The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-10
CIRCUMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
How Suspicion was Thrown on n Trinity
College Student.

NOiIeko Stuuonts
From the Hartford CourunG.
A very interesting case of ciroumstantial
evidence has developed out OF the robbery
which occurred in New Britain on Saturday
night. In Humphreys dry goods store. which
was robbed Of $500, a black pocketbook was
found containing about $40 in checks and a
few dollars in cash, and some visiting cards OF
a popular and very highly respectable student
OF Trinity College. This was the only clue the
New Britain police had to the robbers, and a
very strong suspicion naturally attached to the
Hartford man.
Accordingly the Hartford police were In
formed of the facts in the case. and the man
ner in which the evidence pointed toward this
Hartford .nau. and the case was given to Ser
geant Walter Smith, who, with as nimble
steps as his corpulent frame would permit, HE'D
himself out to Trinity College yesterday and
had the young nan who was under suspicion
called out from his recitation. Showing him
q lost" advertisement which had appeared in
Tuesdays COurdnt, advertising for a lost
pocketbook answering the description Of the
one found in the New Britain store. he asked
the man il he had lost the pocketbook described
and had him carefully describe everything he
had done Saturday evening from . O'Clock IN
officer was dressed in citizens clothes. and the
college youth, installing HIN for a portly New
britain grocer or DaSkeLUall player, luIlOteHtlJ
told him everything he had done, in order to
prove to the man. who he thought had found
his curse, that it really belonged to him.
In response. to many cross.Guestionings of
Sergeant smith the young man innocently told
him how he had left his boarding, house on
South Main street. without letting his room,
gone to New Britain by way of Berlin, thence
by the trolley to make a call on a young danE,
remembered to have taken out his pocketDook
to take out a card when he called; and that ne
did not have occasion to look for it again until
he wished to make a contribution in church
Easter morning. He went on further to show;
In order to prove to this man, who he supposed
had found his, property. how he had come BACK
tn Berlin on the electric car leaving New Brit.
ain at 1890; that the car was crowded; that
he had waited a few minutes in Berlin In a sus,
picious. looking crowd at the station. and then
what he had done after he had come TO Hart
fordxzhow, he had come in at a rather late hour
After cleaning this whole story from the
Trinity student, the. officer of the law CON
nation that q big robbery had been committed
In New Britain. and that til" only thing tound
in the store by which to traee the guilty par
ties was the much discussed pocketbook be-
longing to the student.
The evidence certainly seemed conclusive;
to have come is a Hartford team. and had It
not been FOR the straightforward, honest
manner in which the [.,s young hung hal9 5%It sn ase story
He luckily could prove AN alibi by his room
mate, who. as has been stated, was up when
ne came IN. MS very pTluuHtc u iilS -
| cumstunce was an accident. as the gallant
youth had intended to come in quietly without
his roommate knowing anything about the
fact that he had been calling.
The case we'll illustrates how n perfectly in
nocent man can he entangled in a web of cir
Cumstantial evidence. There are several prob
| allie explanations by which the presence of the
| pocketbook can be accounted for in the store
| that was robbed. Its owner. may have lost II
and 1t may lave been found by the burglars,
who dropped it in the store in their hurry to
escape; or they may have picked his pocket
.l $40 taff tia hnnE in n 2tnrn- In
order to divert the attention OF the police
There are two morals to be drawn from this
true story: First, the fallibility of circum,
stantiaI evidence; second, the Importance OF
ADVERTISING. If the young man had kept quiet
about his oss. the finding of his pocketbook
in the rlace where 1t was with his cards In II
would have looked u hundred times more
II may be added that the Trinity man who
had this strange experience is of the highest
character and integrity.