The San Francisco call., 1906-10-11
UNDUE INFLUENCE
OVER WEAK MIND.

Seated beside her mother. inside OF
the railing in the United States Dis
trict Court Mary Louise Bowen.
delicate looking. sallow- w-complexioned
young woman, listened yesterday to
the opening statement of Assistant
United States Attorney George Clark,
in which the official set before the jury
the nature OF the indictment upon
which she was to be tried In front
of Miss Bowen was her sister, a viva
cious. alert girl, whom many OF the
spectators mistook for the defendant
because of her being seated in prox-
unity TO Bert Schlesinger and Lincoln
Church, counsel for the defense.
After Mr.. Clark had made his brief
opening statement. Schlesinger, con-
trary'to the usual procedure in such
cases, addressed the jury and outlined
what the defense expected TO show
He began by saying that eight years
ago the defendant was employed by
Mrs Matilda Brown as clerk at station
No. in Oakland at the miserably in
adequate salary of $S5 per month with
out board. Prior to that time she had
worked as a bookkeeper for the White
Star Laundry in Oakland Her hours
at the postoffice station were from $3.50
a. m. to D. m Her work was so
hard that she was often obliged to
take her books home with her and
work upon them until midnight.
Schlesinser proposed TO show fur
ther, he said, that the defendant was
incapacitated in mind and body-that
she was OF an exceedingly sympathetic
nature and was always making gifts
to other girls. She was active in
church work, a member Of the Chris
tian Endeavor and teacher In the
Sunday school. She often took her
own clothing, even shoes and stock
ings that she herself badly needed. and
gave them TO the poor.
As to her mental and physical con-
dftion SchIesinger said that ever since
she was 10 years of age she had been
the victim of a nysterical. nervous
disease. II a child in the school room
had a headache or an earache the de-
fendant would go home and complain
of a similar affliction.
The attorney contended that Miss
Bowen was never known to have any
close companions and ner fall was due
to the influence exercised over her by
Louis W. Baker. a printer OF Oakland
and a married man. He was one Of
the patrons of the postofice station
where Miss Bowen was employed. She
helped him with his books and ac-
counts after hours, and. having gained
her confidence. he laid the foundation
of a plan to rob the Government. He
began by borrowing $40 from the
woman. promising TO repay it -in the
morning" She let him have che money
out of the postal funds and he repaid
1t next morning. Then he induced
her to lend him larger sums of the
Governments money and in this way
the shortage accumulated. of all this
$1,000 of shortage, said Schlesinger
the defendant never received one cent
for her own use There was an abso-
lutte lack of motive in what she, did
and it was an irrational sympathy
that caused her to become a mans
willing dupe-
Schlesinger called attention TO the
fact that the secret service people and
the postoff1ce Inspectors had not been
able to trace the whereabouts Of
Baker. but had contented themselves
with arresting the defendant
R. w Madden. superintendent Of
city delivery. testified that after he
had discovered the shortage Miss
Bowen admitted to him and Post
master Dargie that ier acconnts were
short. but that she had not figured Up
the total She said that she had given
the money TO friend who was in
dire need. but she refused to give the
name and said: II am responsible nv
self: 7 took the money and gave il to
my friend" Later when he a-c,~-