Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-01
ENIGMA SA VS.
"DOUBLE" IS
RESPONSIBLE
RUBY CASSELMAN DISCUSSES
CASE
BLAMEs WOMAN AND TEACHER
FOR TROUBLES
Claims She Pleaded Guilty at Request
of Sunday School Friend, but
Latter Denies Her
Statements


Mrs. Ada Bryant, living at 221 North
Beaudry street, teacher of the banner
class in the First Methodist church
Sunday school, repeated the question
as she sat in her home last night.
At one side of the room stood an old
fashioned church organ; pictures of girl
friends hung on the walls; steel en-
craving of the Last Supper" stood on
small table, and near by lay Bible
and STUDY of the Scriptures" giving
the surroundings a religious, yet prac-
| tical, aspect.
"I believe" continued Mrs. Bryant
that Ruby is possessed of devils as
J were persons in the time of Christ.
Punishment cannot cure her evil ten
dencies; she must depend wholly on the
| Lord"
Mrs. Bryant's statement was called
forth by the first story told by Ruby
Casselman since the time, two and a
half years ago, when the young woman
was arrested on the charge of passing
a forged check.
| In this story she expressed the belief
| that she was the innocent victim of un-
scrupulous persons; declared she had
| never passed or endeavored to pass
| forged check, and that only the knowl-
| edge that she was innocent and that
| God, in his infinite mercy, would see
| that justice was done, kept her from
breaking down under the strain of her
misfortunes.
A large number of friends and others
whose minds were filled with curiosity
sat in Justice Selph's court yesterday
afternoon when Miss Casselman ap-
peared for a continuance of the exam
ination begun Monday.
Case Perplexing One
No further evidence was introduced
however Justice Selph said the case
presented some very perplexing prob
lens and that the question remaining
was who, if not the defendant, com
mitted the crime. The defense, he said
had shown a strong alibi, and were 1t
not for the Introduction Of the receipt
signed by Katherine Ward, whose name
was traced over many times with
pencil he would feel 1t his duty to re-
| lease her.
Owing to the bringing of this little
piece of paper, however, the Justice
declared circumstances were such that
he believed it advisable to hold the
young woman to answer in the superior
court, and this was done, bonds being
| fixed at $4,000.
Miss Casselman bowed her head on a
neatly gloved hand as the justice an
nounced his decision. She may nave
wept or smiled, but when the hand OF
her stanch friend, Fannie Davis,
touched her arm she lifted the same
calm, innocent but dry blue eyes to the
sympa thizing friends surrounding her.
Il can only say / am innocent; what
else can be said?" she murmured.
Ten minutes later she consented to
tell the story of her troubles, dating
back two and half years ago, when
she was arrested on a charge of forgery,
was tried and placed on probation by
Judge Smith of the superior court.
81 Am Innocent" Says Girl
"I certainly am innocent of any crime
charged against me-" said the young
woman. Let me begin my story at
the time when was arrested charged
with forging the name of Mr.. Bowen
of the West Side bank to checks more
than two years ago. They said l took
the check books from a desk In the
Bowen residence.
st went to the house with Ruby
Fuller to telephone another member of
a Sunday school committee in charge of
ARRANGEMENTS for an entertainment.
Miss Fuller was with me all the
time and would have known had l
taken the books. The fact that these
books were found in a hatbox in my
room after my arrest only. goes to snow
that some person was trying to 1ncrim-
mate me in a crime which he or she
had committed, for no criminal would
be foolish enough to leave Such evil
dence where it could be so easily found.
"Other persons had access to this
desk. and while do not wish to charge
anyone in particular circumstances
which have come to my attention lately
were such that I felt inc in whom
had always reposed the utmost conf
dence was trying to shield herself.
"I also became painfully aware that
many of my old associates had turned
from me, and when l approached my
Sunday school classmates they would
pretend not to see me, and some OF
them even refused to speak.
'I felt dreadfully panied, but de-
termined to continue attending the
Sunday school until one day 1 was
accused by my teacher, Mrs Ada
Bryant, of stealing a dollar from
table in the classroom. She later found
the dollar, but l have never attended
the school since and have discovered
as many sincere Christians outside the
church as there are inside.
Lays Responsibility
"To Mrs. Bryant 1 lay the respon-
sibility for a great deal of my trouble
When 1 was arrested more than two
years ago she implored me on her
knees to plead guilty to crime / had
never committed. When l promised
, to do ST. she seemed greatly relieved
and lett tne court IOOIli I1dlCl
pocket book which I had lost in the
Sunday school was found in closet
and in 1t was thimble with Mrs.
Bryant's name engraved on it. She
also believed l had kept money col
leoted for her benefit when she was
sick, but in reality l made up the bal
ance of the sum necessary to pay the
physician at that time, the receipt OF
which her class wished to give our
teacher as a birthday present.
1.-THE amount to be paid was $50, and
we hadl collected only 500. | made up
the rest myself and told the girls they
could pay me- Many of them did so.
l lost the receipt, but Mrs Bryant was
suspicious and believed l had used
some of the money.
Coming down to the present charge
of forging the names of Mrs. M. A.
Ward and Katherine Ward to check
for $50 on December IL, believe 1 was
again made the victim of some persons
who wished to get money, using me as
catspaw, knowing well that on ac-
count of my previous troubles suspicion
would be thrown upon me.
Makes Strange Request
while at the telegraph school on
North Hill street ]. w. Belding, the
proprietor, asked me to put my purse
in the top drawer of his desk.
my suspicious were not aroused un-
til after the receipt signed by Kath-
o,.I xxr1,o