The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-27
ROBERT F0sBURG's OWN STORY
BY ROBERT S. FosBURG.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
Pittsaeld, Mass. July 26-Had I alone
been on trial before the world, I would &C.
cept my decisive vindcation without COM
ment, but 1t has NOT been so. My father
and mother. my wife sister, brother. and in
a manner all our relatives and friends have
been forced into a defensive position by the
linwaranted enmity of the police officials OF
Pittsfeld. That is why l consent to discuss,
finally and briefly, the case that has just
closed.
Verdict Rebul<e to Police.
The fair-minded, thinking public long ago
recognized that an injustice was threatened
and determined to weigh me against my ac-
cusers In one sense there has been great
court of inquiry. and the verdict rendered
in my favor carries with 1t another verdict.
one of disapproval and censure for those
who heaped grief and suffering on a family
already deeply bereaved by the loss under
distressing circumstances of one of its best
loved members The world now knows the
truth. But 1t is not within the power of the
world to give back to US my sister May.
There could have been no other end to my
trial. There has never been minute when
every member of the family and my host OF
friends were not confident of my acquittal
The story that a burglar or some other
intruder in our home killed my sister Is true.
The case they attempted to establish against
me was based entirely on theory and Gre
dence.
Due to Nicholson's Jealousy.
L have been told and l believe that the
reason for this prosecution is found in the
Police. and in our engaging outside detec.
tives to aid in tracing the burglars. Chief
Nicholson must have known he had no case.
His string of alleged connecting circum-
cfo hava failed - i'm
press child. Yet 1 have been kept under
this charge for six months. to the untold
distress Of my relatives and when the Com
liberate upon It. and ordered an acquittal.
When this indictment was fonnd against
me last January. my family issued state
ment to the public asking that judgment be
suspended until our side of the case had
been heard. as the charge against me was
absolutely unjust and unvarranted. When
the inquest was held, each OF US told our
stories and We had no idea that any other
thought existed than tina: our stories were
true.
The Grand Jury sat and portions of the
statements made by us at the inquest We're
| to the attention of the. Grand Jury. and
such witnesses as the Chief of Police de-
sired to be heard were leard. No member
Jury. No thorough or searching investiga-
ton was made. Our nearest neighbors.
those who knew the mos: about the tragedy
utes after the shooting, were not called. 1t
was a one-s!ded affair and my indictment
came to me as the greatest surprise Of my
Sustained by His Family.
In my long ordeal the great sustaining
power has been my family. They believed
in me. They all knew Row false the stories
were. My relatives rallied around me. MY
friends and. am proud to say that have
many. have stood by me. They have made
1t common cause ami are rejoicing with
to-day that the false theories of ha
Chief of Police have teen destroyed. The
investigation Of the authorities since the in
dollars. and has not resulted in q scrap of
evidence, because none exists. They have
ransacked the country from one end to the
they could not produce on the stand the
story of even one quarrel nor a motive
nor trace of one.
Indictment nm Outrage.
Then they take an old hat. shoe. few
articles OF clothing, some burned matches,
two tracks In the ground. and say, on this
evidence on the strength of this proof alone
cur family. awakened in the DEAD of night
to grapple with masked burglars. does not
was and where. each shot was fired; because
one story differed the merest tritie from an
other; because of these damning facts, We
will have Robert Fosburg indicted for kill
Ing his sister. Was there ever greater
outrage under the name of the law?
1t has been matter OF satisfaction to
try have sent special Representatives to
Pittsfeld to investigate and report this trial.
So far as I know, without an exception
these trained newspaper men. after investi-
cation. concluded that the story told by my
self and my family contained nothing but
| the truth, and that my Indictment was I'M
warranted. When was indicted my moth
er's health was so precarious that we were
greatly worried about her. and we are now
convinced that, had 1t not been for our
generous treatment by the press she would
not now be alive.
I am extremely grateful to all these news
papers. And hope / will now be permit
by any further vaccinations by the au-
| thorities Of this city.