The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-04
SELMA is NOT THE STAR NOW
Lawyers Take All the Glory In the
Second Trial of Her
IN

l
It will require more than two weeks
to try the case Of Selma Clewett
against the House of the Good Shep-
herd at the rate the trial proceeded
yesterday. 1t began in earnest at 10
a. M. the jury having been secured
the previous day.
The plaintiff was on the stand all
| day, but her counsel Mr.. Butts, sue
| ceeded in getting very little before the
jury. The defendants counsel are
adopting different tactics than upon the
| hrst trial, and, consequently, instead of
listening to long story by Miss Clew-
EFT OF her experience and treatment
while she was an inmate of the House
of the Good Shepherd, the jury was
entertained with a series of protracted
arguments occasioned by the frequent
objections of the defense to the ques-
lions put to the plaintiff by her coun-
sci.
When court opened the room was
| even more crowded, If possible, than on
the day before, even the passageways
leading from the doors were choked
with people, SO keen is the interest
in this trial
Mr. Butts, in his opening address,
confined his charges more strictly to
the allegations of the complaint, which
in substance are that the defendants,
without authority, unlawfully re-
strained the plaintiff of her liberty and
refused to release her from the insti-
tuition when she demanded that they
let her go.
When Miss Clewett took the witness
stand, every eye in the court room was
| upon her Since the first trial, Miss
Clewett has improved in personal ap-
pearance. She wore rather stylish
hat and becoming jacket, and present
ed altogether neat and trim aspect.
Miss (lpwptt answered few pre-
liminary questions concerning her life.
but as soon as Mr. Butts questioned
her concerning the actions of Mrs.
Root and Mrs. Hand, who were inlStru-
mental in having her taken to the
House of the Good Shepherd, Gen.
Clapp interposed his first objection.
The testimony sought was inadmissi-
| BILE, unless it was shown that it was
part of plan to which the defendant
corporation was a party. The obJec-
ton was overruled and Miss Clewett,
continuing told how she was taken in
December, 1894, in a closed carriage TO
the House of the Good Shepherd by
Mr.. and Mrs. Root. Where she was
going, she said she did not know.
Miss Clewett testified that she was in
| the laundry department for two years
and three months. Sister Zepherine
was in charge of this department all
! the time She described the daily rou-
/
ION Monday morning at o'clock we
went to church. We came back at 7:30,
/ had breakfast and then went down
| stairs in the basement, where we wash
ed clothes all day. The basement was
cold and wet, ard the floor partly COW
cred with old boards. Some of the
| girls had to go down there barefooted
if they didn't have any shoes"
The last sentence of the answer was
stricken out. Then Gen. Clapp insisted
that counsel should be required to state
what he expected to show by such i'm
material testimony, which, by itself,
the court conceded would not make
| out imprisonment.
The court compiled with the request
and directed Mr. Butts to state what
| he proposed to prove. Whereupon Mr..
Butts proceeded to declare that he
would show that the girls were worked
eighteen hours day; that they were
given filthy food that made them sick;
that they were not sufficiently clothed:
| that they were made to bow down be-
fore the mother provincial and kiss the
| floor, and were subjected TO other in
| dignities and cruelties, such as strik
( ing a girl with a Washboard. etc.