The record-union., 1891-01-30
MRS. GILLIG'S MAID.
She Is Held to Answer for the Crime
Of Grand Larceny.
Attorney White Claims That His Client
Is Either Innocent of the Charge
or Insane.

liz COTTluOT dliu cOuEl-IOOui LII Olu
City Hall building were crowded with
people yesterday morning long before the
hour for Judge Cravens to take his seat
on the Police Court bench had arrived.
The case of Amelie Gehring, charged with
stealing Mrs. Harry Gillig's valuable
laces, articles of clothing and diamonds,
was on the calendar, and all interest CEN
tered on it. Mr.. and Mrs. Gillig and a
few relatives arrived shortly before 10
o'clock, in their private cab, and two OF
three of the maids came shortly after
ward. Judge Cravens was in his chair
promptly at 10 o'clock, and after disposing
of three cases on the docket, he called that
of Miss Gehring, charged with grand lar
ceny.
The defendant, an intelligent-look
German girl of probably twenty years,
with dark hair and rosy complexion, was
in court, sitting by the side of Mr.. Lang
of San Francisco, one of her bondsmen.
She was nattily dressed in black, and
presented pleasing appearance. She
was represented by attorney Clinton l..
White
Mr.. White asked that all of the wit
neSseS for the prosecution be placed I'M
der the rule" and excluded from the
room. City Attorney Hart demanded
that the defendants witnesses be sub
Jected to the same process, and the court
ordered the witnesses on both sides to re-
tire from the room, but remain within
calling.
THE COMPLAINING WITNESS TESTIFIEs.
Mrs. Gillig was called to the witness
stand, and the assemblage listened with
curious interest to her story as to how
she had been deceived by Miss Gehring.
Mrs. Gillig proved herself to be one of
the best witnesses that ever testified in
the court, and her answers and eXplana-
tlons on croSs-eXamination were made
without hesitation and with the utmost
confidence. During the two hours she
occupied the witness stand she did not
contradict herself once.
She said she engaged Miss Gehring last
November in Paris to act as her maid;
the girl had letter of recommendation,
but Mrs. Gillig liked her face and APP
pearance and did not trouble herself
about making any inquiries as to the
girls character. She took Miss Gehring
with her from Paris to London, and
thence to America. After remaining
in the East for a few weeks,
Mr.. and Mrs. Gillig came to Sacramento,
the maid accompanying them. After hav-
ms been here some time, Mrs. Gillig no.
ticed her maid wearing ribbons and other
little trinllefs that did not belong to her,
and when she reproached the girl about
1t, the latter gave the articles back and
said nothing. just before leaving Lon
don, Mrs. Gillig asked the maid about a
bill which mad been presented for wine
and cognac. At first the girl denied any
knowledge of having ordered the liquor,
but afterwards confessed that she did, but
said she thought the waiter had made her
a present OF it. These little falsehoods
aroused suspicion, and on Friday, two
weeks ago, when Mrs. Gillig examined a
trunk which she had stored in the garnet
of her home in this city,ra year ago, be-
fore going to Europe, she found that some
costly laces, jewelry, feathers, handker-
chiefs, gloves and a tortoise-shell buckle
were missing. She knew that the girl
could not have stolen the articles while
she was in Europe. because she did not
have them with her, but thinking per-
hstps that the missing property mig at have
been taken since her arrival at the Crock
er mansion,
SHE WENT TO THE GIRLS ROOM,
And upon examining her trunk, found
everything. There We're laces worth over
500, lace handkerchiefs costing $40 apiece.
elegant sashes bought in Rome and Paris,
cologne, costly pieces of trimming,
punches of artificial flowers, and other
articles, the aggregate value being about
$1,000. In the girls bureau drawer were
found some underwear belonging to Mrs
Giliig and also Il pair of diamond ear
and ring belonging to Mrs. Gillig were
discovered wrapped in some tissue paper,
and inclosed in little wallet.
Mrs. Gillig ordered Miss Gehring to
come into the room, and when confronted
with the discovery, she grew red and
pale at intervals, trembled somewhat, and
cried. Mr.. Gillig was in the room
at the time, but retired when Mrs.
Gillig announced her intention of making
the girl take off her clothes to see whether
or not the undergarments she wore
belonged to her. She found that almost
excepting the dress, had been taken
from her Mrs. Gillig's) trunk. The girl
was afterward told to leave the house and
she did so.
THE CRoSS-EXAMINATIoN.
81 didn't like to discharge the girl when
/ first suspected her of stealing" said
Mrs. Gillig, because l had brought her
from Paris and did not want to dismiss
her so tar away from home. We missed
Mr.. Gillig's cuff buttons in London and
thought they were lost until we found
them in her possession. She spoke
English but very little though sheunder-
stood great deal more than she would
have you Know"
Now Mrs. Giliig don't you know that
you were in the habit of giving your
maid some of your clothes, and hasn't
she altered your dresses and done consid-
cradle sewing for you at different times?"
asked Mr.. White.
mo, sir" replied Mrs. Gillig, "rm not
in the habit of getting my maid to alter
any of my dresses. She may have done
some slight mending for me, and | be-
lieve she did take the feathers off the
dress | wore to the inaugural ball and
have them cleaned; but she made no al
terations in any of my clothing. found
my valuable writing paper also in her
trunk and she knew / did not want her
to use it. She was with me when l bought
1t, and aware of the fact that it was very
choice"
A piece of satin made into a handker-
chief was shown the witness, and she
said that the girl had taken it, without
permission, and had partly worked her
initials on it,
The defense tried to prove by the wit
ness, in croSS-eXamination, that she had
taken all of the articles mentioned over
TO Paris, and on preparing TO return gave
them to the maid and told her to pack
them in her own trunk; but Mrs. Gillig
was positive that she did not have any Of
the laces or diamonds in question with
her in Europe.
MIR. White observed that it would be
reasonable to suppose that she had, with
out knowing, taken the articles with her
to Europe, and in order to escape paying
duty on them IN returning, had told the
maid To pack the laces in her trunk.
Mrs. GilHg laughed at the idea and
again said she knew she did not have the
laces with her while abroad. She wore
every dress she had in her travelling
wardrobe while in New York and Paris,
and would have known had they been
among her articles of wearing apparel.
coRRoBoRATIvE TESTIMONY.
Harry NJ Gillir WAS the next witnaSS