Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-12-01
The TRAGIC CASE
Of ALMA BELL
Insanity the Plea Of
the Woman
SCOrned.

Inc id'eSt traPefy ~ snake Ine
foundation Of society. anh brought
bout by woman So ,rlial Is that OF
the murder Of Joe Aimcs, the sod Of q
wcll.t0.do ranchcr near Auburn, Cali.
fornia by his oncc.accepted sweet
heart, Miss Alma Bell, of the same
city.
Miss Bell and young Armes had
been sweethcarts from childhood. had
practically grown up together. going
to the same school and attending the
same church.
About five years ago the two con
cludcd that life would not be worth
living If they could not live 1t togeth.
or. To cinch their mutual feelings
young Armes placed a ring Of opaia
End diamonds upon the fair hand of
his intended, which has been worn
faithfully throughout the terrible or.
deal of the past few weeks.
Alma was girl of the middle class.
engaging In whatever employment
came to hand, contributing her earn.
ings toward the support Of her wild
twcd mother.
During the first of the present year
Alma was engaged as a domestic In
the Armcs household. and Il IL
through this close intimacy with her
lover that she was induced to love not
wisely but too well.
No cloud ever Obscured the bright
sky OF her seeming future. and the
love chats of the two dwelt continii.
ally on the future state of their happi.
rCss.
About this time the tcmptcr came
Ia the person of Minnie Foster, a very
beautiful young lady, who was en-!
gagged to pick cherries In the orchard
attached to the Armes farm.
Young Armes appeared to he great.
ly smitten with the charms of Miss
Minnie, and, In fact, made no effort
to conceal his growing affection for
the new arrival from any who wished
to see.
Loves eyes being sharp. Miss Bell
at once saw how matters were drifting
and made plea time and again with
Armes to cease his marked attentions
to the fair Minnie. but without avail.
Driven to desperation by the loss of
her lover, and her fast approaching
season of motherhood Miss BELL, In
some unknown way, secured a revoI-
YER and secreting herself near the
house, shot young Armes to death.
The next day she was found hiding on
a distant part of the ranch and was
arrested for the murder OF Armes and
placed on trial for her life, the cor.
oner's jury first holding her on the
charge of murder.
On July /, while confined In the
county jail awaiting trial for murder.
Ing the man who had cast her Off, her
expected child was born. The prose.
custom positively denied the fact of
birth at the trial of the prisoner.
On November 2, this celebrated case
was called for trial and score after
score of talesmen were exhausted be.
fore twelve men could be secured to
try the case. Prosecutor Hamilton
opened the case for the people.
Stories for and against Miss Bells
Character were told by many wit.
nesses. Tragic scenes of tears and
Paintings characteristic OF such trials
were brought into the case. The poor
old mother chung to her child with a
love beyond understanding except by
mother. Insanity, brought about by
the scorned treatment of young Armes,
was the plea leaned upon by the de-
Tense. The "Unwritten Law" was also
made to play It's part during the trial.
After one OF the most sensational
trials ever held In a court of Justice.
the twelve jurors acquitted Miss Bell
on the ground that she was insane at
he time Of killing yOunp Armeu