The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-28
Diamonds Were Extracted and Fake Stones Were
 n, Substituted Former Trolley Man Makes Clean Breast of Whole
 >4 Affair In Court His Graphic Description of How the Jewels Passed Out of His Possession
Accuses Uncle and Latter's Wife of Substituting Glass
 Imitation for Real Gems

The september term or the CT1IQlElal Superior court resumed its session this morning with Judge William H. Will Hams on the bench. The first case called was that of Morris Gordon, the trolley conductor. and Abraham and Ida Lebenthal, who operate a notion stor at Newfield and Stratford ave- nues, for the theft of the jewels of Mrs Edith w. Cole, wife of Charles M. Cole, formerly owner of the Cole Electric Express Company. The jewels were valued at several thousand dol lars Gordon pleaded guilty to the charge against him, his sentence being deferred. The Lebenthals pleaded not guilty and the jury was summoned. They were represented by Attorneys Chamberlain and Greenstein, while the States interests were looked after by States Attorney Stiles Judson. Attor- ney B. K. Nicholson represented the Coles.
 Mrs. Cole told the court that on the afternoon of June 25 last she boarded a North Main street trolley car at Reads corner and went to the end or the line This was about ten min utes of six in the evening. At the end of the line she was met by an auto mobile and driven to her home which is about four miles up the road. IL was about an hour safter her arrival home that she missed a small bag ln which she carried her jewels. She re- membered that she had them during the afternoon. She made strong ef- fort to find them and caused an adver- tisenient offering a, reward to De m serted in the newspapers.
 The States Attorney placed before Mrs. Cole a, number of pieces of jew elry which had been altered, the d1a- monds being missing and the gold work twisted and bent. She identified them all as her property which she carried on the afternoon or June 70 She described them as they were when last in her possession ana toio wnere
 Charles D. Davis of the Davls & Hawley Co.,, jewellers in Main street, identified a solid gold bracelet minus eleven diat bonds sold by him to MT; Cole. The diamonds were extracteo by someone. A five sapphire ring was also mentioned as being sold to Mrs. Cole but this was not in the coilec- tion. although Mrs. Cole said 1t was in the bag when she lost it..
 George w. Fairchild Of the JeWelry firm of that name in Main street, pro duced records from the books of hls cohnpany showing a number Of sales 70 Mrs wheeler, the mother of Mrs Cole, in 1892 One was a diamond stud, which sold at s76.50 but the value or which he now placed at double that figure. Another set of diamond ear rings which sold at $29250 he also placed at double that figure. Thls was because the price of diamonds had advanced more than double since that time.
 Morris Gordon, who was a. conductor on a local trolley division narrated how he found the jewels. He said: "I live at 109 Central avenue with my uncle and aunt, MT. and Mrs. Oels- man. I was a conductor on the trolley line for but one week when l found the bag containing the jewels on the car. 2 hey were lying on the running board of an ioDen car when T found them. The car was at the end of the North Main street line at the time, and l was turning the pole about placed them in my pocket and did not take them out till I got home which was about 1:30 o'clock the next morning. That day worked 19 hours, as 1t was circus day. On getting home I called my aunt and uncle out of their beds and told them about the find I had made They told me that I ought to return them to the trolley office. The next morning I left the house about 7:3O o'clock and was intending to fetch them to the trolley office. l passed the store of MT. Lebenthal, who is also my uncle at the corner of Newfield and Stratford avenues. I showed him what [ had found. He was all alone. and advised me to leave the jewels with him until I could get reward which would be offered. I left the jewels | with him. He said that if I returned | them to the office would not be re- | warded.
 .aThere were $32 in bills in the bag | which he took out and gave me. He |
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