Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-11-06
THE CASE OF THE CASTLES
Castle Was Acquitted by the London
Court, But His Wife Found
Guilty.
PITIFUL SCENES IN The COURT ROOM
Evidence Shows That the Unfor tunate
Woman is Not Responsible for Her
Acts-Court Much Moved
Light Sentence Imposed

London, Nov. 6.-The trial of Mr.. and
Mrs. Walter M. Castle, of San Francisco
charged with shop lifting, at the Clerken
we'll sessions to-day, resulted in Mr.. Gas
tie being acquitted and Mrs. Castle being
sentenced to three months Imprisonment
without hard labor.
! Mrs. Castle appeared to have aged con.
siderably since her arrest month ago al
the hotel Cecil on the charge of having
stolen various articles, such as furs, etc.
from the stores of this city.
Mr.. Castle, after the clerk of the court
IN monotinous tones read the indictment
pleaded "not guilty"
Sir Edward CLARK, counsel, said that Mrs
Castle would plead guilty to all the in.
dictments. She was heavily veiled and
rocked to and fro, moaning and hysteri-
cally sobbing.
Horace E. Avory, for the prosecution,
said that, after careful consideration, un-
less his lordship expressed view to the
contrary, there appeared to be no evil
dence against the male defendant, adding:
"I shall proceed on that assumption, and
shall not offer evidence against him."
The judge replied: II have read the
dispositions and can see nothing in them
inconsistent with the husbands inno-
cence. Therefore I am prepared to ac-
cept the prosecution counsePs view oil
the case."
The Judge. .ipstructedth the jury that they
could notconvict man against whom 0
evidences was prepeated.
At the request of Sir Frank Lockwood,
@. G., who appeared for Mr.. Castle, Mrs.
Castle WAS removed from the court room.
Mr.. Castle then left the dock free
man.
Mr.. Lockwood described the European
tour of the Castles from the time of their
leaving San Francisco, and said that the
court room to day was crowded with men
in high commercial positions, who were
ready to testify to the Castles integrity
Mr.. Avery, for the prosecution, re-
counted the case as it presented itself
against Mrs. Castle.
II do not complain of the prosecution's
statement. If the law of this country
stood as it did up to 1888, l should not
have advised her to plead guilty, but the
extra act, passed in 1883, provided that il
I can satisfy the Jury that she was not re.
sponsible then the jury is not bound to
convict. Therefore, advised her to
plead guilty. The husband did not know
that his wife, when Is years of age, was
obliged to be sent away from her home
owing to troubles incidental to female
life at that period. These disorders have
since reappeared."
Several physicians testified that, after
repeated examinations of Mrs. Castle
they had formed the opinion that the
disease from which she was suffering was
com panied by great meAtal disturbance
causing different manias, as kleptomania
religious mania, ETC., in different women
They asserted that Mrs. Castle was clear
| ly unaccountable for her actions and the
notable distinguishing conseq uences Of
her acts. The detention in prison Of
such woman, they said, would be
most serious.
| Sir Edward CLARK drew the attention oi
the court to the pitable condition of the
woman and suggested that her friends
we're greatly desirous of removing her tc
some asylum, where her mental health
could be guarded.
At this the magistrates retired for con-
sultation. On their return Mrs. Castle
was again brought from the cells sob
bing violently.
The presiding Judge then said that the
court had had great trouble in dealing
with this difficult case, in which sympathy
was almost interfering with Justice, and
knowing that whatever sentence be might
| pass would be carefully reviewed else.
| where, SO that any danger to the prison.
er's mental health would be carefully
! guarded against, passed sentence of three
months i'm prisonment without hard labor
upon Mrs. Castle.
| The general impression is that the
home office will shortly relieve Mrs. Cas-
tie on her own recognizsnce.
The unfortunate woman on hearing the
sentence went into Mysteries, striking:
"Oh, my God," for nearly fveminutes.
Physicians administered sedatives, and,
after she became calmer, she entered q
cab, accompanied by her husband and
the chief jailer, and started for Worm.
wood Scrubbs prison.