The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-07
GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY,
AND SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR A
TERM OF THREE YEARS.
Close of Celebrated Boston case-An e.

Close of Celebrated Boston Case-An Ex-
traordinary Story Mrs. Coolidge's
Scheme for Canceling a Mortgage-The
Arch-Conspirator Still at Liberty.
BosToN, April I'm the superior criminal
court Monday afternoon Judge Blodgett
imposed a sentence of three years upon Mrs.
Annie Coolidge, who recently pleaded guilty
to conspiracy with A. l.. Mellen, of Balti-
more, to secure the death of Mrs Mary
Mellen District Attorney Stevens briefly
outlined the facts in the celebrated case,
closing by saying that it seemed almost like
fiction, but Mrs Coolidge had pleaded
guilty, and careful investigation left no
doubt tlgs she properly so pleaded. Hon.
JOSEPH Bennett argued that Mrs Coolidge
was unfortunate in having been induced 10
commit the offense charged again.t her in
the indictment The party who is
the greater criminal has not been
reached by the strong arm of the law, and
Mrs Coolidge is unfortunate, too, because
she is there owing to a pressure, an induce
ment held out by him 20 commit crime
She is unfortunate because she is woman,
having yielded in the hour of temptation.
placed here for the first time in her life
She has been nearly six months in Jail
awaiting trial Under the circumstances it
would seem to him that the utmost penalty
of the law should not be enforced. Mrs.
Coolidge has been ready from the first, she
is now ready, and will be ready in the
future to aid the government in the admin
lStratlon of jus.ice whenever it NAV call on
her.
In an interview after receiving her sen
tence Mrs Coolidge toll an extraordinary
story She declared that she agreed To plead
guilty upon receiving assurances from the
government officers that she would be al
lowed her liberty ON her own recognizauee
until Mellen should lie arrested, when she
was to testify against him. She protests
that she is innocent of all evil intent against
young Mrs Mellen, as charged in the in
dictment The situation explained, was this:
Mellen held a mortgage of s., 900 upon her
MRS COOL ige'sl house and furniture in this
city. She learned from Mellen of his desire
to get rid Of his daughter-in law on &C
count OF his family pride, the girl having
been servant i'll his hotel in Baltimore
Mrs Coolidge encouraged him in his pre- IL
dices until finally Mellen began to discuss
the various diabolical schemes for taking
the life of the young vie Mrs Coolidge
affrms that she consulted her husband, a
patroiman on the Boston police force, about
the matter, and that lie told her that he
cared not what she resorted to in order to
raise the mortgage which Mellen held on
her property. Mrs Coolidge's counter
plot against Mellen was formed
at the beginning of all the
scheming. She intended, she SAYS. to
60 only far enough to get Mellen into
her powet and then compel him to surren
der his lien upon her property. She never
for one moment intended to allow any harm
to befall young Mrs Mellen. She allowed
Mellen, Sr, to lead her on and to develop
his plan She did his bidding in several
matters of detailed plotting, even to the ex
tent of hiring an sassin to plunge a knife
into the young wife Mellen having con-
cluded that was thu sa est way in which t.
kill her, She also arranged the meeting be-
tween Mellen and the proposed as
sasNin at the Revere house, VIII re
Melen deposited $1,000, subject 10
the murderer's order alter his work was
done. The money, by the way, is still in
the hotel safe. 1t was al this point that
Mrs Coolidge's plans failed The ex-convict
who had been hired to commit tire muir }er
proved false, AMI few DAYS previous he
had communicated with the police Mrs.
Coolidge said she had almost reached a
point where she considered that her hold
upon Mellen would be complete She was
almost ready To dcnounce his infamy and
10 demand from him high price for her
silence. and pledge that he would abandon
his murderouS plans. One or two moe steps
she vas willing to take to make her control
of her guilty victim complcta She
was taking one of these steps when Inspector
Houghton's hand was laid upon her shoulder
in the telegraph Office and she was taken TO
jail. She has boon ready, Mrs Coolidge de
ciares, to appear as a witness against Mellen
Whenever he might be arrested Now, how
ever she considers that she has been un-
fairly treated. She will perforce 20 to
prison and serve out her sentence, but she
will do nothing more to aid the government
in any event. She will refuse to testify for
or against Mellen if he Is found and arrested
The ietecti, es on the case deny that portion
of Hrs Coolidge's story outlined above t.
the effect that her husband was cognilant of
her plans and approved of them,