The Newtown bee., 1897-03-26
CALCULATIONS:
Local Affairs.
Trial of Mrs Alice Behn.

BEFORE JUSTICE NODES OF BRIDGEPORT
 ACCUSED OF ILL TREATING LILLIAN
 HUBBELL, A GIRL FROM THE COUNTY
 HOME.
 The trial of Mrs Alice Behn of Dodg ingtown, accused of ill treating Lillian Hubbell, the young miss from the county home who lived in the Behn family, but ran away because she claimed she was ill treated, and who has more recently been 80 distressingly and peculiarly ill at the home of Charles B. Johnson and later taken to the Bridgeport hospital for treatment, was commenced at the Town hall on Saturday afternoon of last week. The court was held before Justice Nobbs of Bridgeport, Attorney k. o. Hull of Bridgeport appearing for the State and Attorney H. w. Taylor of Danbury for the accused. It was nearly o'clock when court opened and Justice Nobbs read the charges in the complaint to Mrs Behn, which were substantially that on November Is, 1896, she abused and pun ished Lillian Hubbell more severely than she should.
 To the charges Mrs Behn entered 8 a plea of not gu lty and the taking of testimony was commenced. In opening the case, Attorney Hull for the state ex- plained that Lillian Hubbell was unable to be present on account of sickness, as the authorities at the Bridgeport hospital had forbidden her removal in her present condition, but after consultation with the attorney for the defense it had seemed best that the taking of the testimony of those present proceed, to save expense and the trouble of being called in again. Attorney Taylor substantiated the state ments made by Attorney Hull and the taking of the testimony was proceeded with.
 The first witness was Miss Katie Falls, who said she was 13 years old and 8 daughter of Andrew Falls, and attended the DoIgingtown school on November l6, 1896. Knew Mrs Behn and Lillian Hubbell. She was a friend of Lillian Hubbel and on the day in question Miss Hubbell came to school in the afternoon, but not in the morning, and while there showed her cut over her right eye which she told her was made by Mrs Behn's whipping her. The cut was cov- cred with court plaster and was about one-half inch long.
 The cross examination was given most ly to testing Miss Falls memory as to dates and how she remembered this par ticular piece of court plaster on Miss Hubbell's face so we'll. She also stated that she had talked about the case with MT Johnson, MT Hull and had told her parents and on redirect examination she stated that they had not told her what to say.
 The second witness was Miss Nellie Nash, another school friend of Miss Hub bells, residing in Dodgingrown, about one-half mile from Mrs Behn's. She knew Mrs Behn and Miss Hubbell, and was at school on November 16, 1897. She also testified to Miss Hubbell's absence in the morning from school but of her presence in the afternoon, when she saw the cut over the eye and showed her red raised marks on her left arm by rip- ping up her sleeve with pen knife. which she told her were received by a whipping Mrs Behn had given her that morning for getting some black on her apron from kettle. The cross exami- nation brought out no new facts only that the ripping up of the sleeve was done in school time.
 Miss Jennie Barnum, another school friend, was called and testified to know ing Mrs Behn and Miss Hubbell. Her testimony only corroborated that of Miss Nash as to seeing the marks on head and arm and being told by Miss Hubbell that she received them as a result of whip. ping at the hands of Mrs Behn. The cross examination brought out nothing new except that Miss Barnum admitted & poor memory, carried her dinners te school and gave list of the other schol ars who did. The location of Mrs Behn'l house was also explained with it's rela tions to the schoolhouse as being quite near, not only by this witness but by tn. others.
 Miss Nellie F. Whitehead, the teacher of the Dodgingtown school, was nex called. After the usual preliminaries aI to her residence, acquaintance with Sh' parties, etc., the school register was in troduced and from it's markings the fact were brought out that Miss Hubbell ha, attended the school while she had beer , teacher eight and one-half days and wa there on November 16, in the afternoon but not in the morning. The cross ex animation was principally devoted to th : method of keeping the school register