Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-02-22
SUPERIOR COURT.
Man Whe SAatchsd Youni Wenan's
 Parse Given Sin Months.

l Purse Given Sin honths. Yesterday afternoon was fearful one in the superior court. There nev- CT were before such scenes there. Wo- men shed the tears and their cause l was men and their downfall. James O'Brien, a young man of p years. was charged with robbery by Annie Nitkin. The circumstances of this affair are of quite recent date. Only a few weeks ago Miss Nitkin was passing under the scantling used by the builders of the Whittlesey block on Bank street, when her hand bag was snatched from her by young man who ran across the street pur- sued by q crowd of men that were at tracted to the scene by the girls cries. O'Brien was nabbed before he had gone very far and the girls bag and ', pocketbook containing Ss were return- ed to her while he was taken to the station house. He Was bound over to ! the superior court and yesterday he was penitent. He was represented by Judge Verenice Munger of Ansonia. the town O'Brien comes from. . This is the story told by Judge Mnn- ger: OBrien is married and has three small children. His wife is sick ly and last fall he had the misfortune to lose his job. He went to New York and found work immediately, but he was not union workman and though he promised to join the union he had to quit after working only two and q half hours. He hung around New York while, then he came to Water bury to look for work. One day he fell in with some young men who were drinking. They knew O'Brien was broke. but that made no differ- ence. and so in this way he took more than was good for him. Filled with drink, angry because he had no mon- ey, and no work by which he could earn any, he felt rather desperate and when he saw Miss Nitkin's handbag on her arm. her hands in her huff. under the shadow of the scantling the idea seized him to possess it and he got it.
 While. Judge Munger was telling this story, O Brien's mother and sister interrupted occasionally with d burst of tears and volunteered a good deal of information. As this was his first time in court and as he has horne good record. the court dealt with him leniently. giving hin six months in jail.
 Christopher Hapenny, 9. was sen fenced to one year in jail for theft. The moment his mother and sister heard the sentence they burst into tears and Mrs Hapanny fainted and had to be removed to an ante.room.
 Harry T. Harmon pleaded guilty to forgery. Harmon is civil engineer. He forged a check for S166 on the Fra ternal League of Connecticut and raised S10 on it from Edward He'll mann of Grand street. Harmon said he had once been in an insane asylum and that some time ago he suffered sunstroke. He was given six months in iail.
 Thomas I.eary. strapping young fellow of p. was given one year in Jail. He broke into Thomas Russell's saloon on Pemberton street one night and took 500.
 A fine of S2O and costs was 'S,Dosed on Arthur r.af,omme for assault ,non Th6mas McCarthv in a dance hall in Naugatucls Ona evenino a few months ago. T.afamma said Mccarthy iostled him two or three times fin a dance. Only one blow was strnck and that fino~ed Mccarthy and broke his Jaw. Lafamme'S age saved him from iail.
 Julirs Gionx pleaded guilty to big amy. The circumstances of this case are that Ginux married Elizabeth Louehlin in Vermont when she was twelve years Of age. Two children were horn to them and not lnalo after tho birth of the last one she elonad with her half uncle. This was in J"lv. 1889. GiOux tried hv every possible means to get trace of her. hut fai1f,l. He wrote har grandmother. hut got no ren'v. Evantrnllv. however. the grand mother took the vo,rnoeSt child. but whore it is now he does not know.
 Then he came to Connecticut few
 
 parties in Mon~oe. pe does not know where it is. either. Re'inv'ng lis first wifa t'aad. he married Edith Jem~'"s in Newton on Spntamher G. 1901. When she heard of his first marriage she left him and is now supposed t0 he living in Massachusetts. I'ndcr these circumstances and considering that he had saved inc state some ex- nanse in waiving trial. CiOux was sentppcei to to IF years in the state nrisou.
 Ipr'miah Scnllv for assembling Miss Elizabeth Whitmore. matron Of the pav nnrsnrv. was senfenond to one year in iail. Assistant State's Att0r nev Kellogg asked that tna full pen alty. one year in jail and $500 fine. he imposed.