The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-06-09
Young Men Saved From
Prison by Confession.
Claims She Has Been Under
Hypnotic Influence.
Accuses Her Guardian OF C0mpell-
Ing Her to Swear Falsely.

Jacksonville, Fla, June 9-Attention
has been divided in Jacksonville between
the outcome of the Pitzer trial and the
confessions made by Miss Grace Darrell.
The general opinion concerning the Grace
Darrell case is that Du Maurier's famous
''Irilby" has been "out- t-Irilbyed," and
II Miss Darrell's statements are To be be-
lieved. Prof Carroway, the hypnotic.
should return to Jacksonville and take
lessons from the living Svengali. Viewed
from any standpoint the case is most
pitiable one for Miss Darrell. II her state
ments are true, she has been the victim OF
a most heinous crime in being compelled
to swear away the liberty and good name
| of innocent young men of Sumter county
ana threatened with bodily injury should
she reveal the plot against them. III her
statements are untrue, then she must be
suffering from derangement OF the
| mind, and is equally 10 DO pitied.
The story opens with the first incidents
over O year ago. Grace Darrell, "a pretty
buxoYi country girl, living near Leesburg,
South Florida, was found one morning
tied to some trees in the woods. mile
| from her home. Part of her clothing had
been torn off, but aside from some rough
treatment and rougner language, as she
reported, nothing further was attempted
| Then came deluge of letters of the hlthi-
est character Some wore hung on the
fences, others came through the mails, and
others still were found at odd places In
| the house
Finally the case got into the courts.
She, through her guardian, James Arm
| strong accused Hillary and Dune smith,
| Ollie sweat and Dan Wilson Of sending
the letters Tney were arrested and
| bound over and later came the trial nt
| Jacksonville, in the United States Court
\ faH giHgg
| Experts were mmoned TO testify as To
| the writing ETC., and for weeks it oc-
| cupied the attention OF the court Ibe
| jury found the young men guilty, out
Judge Locke set aside the verdict and
new trial was awarded, to come up In
December.
Matters drifted along until last week
when Col. st. Clair Abrahams, In the
heat of declaration in the Pitzer muir
der trial, To show the jury how often
wrong evidence could be given, stated
that ne had confession In his pocket
| from Grace Darrell, stating that the
charges against the boys We're false and
| that she had written the letters herself.
This was bombshell.
Recants and Reaf,lrms.
| Her guardian, James Armstrong, at
| once denounced the statement as false.
| This aroused Abrahams. lie had the girl
| on a writ of habeas corpus. To the sur
| prise of all she signed sworn affidavit
depying the confession In toto, saying
| she even did not know Abrahams. The
latter proved by four OF the leading
| citizens of this city, two OF them being
| the foremost lawyers here, that she did
| sign the statement in their presence
| They identified the girl and also the
statement aud asserted further that they
| cross examined the girl when she made
the confession. Abrahams' typewriter
who wrote out the confession, also swore
10 the girls identity. Miss Darrell sworo
point blank that she did not sign it, ard
so stated to the judge when he interro-
gated her IL made the city wild over
tho matter as the witnesses to the con-
fession are men who couldn't be deceived.
That night Miss Darrell came down
town quite late and found Mr. Abrahams'
son. she stated that she had run away
from Armstrong, her guardian, who she
believed had some power over her, and
that she now wanted TO testify to the
truth. She then went to the newspaper
offices and signed IA statement TO the
effoct that the confession given Abrahams
was true In every respect, and that the
denial affidavit was false, she signing
simply because she had TO. rs Armstrong
had told her To. The publication OF this
again started tho sensation. Armstrong
made an attcnpt To get hor back, tut
Abrahams and his friend kept her hid
She was taken 10 the United states Court
and there made clean breast of 1t. stat
ing that she wrote many OF the letters
herself, and that Armstrong wrote the
others. The court and district attorney
were muddled.
The next trial is TO come up next De-
cembor. On tho evidence thus presented
the district attorney stated that he would
dismiss the cases nj tho December term,
thus freeing the boys.
Proceedings were then begun against
Armstrong. He was arrested on charge
OF subornation OF perjury, and had trial.
The attorneys had such IA hot argument
over the matter that the judge bad TO call
in the sheriff to keep them from a per-
sonal collision, Mr.. A hrahams having
tho reputation Of fire eater" After n
warm fight the court discharged Arm
strong, as the girl had made so many
misstatements that the court declared
that no reliance could be placed on any of
them And thus ended the first round.
Claims TO lie Hypnotlzed.
The girl maintains that when Arm
strong is by she has no mind of her own,
and does as no says without question.
The stories told ut the first trial were
wonderfully woll cOncocted and tho letters
very clever foTgerles, so much so that the
exI ort testified that most OF them were
written 10y the boys without doubt. IL
now turns out that the girl wrote most OF
them and delivered them herself as she
saws. at the instance 81 Armstrong.
A reporter saw Miss Darrell and con-
vrrsod with hor in regard 20 the affair.
When she first came TO Jacksonville, two
wears aga, she was plump ana rosy
| checked, the veIy picture of healthy
Young woman. Now her face Is pale and
| thin. and she seems almost on the verge
| OF nervous prostrator. she talked I'm re-
| gard 10 the matter. however, and seemed
dcsirous Of keeping nothing back Miss
| Darrell Is n Canadian by birth, both Of
| her parents having died when she was
| Young. Between five and six years ago
| she was placed In on orphnnage for girls
| In Chicago, the object ofiwhich institution
was to find suitable homes for the In.
mates. She SAYS that about five years ago
| Mr. and Mrs Armstrong came 90 the