The Portland daily press., 1897-09-10
ROMANCE A-wHEEL.
Gertrude Smith and Her Bicycle in Old
Orchard Court.
(Biddeford journal J

and two rival admirers figured as the
heroine of romantic and somewhat
tangled chain Of events, with which Trial
Justice Yates had to deal in the Old Or
chard court this morning. The wheel was
the centre Of the legal part of the tangle,
but the young woman was the most
picturesque figure in 1t, for she was
placed in the rather anomalous position
Of being charged with stealing her own
property. to wit-one drop frame wheel
The situation had It's embarrassing side
cerned but she was cleared completely
from the legal allegation against her and
came out Of the muddle fully vindicated
She is Miss Gertrude Smith of North
Saco, an Innocent looking and withal not
unprepossessing young woman whose at
Effectiveness loses none of it's effect when
she rides wheel Perched on the saddle
of her machine, she has not failed to win
admiration as she spun along gaily over
cross roads and longer highways. The
wheel was bought by friend, Edwin A.
Edgerly, young man who is engaged in
farm work and boards on the Flag Pond
road. He parted with his money to pur-
chase the bicycle at Saco store and Miss
Smith enjoyed riding it.
Matters went smoothly for time, and
wheel and girl had begun to seem almost
lik e inseparable companions, so to speak,
when Edgerly was startled by the dis
covery that the wheel had disappeared.
bo % nj hot bod
sold to bicycle dealer at Old Orchard.
During the latter part of last week Miss
Smith and another friend, Charles Dear
born, took the wheel to Old Orchard and
made a trade with a bicycle dealer by
which the latter took the wheel in pay
ment for bill she owed him, and he gave
her $l3 besides, for which she returned a
receipt to him.
Edgerly's discovery of the fact that the
wheel was sold, was followed by immedi-
ate action on his part. He reported to
Deputy Sheriff Miles of Saco the loss of
the machine, and exhibited as proof of
his ownership of it the bill Of sale which
he had obtained when he bought the
wheel in Saco. The deputy went to the
Saco dealer and verifying Edgely's claim
that he had purchased the bike there, and
learned It's number, went to Old Orchard.
When he found the machine at the store
he Immediately announced that he would
take possession of it, and though the
bicycle dealer demurred, the deputy
claimed it on the ground that it was
stolen property and walked off with it.
He returned it to Edgerly and 1t went
back to North Saco.
Then the Old Orchard dealer, naturally
suit against the parties who sold him the
wheel. He had a warrant sworn out
charging Dearborn and Miss Smith with
stealing it. and considered that he was
letting them off easily as it would have
been possible to have taken them for the
more serious pretences. The young man
and woman were notified of the charge,
and were told to appear in court for the
complainant was disposed to be lenient
and did not demand their actual arrest.
Monday morning they walked down to
Old Orchard from North Saco, and made
their appearance in court, to answer to
the charge. Neither of them, the girl In
particular seemed to realize the serious
ness of the charge against them, and she
acted as if entirely dazed Both pleaded
not guilty and the hearing was set for
this morning, Miss Smith declaring that
the wheel was a gift to her from Edgerley
and that she had acted in perfect good
faith in selling 1T.
On their personal recognizanoes, they
were let go, and walked back home. Not
many hours after their departure from
the beach the other actor in the affair ar
rived there. Edgerley had apparently
taken a new view Of the situation, for he
went at once to the bicycle dealer and
astonished that gentleman by returning
the wheel and announcing that he was
not the owner Of 1t, but that he had given
It to Miss Smith, and that therefore it
was hers to sell as she had claimed He
declared that he had been little hasty in
taking the wheel. He was anxious to