The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-04-21

All of yesterday was taken up in the
main court room with the trial OF Mrs.
Henry NJ Williams. of seventh street
one of the seven women arrested last
Christmas for shoplifting. There are
six cases against her the prosecutors
being the Clemuns, Fcrbcr IL OMalley
company, Wcichel Bros, II. II, Beldle-
man, S. G Kerr Son & Co., Millar q
Peck, and Cioldsmith's Bazaar
There was unusual interest displayed
in the proceedings the court room be-
ing crowded all day long. Mrs. Will
liams sat at the defendants table be-
side her husband and little girl. She is
reI,resentcd by Hon John =. Kelly and
John f. Srragg CHEF of Police Rob
ling sat with District Attorney Jones
as roprCs utativo of the prosecution.
on the prosecutors table was arrayed
a large quantity Of ChinaWare, books,
fancy goods end the like, found by the
policp i'm her house and alleged to have
been stolen from the various stores
enumerated above.
The Clemons, Fcrbcr x O'Mallcy case
was elected to be tried first. In this
Mrs. Williams is accused of stealing a
cut glass vinegar Cruet, two china pic
klc dishes. hot-calte dish and cover,
salad dish, bon-bCn plate, Oat meal
dish celery boat and fancy plate.
When the police were making their
raid on the shoplfters last winter, they
learned from Clcmons, Ferber x OMal-
ley that Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bos-
ton, two of the suspects, were in their
store on Dec. 10 and priced among 9TH
Ell, things two pickle dishes, which
were shortly afterwards missed.
FOUND TIE DISHES.
Charles Fcrber, one of the firm ac-
cOmpanied the police to Mrs. Williams
house and found the two dishes re-
ferred to. In a well-stOCked china clos
ct he also discovered a number of 9TH
er articles which he recognized as hav-
ing come from his store, some of which
We're parts of sets and all of which af-
te" investigation led him to believe
were not sold to Mrs. Williams.
She told the officers, so they now
alege. that the dishes were gifts from
her brother in New York, who conducts
a crockery store. She afterwards told
a different story, giving separate eX-
planation as to how She came by each
article.
The prosecution also put forward as
an incriminatng circumstance testi-
mony by officer Dyer to the effect that
when he visited Mrs. Williams house
during her absence in tn" morning the
two pickle dishes and vinegar cruet
were in bureau drawer. and when
he came back in the afternoon he found
them in the rear part of cupboard in
the book case.
The defense, in a very CleVcrly told
story. explained away everything that
would tend to incriminatc Mis-. Will
lams
Her husband, the eN-COmmOn cOun-
Gilman, and well known contractor, tes-
titled that he bought the cut glass vim
egar cruet for his wife in New York
in 1898 when he was there attending
the big naval parade He was COR
roEorated in this by his neighbor,
Butcher Thomas Noonc, who accom-
the cruet at the hotel in New York
the day Mr.. Williams purchased it,
COL. CCURSEN ON THE STAND.
Colonel H. \. Coursen, member of
the firm of Coursen & Clemons, to
which the Clemons, Fcrber d OMalley
company succeeded, testified that he
knew Mrs. Williams well; that she was
a regular customer of the store at the
ZINE he was a member Of the firm and
that She was in the habit of buying
Just such goods as those displayed on
the prosecutors table. Several of the
articles, he recognized as having been
kept in the store during his connec-
uOn with the firm and said it was pos
SiDle that all of them might have been
handled by the firm, without his haV-
ing distinct knowledge Of it, He also
was positive of having, personally, sold
Chinaware to Mrs. Williams.
Mrs. Williams next went on the stand
and related how she came by each OF
the articles. She admitted having beer
in the Clemons Ferbcr d O'Malley
store on the nineteenth of December
in company with Mrs. Boston, but de-
MED having priced any goods. She SIM
ply sat near the door while waiting
for Mrs. Boston to finish her bust,
ness.
About ten days before Christmas, she
finished Crocheting a pair Of slippers
for Mrs. Boston. Shortly after this
Mrs. Boston presented her with two
pickle dishes, the two which it is alleg,
ed We're stolen from the ClemOns, Fer.
ber 4, O'Malley store
The vinegar Cruet was given her by
Mr. Williams on his return from the
naval parade. She priced it very
highly and only used it on state ocCa,
sions, keeping it at other times in tho
bureau drawer that the little girl could
not get at it and break it.
The hOt-Cakc dish she bought in
COuTGpn e ClpDppG' ctnra IL, 1000 IL