The San Francisco call., 1896-10-21
Request That Old Bailey Be
Substituted Denied by the
Magistrate.
THE SAME HEAVY BONDS STAND
Witnesses Prom America, However,
Will Be Sent to Show the Mental
Condition of Mrs Castle.

LONDON, Enc, Oct. 20.-Mr. and Mrs.
Walter NJ. Castle of San Francisco, who
were remanded last Tuesday under a
charge of stealing a number of valuable
furs and various other articles and re-
leased upon furnishing bail in the sum of
$40 900 for their appearance in court to-
day, were again arraigned in the Great
Marlborough-street Police Court this
morning and committed for trial at the
Clerkenwell sessions, their case coming
up on November 2. The bail that was
furnished at the last hearing was renewed
and the prisoners were set at liberty pend
ing their trial.
As was the case upon the occasion of
last Tuesdays hearing, the courtroom was
crowded with friends of the accused, curl
osity-seeKers, etc. Before the proceedings
were opened Hon. J. Roosevelt, First Sec
retary Of the United States EN- bassy, had
an interview with Mr.. Castle in an ante
room. Mrs. Castle wore q light-colored
dress. She looked somewhat pale when
she entered the courtroom, but did not
display anything like the nervous agita-
ton which she so plainly showed at her
last appearance in court.
establishment OF Gustav Ellis, fur-dealer
of Regent street, was called to the wit
ness-stand and testified to the loss by her
employer on October 1 of the sable muff
which was subsequently found in the
rooms of the prisoners at the Hotel Cecil.
The witness said that on the date men,
toned Mrs. Castle, with her son, came to
Ellis store and was shown two ehincbilla
skins, which she desired to have matched.
Close to where Mrs. Castle stood was
case containing sable muff. When, after
short absence in another part of the
slore, the witness returned to where Mrs.
Castle was awaiting her, the latter made
an excuse for leaving the building, prom
Using to return in a half hour. Shortly
after her departure the muff was missed
from the case-the door of the case was
not closed, as usual The next time wit.
ness saw the muf was after it had been
removed from the prisoners rooms to the
police station. Witness positively identi-
fed the muff as the one which was miss
ing from the store after Mrs. Castles visit.
Andrew Swertzel another fuI-dealer,
testified to Mrs. Castle visiting his estab-
lishment on the last of September. She
came IN alone, said the witness, but was
followed in a short time by her son and
husband, each OF whom entered the store
separately.
While Mrs. Castle and the proprietor
were talking with each other, Mr. Castle
looked at some furs at some distance from
where they stood, but Mr.. Swertzel would
not say that he touched any of them. The
party soon afterward left the shop, Mrs.
Castle remaining few minutes after her
husband and son had gone. The next
day Mrs. Castle called at the store in the
morning and was shown some chinchilla
skins which she wanted to have matched.
She inquired regarding a cape, the price
of which was f45, but declined to pay that
amount for it, offering f3 less. Her son
came in while she was there and they
departed together.
Witness did not miss anything at the
time of Mrs. Castles visit and did not
know he had peen robbed until he iuenti-
fed some of the articles taken from the
rooms in the hotel in which the prisoners
lived. The articles we're in that part of
the showroom in which Mr. Castle stood
upon the occasion of Mrs. Castles first
visit to his esta blishment.
Other furriers identified the property
found in the possession of the prisoners
as belonging to them, and plated toast
rack and cream jug bearing the stamp
Hotel CeeiP were identified by the
manager of that hotel.
After the circumstances attending the
arrest of the prisoners had been testified
to by detectives the prosecution rested.
Magistrate Newton then com mitted the
prisoners for trial at the Clerkenwell
sessions.
Charles Matthews, counsel for the de-
tense, asked that the defendants be COM
mitted for trial in the Central Criminal
Court, Old Bailey instead OF the ordinary
sessions. His grounds for making this
request, he SAID, were that the anxiety of
the friends of Mr.. and Mrs. Castle in San
Francisco that they should receive the
benefit of all available testimony in their
favor was very great, and the comm1ttaI
of the prisoners for trial in the Old Bailey
Court would allow them to come to Eng
land, bringing with them medical eyi-
dence of the mental responsibility of
Mrs. Castle.
Magistrate Newton said that he was un-
aoie 10 comply Win the request as he was
acting under directions TO send all cases
of shop-lifting to the sessions.
Mr.. Matthews then said he had no doubt
that he would be able TO obtain an ad-
journment of the case from the Clerken-
well Sessions Court in order to enable
witnesses from America to be present at
the trial.
The prisoners pleaded not guilty and re-
served their line of defense.