Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-29
a CHICAGO MURDER TH1AL.


An Exciting Scene IN Court.
Ihc trial OF Carlotta Their, 81 Sturla,a, 9TH
erwise known as Madeline Stiles, for the
murder Of Charles Stiles, her paramour, 10
his room In the Palmer House, last Summer.
has been in progress during the past three
weeks in Chicago. The story Of the crime,
as tsld by a number Of witnesses, may be
briefly related. Charlie Stiles was the "call-
er" OF the Board of Trade in Chicago. lie
hal gained his experience by selling pools on
horse races, and it was while engaged in this
business that he met Carlotta Sturlata in BAL
timorc, four years ago. He took her to Chi
cago, and had lived with her at times ever
SINCE. On the morning of July 10th last, at
about ! o'clock, tho woman made her APP
pcaiancc at the Palmer House, where Stiles
had II room, and entering the elevator, was
taken TO his door. She Knocked twice, and
when Stiles, who was in bed, called to know
who wanted him, she answered in feigncd
voice, Messenger Surprising her to be
the bearer of II message, Stiles jumped out
Of bed, opened the door, ami the woman
pushed her way into the room. What occur
red in the next two minutes nobody knows
for a certainty, as the woman IS the only
living witness, but about two minutes after
Iher entrance to the room the bell boy Of
the hotel heard two pistol-shots in rap
id succession, and fastened to the
office to notify the clerks In a short
time the room was invaded by the proprie-
tor of the house, his clerk, and an officer,
who were confronted with tragic scene.
On the floor lay Charles Stiles, dead Lean
ing against the wall like a statue stood the
woman ss6l, Calm and collected Pointing
TO. thr jdy :. her f0vcr, she said to the hor-
rfellien around her: ''This is Charlie
Stiles. told him l would do it. ! have
done it, and am glad Of it. Let the law
take its course, ii swing for it. | came
here to do this She then suddenly threw
hersAf upon the body of Stiles and kissed
his lips passionately, moaning and sobbug
as though her heart were breaking, and be-
scechipg the cold cay to return to life agaie
When arrested she sad that "Charlc" had
| chokcd her and tried 10 put her out of the
room; that she had come to make up a
lovers quarrel with him, but he had treated
her so brutally that she was forced 10 shoot
him in seli-delence On the way to the
station house size showed marks on her neck
which the officer swore lad the appearance
Of having been made by the clinching of a
hand.
That the woman went to the Palmer House
for the express purpose oil killing her lover,
the State sought to prove by the evidence of
Mis-. Joachim, who keeps pawnshop. This
woman swOre that on the night Of July 9th;
Carlotta came to her shop and purchased the
revolver with which the shooting was done.
1t was very stormy night, and Carlo,ta was
covered with mud and looked as though she
she had walked IA great distance through the
rain. She was very much excited and said
that she had trouble with her husband, and
for fear that he would further injure her she
wan,ed the pistol to protect herself.
| The defense set up by Carlottas counsel
was insanity, claiming that the brutal treat
ment to which Stiles had subjected his mis-
trcss, with the miserable life of vice which
she had led, unhinged her mind and rendered
her irresponsible. To establish this the.
DRY a great number of witnesses were
called, including hack drivers, who swort
| that they had see Stiles knock the
woman down and take her money
| from her by force when riding with her
| hotel-kocpcrs, who testified to silnilar scenes
of brutality. and inmates of houses of ILL.,
| fame in which Carot'a had lived who swore
| to having witnessed brutal assaults upon Car.
Lolita by her lover. The evidence of all these
people was repeated and woven into con.
nccted Story by the testimony of The prisoner
herself, which furnished the most dramatic
| scene of the trial. Her testimony ended as
follows "Thc next thing l remember
saw-him chasing me-a--round the room
the next-,hc ncxt-Oh God the next
that had killed him :"
As the wretched woman pronounced the
last three words she rose from her seat clutch
ell wildly at the air for moment, and fell
with a dull thud TO the floor, her arms strik.
ing the reporters table as she fell. Scream
after scream issued from her lips, and when
four stout baiils tried to raise her she scratch
ed and BIZ and fought them like wild beast
She CRASHED her teeth and tore tiercely at her
hair, while the court and spectators looked on
terror-siricken at the horrible scene. Finally,
the frenzy of the woman exhausted itself,
and she sank in the grasp of the four
bailiifs, an apparently lifcless mass. She
was borne from the courtroom. The physi-
clans pronounced that she was suffering
from severe attack of hystera The pulse
had completely ceased It's throbbing and hel
body was cold. Two days later she had re.
covered sufficiently to undergo a sharp cross
examination; but all the ingenuity of the
counsel failed to induce her to contradict her
direct testimony in the slightest particular
The jury on the 18th inst, brought in yer.
dict of guilty of mansaughter, aud she wa.
sentenced to years imprisonment.