Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-07-20
ELLA GlNGLEs is FREED
Young Lacemaker Acquitted of Charge
of Theft But Her Story of the
Bathroom Assault is Discredited.

Chicago, July 20.-Ella Gingles was
cleared last night from the charge of
stealing lace, but the story she told on
the witness stand of being white
slave" victim was denounced as untrue
by the jury that freed her.
The verdict in the case was fitting
climax to the peculiar series of sensa-
tions that have followed the little Irish
by the clerk:
I'VE, the jury, find the defendant not
guilty, and we. the jury, further find
that the charges made against Miss
Agnes Barrette We're 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 Yelling
ton hotel on two occasions last winter,
and that the object of these attacks
and the animus back of the charge was
the attempt to sell her to an unnamed
man in French Lick Springs, Ind.
! The jury reached a verdict after
| nearly seven hours deliberation. The
court room was nearly vacant at the
| time the jury came in. A few of the
women who have stood by the Irish
girl since the day her story became
public were there. They arose and
clapped their hands and screamed when
the words mot guilty were uttered
and 1t was some time before they real
lied the import of the last half of the
| verdict.
/ More Witnesses Needed.
Il The eight original acquitting Jurors
were agreed that if the state had pro-
duced certain available witnesses, an6
these witnesses had testified to what the
state suggested they knew about the
case, there would have been little
doubt of the guilt of Miss Gingles mol
any uncertainty about the entire falsit,
: of her whole story.
The missing witnesses mentioned b.
; the jurors were Jesse Rohr, a guest a
the Wellington Hotel, and the two mel
who were in the company of Miss Bar
rette and Miss Hale at 271O Indian;
avenue on the night of Feb 16.
Miss Barrette testified that Mis-
Gingles left her room in the Wellington
Hotel at $50 o'clock on the night o
Jan. 4, and that Mr.. Rohr friend o
Miss Margaret Donahue-secretary t
the Gage Hotel Company and who re
4 sides at the Wellington-came to Mis-
Barrettes room a few minutes afte
Miss Gingles' departure to inquire VIII
Miss Barrette wanted to see Mis-
Donahue. The jurors expressed the be
lief that Mr.. Rohr should have been i
court to testify to his visit to Mis-
! Barrette's room and that Miss Gingle
was not in the room at that time.
AIibi Called Faulty.
: AS to the two men at 2710 Indian
: avenue, both Miss Barrette and Mis-
Hale testified that they Were in the
9 company at the Indiana avenue hous
: for an hour prior to 1 o'clock on tn
> night of Feb 16, that the two wome
> arrived at the Wellington Hotel at ia
. O'Clock, retired in Miss Barrette's rool
half an hour later and did not at an
time see Miss Gingles That was Mi:
Barrettes alibi for the night of Fe
$ 16. The jurors expressed the opinio
o that if the two men at 2710 Indiar
e avenue knew that Miss Barrette ar
- Miss Hale were at lndt mouse unlll
l. o'clock, they should have been in cou
. to testify to that fact.
n On the point of Attorney ODonnell
u conduct in the case, which was II
. subject of the fiercest attack by tl
~ state, the jurors who stood at first f.
- the conviction of Miss Gingles stat,
= 70 that they believed that Mr.. o'Donns
10 was subject to severe criticism. Sc,
eral jurors who voted steadfastly f
: the acquittal of Miss Gingles thoug
Oh the lawyer did wrong in bringing SUI
er serious accusations against Miss Ba
rette on the proof he produced