The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-30

were brought out"
The ordinary, nonyellow public wonders
what manner of women these be that strive
to be present at scenes of horror that shake
the nerves of hardened men. and sit un-
moved while women tells the details OF
how the man she had loved was killed and
his body cut up in little pieces with her
consent and connivance. One reads that
the only emotion these women spectators
express is one of intense excitement.
amounting perhaps, in some cases, TO
.gloating," as the yellow reporter writes
it. The account of testimony sometimes
breaks off abruptly with the phrase, Here
the evidence was unprintable, invariably
followed up by the statement, The women
in the courtroom craned their necks to look
at the witness"
The intelligent foreigner" reading some
accounts of American murder trials, might
imagine that attending them Is the CHIEF
recreation of the American woman, that
day at the courtroom where the reigning
sensation is in evidence is a regular item
Of amusement with all classes of society,
like the horse show and the theater. He
might conclude that the more grewSOme
the story of the killing. the more prudent
the accompanying details, the better is the
trial liked by the women who flock to it.
AS usual, he would be all wrong. AS mat
ter of fact, there is no such rush of women
to attend sensational trials in this country
as would appear from the reading of some
newspaper accounts.
The women who attend the murder trials
may be divided into four classes: Relatives
of the accused, who are present through
pure sympathy for husband, brother son
called missionaries, whose motives. in some
cases at least. are questionable; friends and
relatives of court officers, who go chiefly
because they have the opportunity to get
in without trouble, and small proportion
of women actuated simply by morbid cur1os-
ity and the desire to be able to tell friends
that they have seen 1.-The notorious So
and-so'
OF these by far the biggest class is that
composed of the friends and relatives of
court officers. who attend the trial on the
principle of the man who has free ticket
to show that he doesn't care to see, but
who feels that he must use his ticket.
These women always have the best seats
in the courtroom. The missionaries form
the next largest class, particularly in this
city. A sensational trial that was espe
cially infested with missionaries was the
trial of Walter Langerman on the accusa-
progress of the trial. when the recital of
details became extremely vulnerable" if
the word be permitted, the few women in
the courtroom, who were there purely from
curiosity and were not missionaries, were
compelled to withdraw by order of the
Judge But the missionaries, by virtue of
their pretenSions were allowed to remain
and hear it all. One of these missionaries,
and the one who busted herself most ac-
lively in the unsavory case, is now on trial
herself, charged with completely in forgery,
| in connection with her relations with a mil
lionaire who has since been adjudged in
sane by the courts.
| The trial of Carlyle Harris for the MUIR
| der OF his girl-wife was one which appealed
especially to morbi young Wofnanhood,
women, tried to gain admission than at
any other recent trial. One morning three
pretty and well-drcssed girls presented
| themselves at the courtroom door and de-
| manded that the doOrnlan let them enter,
| because as. they said, they attended the
| boarding school of which Harris's girl vic
tim was a pupil. They got in, and listened
| with open mouths to some part of the
story of the killing of their schoolmate.
Such instances, however, are the excep-
| ton.
Harris's attitude at the trial with regard
| to the women who attended it illustrated
wildly the colossal vanity which was the
handspring of his makeup. He paid but
little attention to the grief-stricken mother
who sat near him each day, and was for
ever on the lookout for an opportunity to
pose before the women in the courtroom,
who strained their eyes to watch him.
Many women attended the trial of Mary
Alice Livingston Fleming on the charge of
poisoning her mother, but they were not of
the yOung-girl class which iocked to the
Harris trial. AS a matter of fact, nine
tenthS of the women who attend murder
trials are past middle age. They almost in
variaby wear rusty black dresses and as
sumo funereal air that must be distressing
to the prisoner on trial for his life. Once
in a while young woman will appear in
gorgeous raiment and dazzle the eyes of
the court policemen. 1t Will usually be
found that she is a soubrette looking for
chance to get her name in the neWspa-
pers.. A conspicuous case of this kind was
furnished by woman who fioated airy
into the courtroom whenlDr. Buchanan was
on trial for poisoning his wife. She hadn't
OSSl lutTe lN6 minutes DeIOT0 n6f press
agent was going around among the report
ers telling each of them confidentially the
story of her life and adventures. In this
same line was the recent exploit of the
soubrette who sings "Oh, won't you come
and play. with me?" The idea of her at
tending. the trial of Martin Thorne for kill
ing Guldensuppe didn't strike her press
agent in time. but he did the next best
thing and took her to the Jail ito have
personal interview with Martin Thorn
and Augusta Mack All the reporters
were duly notified. The soubrette did not
get any nearer to the prisoners than the
outside of the Jail and did not get glimpse
of either of them, but a long account of her
interview with them, emhellished with pic
lures of Martin Thorn gazing earnestly into
the soubrettes eyes duly appeared in the
yelloWest of yellow journals the next day.
one OF the most remarkable instances Of
d woman attending a murder trial was
shown last week at the trial of Martin
Thorne year or so ago an ignorant
Italian girl cut the throat of her sweet
heart. She escaped the electric chair on
the plea of emotional insanity. 1t occurred
to the managers of a yellow journal that
this Womans impressions of the Thorn
murder trial. would be just what its read
ers wanted. So they had the unfortunate
creature paraded every day in the court
room then an artist drew pictures of her
and reporter wrote some words and her
name was signed to them