St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-04
BEAUTY IN The BOX.
The Alleged Burglarious Sisters Now
on Trial.
SOME COURT HOUSE SCENES.
HRS. Campbell and Mrs. Curtiss ar
raigned on the Silk Stealing
Charge.

MIS-. Mlllnle CdinpD6ll ana ner sister,
Mrs. Clara Curtiss, handsome, stylishly
dressed women, came up for trial on a
charge of stealing two bolts of silk
BlaiSdell, on the corner of Eighth street,
and NicOllet avenue, the afternoon of
March 2. Mark Haynes and James
WOrrell appeared for the prisoners.
Both women wore tabernacle suits, one
of green and one of brown cloth, and
looked as swell as could be. Mrs. Camp
bell appeared quiet and frightened,
while her sister took things as cool as
could be. Her face. heavily rouged.
was partially hidden by light veil, and
her lips looked as though they might be
painted, so red were they. While the
jury was being sworn in, Mrs. Camp
bells husband,a acknowledgement
young man, looking tired and worried
took a seat near the two women, and
now and then whispered to them. The
securing of jury was tedious work, as
nearly every man called to the stand
said he had read the accounts of the
arrest in the various city papers and
had formed an opinion which it would
be hard to change. A complete jury
was finally secured at o'clock and the
trial proceeded.
In opening the case County Attorney
Davis said it was not pleasant duty TO
try woman, as in every mans heart
there was feeling of respect for every
woman. But all citizens, male and
female, stood alike in the eyes of the
law, and therefore he wanted the jury
to Try the case as he should prosecute it,
according to the law,
Miss Marie Berg, a young lady dressed
in black, was the first witness. She said
that on March she was employed by
Miss Mary A. Blaisdell as a clerk at No.
800 Nicollet avenue. On the evening of
the LIST sor I'd day of March, she said,
these two women came into the store
and began looking at baskets and other
things. Soon after they entered the
store one began looking at the ribbons
and the other at something else.
Mrs. Campbell" continued the wit
ness, began speaking of ribbons, and |
showed her what we had. She said she
did not like what l showed her, and
asked to see something else. | went
out into the other room and brought in
two bolts of ribbon, which l laid before
her. Again | went into the other room
and brought in another bolt of ribbon.
Then ! stepped behind the coun-
ter and began measuring some
ribbon. While l was doing that
[ could not see Mrs. Campbell.
Another lady came in at that point, and
Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Curtiss went
out, after looking around little. When
/ went TO put away the ribbons / found
that two bolts were missing" Here
the ribbon found in Mrs. Campbell's
trunk was shown the witness and iden-
tifiedl. "When | found that the ribbon
was gone l went down the street as far
as the Syndicate block and called an
officer"
Here the attorneys for the defense
took the witness, and went over the
same ground that Mr.. Davis had gone
over. Mr.. Haynes endeavored to make
the girl tell how she knew the ribbon
on the table was the same as was taken
from the store. The witness replied
that she knew it was the same because
it was.
But how do you know it?''
"Well, | know it is the same ribbon,
because l know it is"
Eyes, but tell us how you know?''
81 know it because | know it,
That rather settled Mr.. Haynes, and
then Mr.. Davis put on his blandest
smile and tried to find out how she knew
the ribbon. Mr.. Worrell objected when
subsidized when Mr.. Davis replied:
This is not bolt of ribbon, Mr..
WOrrell, but a thunder bolt.''
This brought down the house, and I'M
til Mr.. Davis stopped talking of straw
berry gold" ''roan yellow" and the
like the deputy sheriff had hard work to
keep order. Even Mrs. Campbell and
Mrs. Curtiss laughed.
Hannah MuSon, another lady EN-
ployed by Miss Blaisdell, took the
stand, with smile at the county attor-
ney. She had seen Mrs. Campbell and
Mrs. Curtiss come into the store, on the
evening in question, land they acted"
she added, lust as though they had
come in to look over things, not
intending to purchase" She also
in the store about half an hour.
James Doyle, the inspector, one of the
officers who arrested the two women,
was the next witness. He merely swore
to making the arrest. w. B. Anderson.
who worked up the case, was next
called. He said he had seen the de-
PENDANTS at their home the evening of
March 2. He identified the ribbon
found at Mrs. Campbell's house. In
spector Doyle had the ribbon in his
hand whan he saw it.
AFTER we had searched the house."
SAID said he, Mrs. Campbell told me she
store in the afternoon of the
day in uquestion. She said she had
purchased the ribbon found IN her trunk
there, after great deal of hesitation
and a conference with her sister.
Inspector Howard, being sworn, said
he was at the Campbell residence when
Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. CurtisS were
arrested. He had seen the ribbon in
question there, and had heard Mrs.
Campbell say she had purchased it at
Miss Blaisdell's store.
Mr.. Little, of Fisk & Co., of Chicago,
said he had sold the ribbon in question
to Miss Blaisdell on or about Jan. 10,
1887. mo other ribbon like this" said
he, pointing out the bolt, has ever been
sold to any one in Minneapolis except
mony.
Mr.. Worrell opened the summing up
for the defense. The case was
strange one, he said. peculiar as it might
appear, the defendants being from the
upper grades of society. The only evil
dence against the ladies, he continued,
was circumstantial, and very poor at
that. Just because the ladies did not
purchase any goods while they were in
the store. it is not to be supposed that
they stole anything, as my friend, the
county attorney, would have appear.
But there is something behind all this,
and that is that suspicion was directed
against these ladies by the fact that
prior to this robbery they gained consid-
cradle nOtoriety through some litigation.
Now, we will prove that this ribbon
was purchased in Chicago long before
the ribbon was missed from Miss Blais-
dell. Feb. 20 last Mrs. Campbell pur-
chased the ribbon at wholesale house
in Chicago, for friend here. Here fol-
chase of the ribbon in Chicago. in which
the names of some eight or ten Chicago
ladies, who luckily happened to be out
shopping with Mrs. Campbell the day the
ribbon was purchased were introduced.
In rnn.rr an.inln oil LlnAo