AMAZING MURDER TRIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1922, Page 11

AMAZING MURDER TRIAL.

HYSTERIA FOLLOWS ACQUITTAL. Extraordinary scenes marked the verdict of “Not .guilty,” Nt the Brooklyn (New York) Criminal Court, in the case of Miss Olivia Stone, a nurse, who was charged with the murder of Ellis Kinkead, a lawyer, who had contracted a common-law marriage with the defendant, whom he later deserted to marry another woman. Throughout the trial, which has attracted a widespread attention because of its dramatic aspects, Miss Stone conducted herself in an hysterical manner, and the proceedings were adjourned time, after time as she collapsed under the strain. Judge Aspinall on one occasion told the jury that he believed the frequent fainting spells were genuine evidences of physical effect, and more than once he declared that the case was particularly distressing. The defence was based, chiefly on the claim that Miss Stone suffered from a “brain explosion” at the time of the tragedy, and -was not aware that she fired the pistol. When the jury found a verdict of complete acquittal there was a roar in I the packed Court room which defied the * efforts of the Court officers to suppress. | Miss Stone played true to the drama- * tics of her trial as the fateful words, '“Not guilty,” were pronounced; she I threw herself across the counsel table, moaning, “Oh, God! Oh, God!” jumped up, and in an effort to kiss her counsel embraced a newspaper reporter by mistake, while the crowd wildly cheered and pandemonium reigned. The. Court house was crowded from, wall to wall. As Miss Stone left the Courtroom a free woman, there ensued a scene which astonished veterans at murjder trials. The young woman stood at the head of the staircase and faced a 1 dense mob of excited men and women. Many of them were sobbing as they screamed, and all were frantically wav--1 ing their arms and shouting. Miss Stone, with, head thrown back, lips parted, and eyes lifted, tossed kisses on every side.' A large force, of police was required to keep back the enthusiastic madmen who would probably have crushed her down in their efforts to shake her hand.