The record-union., 1896-10-14
Admitted to Bail to Appear for Trial on
Tuesday Of Next Week.
The Bonds Fixed at Two Hundred
Thousand Dollars.
The Magistrate Refuses to Accept a
Plea of Not Guilty = Evidence
Brought Out in the Examination
Connecting the Husband With the
Thefts-The Wife Accused of Shop
Lifting.

Lifting.
LONDON, Oct. notwithstanding
. the hope of the friends of Walter M
Castle and his wife, Ella, that one or
both would be released at the exam
ination in the Great Marlborough-street
Court to-day, their plea of mot guilty"
was not accepted When the case was
called Solicitor Abrahams, who repre-
Sents the accused merchant and his
wife, made formal motion for dis
1nissal in the case of Mr.. Castle on the
ground that he had no connection with
the alleged thefts. His defense for Mrs.
Castle was kleptomania, as had been
outlined
On behalf Of Mrs. Castle expert testi-
mony was introduced to show her men
tai responsibility.
The Public Prosecutor introduced the
three tradesmen from whose shops the
1urs had been taken. They testified as
10 the loss of the articles found in pos
session of the Castles, and said Mr..
Castle accompanied his wife when they
were taken. Evidence as to the finding
OF the property in the room of the ac-
cused merchant and his wife in the
Hotel Cecil was also introduced.
on this showing the magistrate re-
fused to accept either plea The defense
was given the option Of having the case
disposed Of there mad then by the mag
istrate, who could fix sentence or of
having it remanded for trial by jury.
They accepted the latter alternative,
and the cases We're set for trial on
Tuesday Of next week.
The Great Marlborough street court
room was crowded with spectators
when Magistrate Newton took his seat
on the bench and the defendants We're
brought into court.
Mrs. Castle was greatly agitated as
she walked into court, supported by
her husband, who kept his arm around
her. Hon ]. r. Roosevelt, Secretary of
the United States Embassy, and Mr..
Hudson, were present as r. prasen te.-7
5ives of the Embassy to guard the in
aerest Of the prisoners. A number of
other Americans, all Of them in SYM
pathy with the prisoners, were also in
attendance.
When the case was called Mr. Avory,
5he representative of the Public Prose
cutor, said the prisoners had hitherto
been in excellent repute as citizens of
San Francisco. If the case, he said, had
been that of an eXtravagant woman
buying quantities of articles under
promise to pay, there would have been
some excuse for the prisoners; but,
instead Of the case bearing such an as
pect, it was an ordinary affair of shop
lifting, pure and simple. The prisoners
had lived in one room in the Cecil
Hotel, and had CLEANED in various shops
q variety Of articles, such as eighteen
tortoise shell combs-whlcn were GER
tainly in excess of their requirements;
seven ivory framed hand mirrors, seven
gold watches, seventeen fans, sixteen
brooches, two sable boas, two muffs,
two neckties, nine CLOCKS, seven tor
toise shell eyeglasses, two plated toast
racks marked "HoteI Cecil" and a
large number of smaller articles of less
value. such as trinkets, beads, pins etc,
etc 1t was difficult to believe, Mr..
AYory continued, that the male prison
er was not aware of what articles his
wife had in her possession, as Mr.. Cas-
tie had been in the shops when the ar
ticles found in his wife's possession
were missed. Avory admitted, however,
that it was possible that the husband
had been unconscious of what was go
Ing on but, on the other hand, the wife
might have been getting the articles by
her husbands connivance or through
his coercion.
number of tradesmen who had lost
articles were then called and testified
as to their losses. In every case art-
rIes were missed Immediately after Mrs
castle had called to do some shopping.
Mr. Harris of Jeffs & Harris. furriers.
was the first witness called. He test-
fled that Mr. and Mrs. Castle and their
son visited his store. After their de
nartllre some sable boas and chinchilla
skins were missing, and the suspicious
Y OF members of the firm were aroused.
II Cook a furrier. was next called
He said that Mrs. Castle came to his
ehop October 9TH. She asked if sable
cape could be made in time for her de-
rarture for the United States the fol-
lowing Tuesday. Cook called at the
Hotel Cecil later, as she said she had
some sables for this cape which he was
20 match. While there Cook examined
n package of furs she had. He some
welI-known marks and agreed to make
the cape.
Detective Cunningham described the
arrest of Mr.. Castle who, witness said,
exclaimed: There is some mistake 1
viii pay anything rather than nave TINS
charge pressed. / know nothing about
1T
Inspector Arrow described finding the
effects alleged 10 have been stolen. he
said they were in six trunks in the
Wardrobe Of Castles room at the Hotel
Cecil.
Mr. Margraf Of Margraf, Simms q
Co. furriers, said that Mrs. Castle came
TO their store on October I'd and asked
about sable cloak. Margraf testified
that he Informed Mrs. Castle the gar
,nent would cost E125, to which she re-
piled that she could get it cheaper at
some other place, and Immediately
afterward left. A Russian sable skin
and chinchilla skin were missed soon
after In concluding Margraf testified
that he had since identified his missing
furs at the Marlborough-st street Police
station Each article bore the private
mark of the firm.