The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-11-06
WILL UNWR|TTEN LAW SAVE
GIRL WHO SHOT bETRAyER?
"Re Deceived Me and I
Killed Him" Is Only
Defense of Alma Bell,
Put on Trial for Her
Life.

plea of wronged young American
womanhood and the unwritten
law are to be placed on trial be-
fore jury here. The defense of
simple, winsome Alma Bell is that
of deceived feminine trust, a pis-
tol and the deceiver paying the
penalty with his life.
When Alma Bell shot Joe
Armes, her lover, she did not
argue with her conscience. She
obeyed the irresistible impulse OF
primeval woman, killed and ex-
lpected to end her own life.
The prosecution is making a
bitter fight to bring about con-
viction. Armes' relatives are
wealthy, and they have hired one
of the best lawyers of the COM
munity to assist in avenging the
young mans death.
They have framed hypotheti-
cal question they put to each
juror. 1t runs something like
this:
Suppose man had loved and
led away astray girl under
promise of marriage and had re-
fused to keep that promise. Put
yourself in place of that girl.
What would you do under those
conditions
Would Kill Him.
Three of the talesmen examined
CtI rH " nrfr
"a Tennesseean, in their turn
promptly replied with emphasis:
Il would kill him"
They were as promptly ex-
cused for cause by Judge Arnott.
So it is going to be a tedious
task securing a legally. compe-
tent jury unless the defense,
conducted by Attorney Chamber
lain. succeeds in convincing the
court that the prosecution has no
right to ask that question.
Joe Armes, aged "a, was tns
son of wealthy rancher. Alma,
barely 20, is a poor girl with a
widowed mother in her declining
years. The mother lives three
miles from Auburn with the one
sister and the four brothers of
Alma.
She had known Joe Armes
since childhood. He wronged her
and she killed him.
| In her own words, she had
"gone with Joe" for four years.
She had trusted him implicitly.
He took her to all the dances and
parties. She says they were en-
gagged. She still wears the ring
which she says he gave her.
Lived With His Family.
Last February Joe Armes' faith
er died. Then Alma went to live
with his family. Many times she
says she had asked ice when he
intended to acknowledge her his
wife. He always promised her il
would not be long, she said.
At last marriage became neces-
sary if she were to keep herself
respected and her good standing.
1t is declared that Joe and his
brothers went to live in a cabin
on some of their land. On the
night of June 5, the girl went to
the cabin, and, after a scene, in
which her lover tried to make her
leave, he finally went with her.
Intended TO XIII Herself.
A shot was heard, then another.
When the sheriff found Armes'
body, shot through the heart, the
girl was crouched in the bushes
nearby. She said she had intend
ed to kill herself and appeared
dazed.
The girls child was dead when
born in the county jail a few
weeks afterward.
This is the story which will be
placed before the Jury in the
defense of Alma Bell, and which
the prosecutor will bitterly at
tack.
| Reasserts Her Love.
At the sheriff's office last
night the writer had a short talk
with her before she took her place
| in the courtroom.
81 loved Joe," she said simply.
1--WE had gone with each other for
| four years, and l trusted him as
much as girl ever trusted a fell
low. I did everything for him
that he asked me to. l still have
the ring that he gave me-"
She twisted 1t on her finger,
20
Yes, when I'm free, I'm going
to live with my mother" she went
on. "She hasn't got long to live,
and / want to stay with her until
she dies. l expect to get out of
this awful thing and live and try
to be better girl"
Accompanied by her brother,
her lawyer and a deputy, she
the invent upstairs to the court
room to face the stare of the cur
ious, trusting in her girlish way
that all this formal court pro-
Icedure would soon be over and
the result would be favorable so
that she could go and liver with
her white-haired mother.
| Auburn is asking:
Can jury be found that will
convict her, even though the pros
ecution Is making a bitter fight
to do so?"
j When coud adjourned today
after three days of the trial OF
Alma Bell, the young woman who
killed Joe Armes her Lnyer and
lnow faces q charge OF murder