Jennifer Jennier were augmented augment d with exhibits The gun with which David Corey had been killed was lying now two feet fed from the girls girl's chair chait The watch which he had given her a and d which had been found in one of ot the Grace Larsen lifeboats was lying beside the gun gun Near the gun were pictures of David David David Da Da- Da- Da vid Corey dead on the rug in his ap apartment Yesterday the jury had seen the pictures Mrs Hemphill's eyes had lingered over them greed greed- ily lip Then there were photographs of fingerprints the prints on the gun and Jennifer's own prints An expert ex cx- pert for the state had explained them to the jury jur and Mrs Hc hill had leaned forward in her chair during during dur duro ing the half hour he spoke Ignored d J Jennifer The sob sister r was writing her fourth story that afternoon The defense scored a decided victory when Judge Gorwood Gor refused to permit permit per per- mit Miss Mis Cornelia Cornella Hales Hale's testimony that her niece might have had access access ac ae th the Hale home cess to a gun outside to stand on the thc court records With the filth fifth day of the trial ending nerves In in the courtroom are arc areat areat at a breaking point Jennifer Jennier Hale Hille is getting paler as each day goes on The black dress which fitted her so EO sowell sowell well last Monday morning hangs loosely on her now The circles have deepened under her eyes and her face tace has a pinched thin look She still sits ver very quietly in her chair and her hands are arc still clasped on I her lap When her aunt was on the stand her body was tense She listened Us- Us intently to her aunts aunt's testimony testimony mony many and when Miss MiEs Hale walked I from the courtroom Jennifer's eyes filled with tears Miss Hale did not look once at her niece even though she passed within a few tew feet of ot her herto herto herto I to get to the witness stand I Kent Severn is still in the court court 1 room He arrives es at in fn the thc morning morning morn morn- in ing and stays until court closes at He too w watched Miss Hale Hak closely when she hc was a. a on the stand He Be too Is finding the trial hard on his lis nerves Mrs Helen Richardson on David Corey Coreys sister also arrives at a the thel 4 courtroom at t i secure secure b her r rs s seat at and she remains as a. long longs as s' s Severn Sev- Sev ern does doe hurrying to her waiting walting liz limousine when court is adjourned for the day This morning she ahe w a 5 s swearing w wearing aring her usual black wool crepe suit but pinned to to the lapel were were two gardenias In the afternoon the gardenias were were gone gone for they had wilted from the press press press' and heat of the courtroom HP Probably Monday morning will see sec the end of the trial and Jennifer's future will wUl be in the hands of the j jury ry for it is believed that HaIler Haller will close his c case e et t today aay and begin his plea pica to the jury t tomorrow morrow after the first prosecution speech spee h is con con- eluded Stares at the GunThe Gun GunThe The sob sister was right H Hailer Haller ller did close his c case se that afternoon n-md n and because of at public inter interest st in the case Judge Gorwood Garwood decided to hold court all day Saturday An assistant district attorney made the opening address a short one merely outlining outlining ing the states state's case cac and stressing the weakness of ot the defense HaIl Hailer Haller r followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed towed and concluded jus before court adjourned that afternoon Monday Monday Monday Mon Mon- day morning Kemp spoke for the state and at 2 o'clock the judge delivered de de delivered livered his instructions to 10 the jury and and if it you find that the accused wilfully and with malice aforethought aforethought aforethought afore afore- thought murdered David Corey he hec c concluded you may milY bring in a verdict ver ver- ver- ver diet dict of murder in the first degree If you find the accused guilty of ot murder in the first lint degree and you ou do donot not recommend mercy it is obligatory obligatory obliga obliga- t tory ry upon the court to impose a a. sentence sen sen- tence of death You may if you deem it right bring in a verdict of manslaughter manslaughter manslaughter man man- slaughter which I already have hav de defined defined de- de e- e fined for or you as s homicide without malice or or On the theother theother other oth r hand if there is a shadow hadow of ofa a d doubt in your minds as to the guilt of ot this defendant it Is obligatory upon the jury to bring in a verdict of acquittal This is all ladies and gentlemen of the jury Jennifer didn't look at the Jury as the members of ot it filed slowly out She was staring at the gun which had killed David Core Corey It was was' still lying very close clos to her al almost almost al- al most across the table now Haller touched her arm but sh she paid no attention I She was hearing again the m measured measured meas meas- s- s tones of Judge Gorwood Garwood If U you find the accused guilty of or murder in the first degree and you ou do donot not ot recommend mercy it Is S' S obligatory obligatory atory upon the thc court to impose a sentence sen sen- en tence of death DeathY Death Death- f Y Youre ure going to wait In the prisoners prisoner's room Jennifer Hailer Haller said quietly I hope it wont won't be too 10 long tong tong- To be continued Copyright Register and Tribune Syndicate |