The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-20
ELLA C|NCLES IS
FREEDOF CHARGE
Jury Acquits Irish Girl Of the
Stigma Of Stealing Lace
HER STORY is DENOUNCED
While the Jury Clears the Name of
Ella Gingles, Verdict Also Frees
Miss 6arrette From Charges
Made BY the Girl.
HER STORY IS DENOUNCED

Chicago, July leila Gingles was
cleared by jury tonight from the charge
of stealing lace, but the story she told
on the witness stand of being white
slave" victim was denounced as untrue.
The verdict was fitting climax to the
series of sensations that have followed
the little Irish lacemaker. This was the
form:
I'VE. the jury, find the defendant not
guilty: and we, the jury, further find
that the charges made against Miss Ag-
nes Barrette were unfounded and are
untrue"
The basis of the defense made by the
Gingles girl, who was on trial for steal
ing lace from Miss Barrette, was that
Miss Barrette and others had attacked
her and mistreated her In the wellington
hotel on two occasions last winter and
that the object of these attacks and the
animus back of the theft charge was
the attempt to sell her to an unnamed
man in French Lick Springs, Ind.
The jury reached verdict after nearly
seven hours deiberation. Friends of the
girl clapped their hands and screamed
when the words of mot guilty. were
uttered
Miss Gingles, who remained the coolest
of the lot, walked up to the jurors and
shook hands with them.
Juror Thomas Mackey, the oldest man
on the panel, turned to the girl and said /:
Now. be a good girl. Ella. Go back
to your home in Ireland and be a good
girl"
The girl nodded her head ard turned
away.
What are you going to do now" she
was asked, as she was leaving the court
ROOM
Turns to Grand Jury.
81 am going to tell 1t to the grand
jury" she answered quickly.
When she was asked what she was. go
ing to toil and reminded that the Jury
| had said that 1t did not believe her story,
she appeared little discounted.
| Before she could talk any more her
attorney hurried her away.
| 1t was learned fl pm the Jurors that
| five ballots had been taken. The first
was eight for acquittal and four for con-
! viction.
Those voting for conviction did so main
/ ly from their belief that the girls stories
Of the weird outrages committed against
her were untrue They were won over
to acquittal by the addition to the YER
dict of the clause exonerating Miss Bar
rette.
1t was announced by Assistant States
Attorney Furthman that the question Of
whether indictments for perjury would
be asked against Miss Gingles or not
would be taken up tomorrow.
Miss Barrette was present when the
jury retired. Wlen she was asked con-
corning her views of the situation she
said:
Il think the verdict will be guilty
and that I will be vindicated. I think
the jury has been satisfied that Ella
Gingles lied"
Among the spectators in the court
room earlier in the day was Caleb
Powers, former secretary of state of
Kentucky, who spent several years In
prison on the charge of killing State
Senator Goebel.
In giving his instructions to the Jury,
Judge Brentano said the girls story
of being tortured in the hotel was to
be considered by the jurors only as
to the credibility of the defendants s
testimony.
Case Is Unique.
In many respects the Gingles case
was unique in Illinois courts. Based
on a simple charge of larceny; the al
legged theft of a quantity Of hand
made lace, It's course went far beyond
the counts of the Indictment The sub
ject of white slavery" was drawn into
the trial and with 1t story of out
RACES of a most revolving character was
told on the witness stand by the young
defendant. Her accusations OF immoral
conduct were aimed at Miss Barrette,
her former employer, and the complain
ing witness in the trial in the criminal
court; Mrs. Cecile Kenyon. a friend Of
Miss Barrette, who, before the trial
began, died under peculiJr circum-
stances and an unnamed man who took
part In the orgies related by the de-
fendant.
For the defense Attorney Patrick H.
ODonnell sought to prove that his cl1-
ent was an innocent young girl who
had been shamefully used by her ac-
cusers. Against this contention the
state, through Assistant States Attor-
ney Short, called witnesses from Cana
da, the former home of Ella Gingles,
who testified in contradiction to the
story of the defendant concerning Incl
dents in her life.
At one time the taking of pertinent
evidence was halted long enough to
permit Thomas Taggart of Indiana.
former chairman of the democratic ma
tional committee an opportunity to de-
clare on the stand that he had no
knowledge Of Ella Gingles save what
he had read in the newspapers.
His name had been mentioned by Ella
Gingles as one which was spoken while
she was being subjected to abuse on
the night she declared she was at
tackled by Miss Barrette, Mrs. Kenyon
and the unknown man."