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EDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 192SHIS STORY OFWITH TED LEWISCase of Man Accused of Statutory Offense Opens Criminal Session.For more than two hours yesterday afternoon in criminal superior court Be’ity Demyen, seventeen committed recently to the Home of the Good Shepherd at Hartford, principal witness tor the state against William E, (Ted) Lewis, charged with a statutory offense, was subjected to a grueling cross-examination by Defense Attorney Jacob S. Ruskin of New York, During her testimony against the accused, the counsel for the defense attempted to prove the girl was not truthful.Pleads Not Guilty.There are three counts against the accused, who ts also known as “Diamond-Tooth Lewis. He pleaded not guilty to them all before Judge George Hlnmam, yesterday forenoon at the opening of the September term of the criminal Superior court. ' Judge Ruskin ts assisted in the defense by Attorney* RichardS. ‘Swain.There was considerable care in the selection of the jury” and when the panel of 31 had been exhausted, only ten jurymen had been chosen, aneritj later summoned sixdainty1Y\iother talesmen. Ome of tho reasons for the dismissal of bo many jurymen wa^ that Judge Ruskin Insisted upon obeying -the new rule that men who have been serving on juries within the past five years should net be allowed to serve If objected to.Jury Picked.The jury selected Is composed of: Samuel Keeler, real estate, Norwalk; Harry B, Morehouse, retired. Darien; George Adams, retired, Weston; William Conway, hatter, Norwalk; Elmer S. Andrews, farmer, Easton; Hiram Sam mis, farmer, Stamford; Van Rensselear Poley, farmer. Dsrieti; Charles M, Kemper, farmer, Westport; Thomas F. Bailey, farmer, Newtown; Warren C. Avery mill man. New Canaan; James H. Dorus, retired. Bridgeport; and Edgar G. Jennings, farmer, Easton.The first witness was Mrs. Mary Toth 320 Hancock avenue, mother of Betty Dem'jen by her first marriage, who testified that her daughter waa born in Jersey City July 12, 1908. The principal point in this statement was that Lewis is charged with tntlmacy with the gin the monfh before she was 16 years of age.Admits Visitor Was Lewis.Mi’s. Toth testified that Lewis had been calling at the bouse and keeping her daughter out late nights and she made it a point to tell him to be careful of her daughter, that she was only a child. This conversation took place in June, 1924, and Mrs. To' b said that Lewis had promised her that he would treat Betty as ii' she was his sister.Under cross-examination Mrs. Toth was uncertain about whether she was at the juvenile court hearing when Betty w-as arraigned Iti May, 19 24, She said once that she was not there. She also admitted that she knew that she would have to bring the time of Lewis’s visits to the house before July 12, 1924. so as to bring his alleged acts under the statutory law.Ruskin Contradicts,Judge Ruskin got the witness to say that she told Judge Buckley of the City court that her winning conversation with Lewis was in May 1924, Thereupon Judge Buskin read the record of the court to show that nothing of that character was stated at the City court jail last June,Under the examination of State’s Attorney W. H. Comley, the Demyen srirl said that early In June, 1924, when she was with her younger slater at the West End libraryip*ark, -am -automobile passed 4and the driver beckoned to her. She went tip to the car when it stopped and she said that the driver introduced her to Lewis, and the latter made an engagement with her that afternoon to tak-e her to Danbury. She said that she arrived home the following mo-rning at 2 o’clock, and that she became intimate with Lewis, She said that thi^ was on the fiTSt or fifth of June.Miss Demyen said thaj she met Lewis by agreement four days or a week later, and she took him home and introduced her to her people.Mot Oftqn.The third time was a week later when she again met him by appointment. This, time he took her tr Sandy Hook. Some time later he book her to a place near Parrott’s ipond. The last time she said eh© was with Lewis was last March, when she went to Momauguin beach. There were four In the party, as she took a glTl friend along and Lewis had a fnend also. There was plenty to drink at that gathering, she testified.When cross-examined by Judge Ruskin, she admitted that when ah© first met Lewis she gave him a wrong name, and being pressed admitted that she lied and also admitted that she bed when it was convenient, but never lied to her parents or to people she knew. She admitted being arrested in Water-bury last April.In Court Before,Referring to the time that she was before the juvenile court, after-she and another girl had been out with three strange men at an inn, and were taken home by other men, she ndrr.itred that she was warned at that time to ^ keep away fromstrange men.But you sometimes disregard ad-mou11asked Judgetoo,girl\ice, don’;Ruskin.“Well, probably you would if you were to my place, the answered.When questioned closely about her first automobile ride with Lewis to Danbury she was asked about the weather and the kind of a night it was. Asked if it was cloudy, she retorted:“What has that got to do with It?Moon Was Quarter,When adnvonished that she must answer questions, she replied to the court that she would.Then she waa asked If it was a full moon or a quarter mocn, she replied that it was a quarter moon.Speaking of the 'time when she ! took Lewis to her home she admitted that she got a. bottle of rye whiskey from 1‘Joseph Clancy bootlegger.The cross-examination will be sumed at the opening of courtthere-to-
Newspaper Details
Bridgeport Telegram
Bridgeport, Connecticut, US
Wed, Sep 09, 1925
Page 50
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CT, USA 01 Aug 2019
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