The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1891-07-17

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when Mr. Jonas told him to take trim
mings. The spools he brought home
We're empty spools for the children to
play with, but he took half spool of silk
with trimmings that Mr. Jonas said he
might have. The reason Mr. Holm gave
for pleading guilty to theft, when he was
fined $1 and costs, was that John Ell.
Blackman advised him to do so as the
cheapest way of getting out of the scrape.
He said that he didn't wish to do this at
first, as he was innocent, but was per-
suaded into it.
Mr. Jonas denied selling Mr. Holm over
coat buttons, or giving him trimmings
for vest, or offering to settle with him
for $500 if he would get out oftown. The
things found in searching the Holm house
were mostly in the drawer of the sewing
machine and in the closet of his bedroom.
Lawyer Walsh's opening argument
proceeded on the idea that Mr. Holm was
designing villain, Turing Mr. Carlson
into systematic plan of theft, the ar
ticles to be made up into garments on the
sly. Mr. Jonas, he argued, was justified
in getting Detective Clark to come here,
to satisfy his suspicious that goods were
being stolen from him and it was mean,
unmanly thing for employees working for
Mr. Jonas to steal away his customers and
work for them On the quiet, stealing ar
ticles from Mr. Jonas to put into the
clothes. Clark saw Mr. Holm putting
spools of silk into the machine drawer
the day that Mr. Jonas missed them. Mr.
Holm's explanation was that of a self
confessed thief; too fiimsy to be consid-
cred.
Judge Beecher's argument proceeded
on the assumption that Mr. Holm was the
innocent victim of persecution and con-
spiracy. Mr. Jonas knew for months that
Mr. Holm was stealing from him, but did
nothing about it until he found that
Messrs Holm and Carlson were working
for his customers outside his shop. Then,
filled with insane jealousy, with hatred
in his heart, bubbling over with venom
and hoping to drive these competitors out
of town, he brought Clark, the paid He
brew detective, here, who placed the ar
ticles in Mr. Holm's house that Mr. Jonas
found there and charged Mr. Holm with
stealing. Mr. Holm was foreigner, I'M
sophisticated and was easily persuaded
by Mr. Blackman, in whose custody he
was, to plead guilty to theft, though in
nocent, as the easiest way out of the
trouble. Thus Mr. Jonas branded him as
thief, because he would not pay him
$500 and get out of town and still further
wished to place stain and stigma upon
him. Even articles he never found, Mr.
Jonas was willing to charge Mr. Holm
with stealing and Judge Beecher was sur
prised that he did not identify the corn
Mr. Holm was charged with stealing. He
paid his respects to private detectives,
who, paid to do a job, are bound to sue
coed, in whatever way and no matter
whose honor is at stake. Futurejobs de-
pend ON success.
Mr. Walsh's closing argument was
an earnest appeal for an injured
employer, who was only seeking his
rights in this case. Mr. Holm had placed
the stigma ON himself. Judge Beecher
was Mr. Holm's bondsman and was there
fore doubly Interested in his success, but
had no right to malign Mr. Jonas and
Constable John III. Blackman as he had.
Either Mr. Holm was thief, or Messrs
Jonas and Clark were trying to put up a
job on him.
Justice C. FL. Northrop's calm and can
did charge reminded the jury that this
was a civil action, in which the burden
of proof was laid on Mr. Jonas. In re-
viewing the testimony as to whether MIR
Holm was a thief, he urged them to lay
aside all personal feeling and to disre-
gard public opinion, rendering their de-
cision in accordance with the facts in the
case.
The jury chose Daniel Camp as fore
man and soon returned with unanimous
verdict in favor of Mr. Holm. The case
against Mr. Carlson was put over until
next week Wednesday.