Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-24
CLAIMS PLOT TO
RUIN Ills CLIENT
LAWYER MAKES SENSATIONAL
CHARGES
RUBY CASSELMAN AGAIN ON
STAND
Attorney for Young Woman Places
Important Evidence Before Jury.
Two Fellow Pupils of
Girl Named


e. Judson Brown, who himself took
the witness stand yesterday afternoon
to testify in behalf of his client, Ruby
Casselman, were in his opinion impli
Gated in the work of forging and pass
Ing the checks placed in evidence in the
young woman's trial, now on in the
superior court.
Browns statements while on the
stand and his questioning of witnesses
following his testimony were probably
the most sensational features of the
trial, and although his implied asser-
tions were denied there is no gainsay-
ing that doubt was aroused in the
minds of many that some, at least, of
the charges against Miss Casselman
could be maintained.
The three persons referred to by
Brown are J. w. Belding, who says he
conducts a railway and telegraph COL
lege; Mabel Wilson, who lived for
some weeks at the home of Miss Cas-
selman's foster parents, but who is now
in Nebraska, and Eva Thorne, at one
time a student at the telegraph school.
II wish to state" said Brown, that
a comparison of the handwriting of j.
w. Belding and the check made paya-
BILE to Stella Greiten, the Lille B.
Sharpe check and the Katherine Ward
check leads me to believe they were
written by Belding."
Two checks presented at the Peoples
store, one of which was cashed, and
four checks purporting to be signed by
H. w. Martin, foster father of the de-
fendant, were in Browns opinion writ
ten by Mabel Wilson.
Says Plan Was Made
AS indicated by the attorneys ques-
tions, Eva Thorne was the accomplice
of Belding and the woman who passed
checks at his instigation. The roll call
H. 4111~ AL Lao
placed in evidence, showing that Miss
Casselman was marked as absent on
the morning of December II, the date
on which the Ward check was cashed.
and this, according to Brown, was but
| a part of the plan to throw suspicion
upon his client and away from the per-
sons really guilty of the crime.
Belding, according to other witnesses,
needed money about that time, and
| Mrs. Julia Davis testified he had told
her he was compelled to have $4,000 by
the end of the month. Negotiations, it
was said, were pending between Bel
ding and the Davis family for a pur-
chase of an interest in the college for
$500, and Belding admitted that Miss
Casselnah had paid him $50 as part
payment on like sum in order that
she might become one of the proprietorS
of the school.
Girl Paid Him Money
Belding was on the stand during the
late afternoon. He said he transferred
| his telegraph school from Santa Ana to
| Los Angeles and had formerly been at
| the head of a similar school in Des
Moines. He apparently took umbrage
at each question propounded to him by
| Brown, glaring at the attorney and
| leaning forward as though about to
pounce upon him. Belding said Miss
Casselman paid him a total of $25 and
| -, I,f n1aor G
months tuition being $65.
Did you ever pay her for teaching?'
| asked Brown.
| "I never paid her a cent in my life
for nothing-now you've got il" replied
Belding, fiercely.
Belding said he missed Miss Cassel-
man from the school room about
o'clock on the afternoon of December
| 81, the day on which she was arrested
but denied that he had sent her to the
bank with the Blanchard check on that
day. He said he had told some of the
pupils in the school they could place
their purses in his desk for safe keep
ing, and admitted receiving newspaper
| CLIPPINGS telling the story of the de-
| fendant's previous troubles and her
probationary sentence.
Denies Statements
Didn't you mark her absent on the
| morning of December II and tell Eva
Thorne to go to the bank in the fore
noon, so the book would show Miss
Casselman was not present in school ii
! an investigation was nader asked the
attorney. Belding denied this.
Miss Casselman finished her testimo-
nv Yesterday forenoon. The district at
| torney brought out the fact that the
young woman had purchased sewing
machine and furnished room in the
Don Falls home near that of her fos-
| - I11,f NHrc rtf or fOStap
mother, testified she had full knoWl-
| edge of these transactions and helped
| her daughter to pay the inStallments on
the goods. Falls said he sold the goods
| in October, last year, in order that he
might be reimbursed for articles taken
from his home by Miss Casselman.
Mrs. Falls said the defendant had
scrubbed washed and ironed for her,
but had been paid for this work, and
she denied with asperity that Miss Cas-
selman made the waist she was then
wearing.
Both Falls and his wife also said
Mrs. Martin, the young womans moth
er, told them she had ''lied once to keep
Ruby from the penitentiary, but would
never do it again"
H. M. Martin was shown four checks
bearing his name three of which he de-
clared he had never signed. Brown
said a comparison of the three checks
with the handwriting of letter writ
ten by Mabel Martin led him to believe
she was the person who wrote them,
and Martin said his check book was
easy of access to Miss Wilson, who was
frequently alone in his home. Martin
said he stood the loss on the checks be-
lieving his adopted daughter was the
guilty party.
A half dozen witnesses yet remain TO
give testimony on behalf of the defend
ant, and the case is expected to go to
the jury by noon today.