The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-02-01
THE FOSBURG MYSTERY
State Outlines Reasons For the Atti-
tude It Has Taken.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY TALKS.
Young Man Accused of killing His
Sister Declares That the True
Story of the Tragedy Was
Told by the Family.

Pittsfeld, Mass, Jan. 31.-The entire
community is in maze of uncertainty
over the Fosburg case and is aroused by
the many sensational features it con-
tans. Much comment has been caused
by the publication of the states case.
The attitude of the state is thus summed
up by District Attorney Charles L. Gard
ncr:
eve do not contend that a quarrel
took place between father End son that
night But 1t may have taken place be-
tween other members Of the family.
"A young woman is shot. Her death
is attributed to burglars. The state in
vestigates 1t can find no evidence Of
burglary.
"The state will give young Fosburg a
chance to prove his statement and to
show, il he can, that burglary and u
murder have gone unpunshed.
This trial may establish that entirely
another crime has been committed or a
dreadful accident happened
Here were professional burglars, pre-
sumahly, contemplating deadly hazard
Gus crime. Desiring to conceal their
identity, yet they wait until they get in
the house to make their masks.
I'VE have the pistol said to have been
knocked from the hands Of the burglar,
which was found under the bed; pair
of trousers found on the road near the
house, Il pair of new socks, an old derby
hat and patent leather shoe. Young
Fosburg says all the articles are his ex-
cept the hat and shoe.
"The burglar story, if false, showed
great quickness and shrewdness in ex-
ecution. But if the young woman had
been killed under peculiar circumstances
involving members of the family there
could possibly have been no other salts
factory explanation"
Chief of Police Talks.
Chief Of Police Nicholson, who arrang-
ed the array of fact and inference the
presentation of which to the grand jury
Of Berkshire county led to the indictment
of Robert Stewart Fosburg on charge
of manslaughter in killing his sister on
Aug. 20 last, has broken silence. AS he
reviewed the case he asserted:
THE theory that the girl was killed by
the wire gang of burglars is untenabe
We followed that clcw to the end. We
proved that these men were not near the
Fosburg house on the night of Aug. 10"
The Fosburg work was not the kind
that tile Smith-Pattcrson Hackett gang
does. They do not Wear masks. They
do not take old clothes and leave jew
elry.
Mote this point, which stamps the Eos
burg story Of the shooting as impossible
! The girl fell in the doorway of her room
| She was shot in the breast The hall a
| that point is only three feet wide. If
| burglar had shot here there, the powde
would have scorched her skin. DR.. Pad
dock in his autopsy noted no powde
| burns. Obviously she was not shot in th
manner described by her family.
desperate men engaged in burglar
! would not shoot at a girl while two me
were advancing on them. The danger t
the burglars would be from the men, nc
the girl.
A Barcfootcd Burglar.
zone burglar is supposed to have bee
barefooted When he ran away, h
dropped shoe, but the tracks under tn
window showed that the men who jump
ed had their shoes on.
1T took Miss Sheldon only a momen
to reach her door after the shot wa
! fired. She did not hear the burglar
running away. All the members of tn
family had gathered around the dea
| girl.
''The burglars arc said to have escape
through window. This window can b
opened only II inches"
i Robert l.. Foshirg and his wife, thci
daughter, Beatrice, and their near negl
hors insist that the story of the TRACED
as first told by them was the whole trutl
without reservation.
Robert Stewart Fosburg, who is unde
indictment FOR the killing of his siste
bears up we'll under the strain. 9Th
truth has been told by u.s." he said, ian
we are only anxious for the trial to PROV
false and malicious the charge mad
against me-"
Mr.. Fosburg, ST.. rehearsed again III
often told story Of the August night whe
his eldest daughter was killed and asser
ed earnestly that no evidence could col
meet his son with the terrible deed.