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November 12th, 1935.

A blonde young woman of 28, an art student, was called before magistrate Michael Ford

in Manhattan Hom homicide court today.

On the charge of shooting to death, Dr. Fritz Gephardt, 40,

German doctor of political economy,

in his apartment on the 21st floor of Beekman Towers

in the Sutton Place section of Manhattan.

Geppert was shot four times at 2.30 a.m. today, and the girl who lived on a lower floor of

the hotel, Vera Stratt, was arrested shortly after and told police that she was his fiancé

and that she had killed him. But as she stepped up before the bench, she wrapped a high, all-enveloping

gray chinchilla collar around her face,

and in spite of insistent demands by the court that she show herself, she remained a fur-masked

mystery. As the slim young woman answering to her name came up to the bench,

Magistrate Ford said, will you please lower your collar?

The defendant remained emotionless, and the court repeated the request in a loud

of voice. There was no response. Then turning to an attendant, the judge ordered,

Have her remove her collar. I want to see this defendant. The attendant approached and with gingerly

hesitancy put a hand on the collar. The girl stiffened. Despite a futile gesture, she remained

hidden behind her chinchilla camouflage. All that judge reporters or photographers saw was a blur of blonde hair

peeping out from behind gray fur. A plea of not guilty or homicide was entered and she was

...