The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-29
SISTER OF
 LEBENTHAL
 THREATENED

Robbery Is Corroborative
 of Story Told By Accus- CT of the Lebenthals
 Endeavored to Save Her Brother By Aiding Their
 Nephew, But to No Pur- -s'Telling the Truth
 and Sticking By It," She l Declares.
 | Strongly accentuating the damaging testimony given yesterday by Morris Gordon, the former trolley condctor, against Abraham and Ida L.ebenthal, store keepers at Newfield and strat-
 ford avenues, charged with receiving | and despoiling diamonds and other jewels to the value of several thou sand dollars, the property of Mrs.
 Charles M. Cole of this city, Mrs. Da- vid Holzmap of Central avenue, a sis- ter of Lebentha1, proved by her testi-
 mony in the criminal Superior court
 yesterday a potent witness for the prosecution.
 Tn the opinion of those who listened to the cross-examining of young Cor don by Attorney Chamberlain yester- day. the story of the discovery of the jewels in the trolley car by Gordon and his subsequent turning over of them to the Lebenthals was not materially shaken. The defense hopes to prove that the Lebenthals are victims of a conspiracy. Lebenthal and Gordon's mother and Mrs. ITolzman are brother and sisters.
 Yesterday afternoon, after Gordon
 had been cross-exanined by Attorney Chamberlain, David Hickman, an uncle of Gordon was called. He testified that he resided at 109 Central avenue and
 that Gordon was q hoarder at his house on June 25th- He said that on
 thai. night about l a. m. Gordon com ing home from his work awoke Holz-
 man and his wife and told them he had found a bag of Jewels. Holzman
 testified that he advised him to return the jewels to the company. and Cor
 pressed intention of. returning the
 valuables. When Gordon came home that evening witness asked him how he made out, and learned that he had
 left the jewels with the Lebenthais., the jewels for Gordon. because he did not want any trouble or disgrace to the family. Later when Gordon brought ths jewels home with glass substituted for diamonds, he went to Lebenthal and asked him to give up. the real stones. Lebenthal threatened him with arrest. as he did not have any proof that he had the stones. and he declared would have anybody ar rested who annoyed him further with the charge o< taking the diamonds, in cluding the newspapers if they printe2 anything about him. Some time after this incident Mrs. Lebenthal called at They both went to Gofdon's room and loud talking resulted. When Mrs. Leb- enthal was walking out of the house witness heard her say: S. !
 Don't break my husbands heart any more, they are buried." The next tiino that the witness called on Leben- thai was at his store. where the latter explained to him that his wife had the jewels and that he could not get thsm from her, but was willing to bear the expense of the whole thing. He told Lebenthal at that time that his sister. Mrs. Holzman was heart broken over the affair. as she did not want to have any trouble. and did not want to ap- To this Lebenthal replied that his sis ter need not be witness against him, but If she was he would tell the law yers to ask her so many questions that she would nDt know what she was saying.
 On cross examination by Attorney Greenstein. Holzman denied that he tried to sell a ring iniaid with two diamonds to a Mir. Blitt on July 4th last. as he was never the owner of a
 nitted that he had not seen Mr. Biitt for three years until a short time ago at the home of Mrs. Remiz. who is a sister of Mrs. Lebenthal. Attorney Greenstein asked: ,.'Did you not tell story, as you had told it three times. and if you changed it now that you would get in. trouble" Holzman re>, piled. @No. sir. I told him that had toli hlm the same story, and it was the truth, and that would stick to the truth"
 The next witness was Mrs Betty Holman. sister of MT. Lebenthal, who was obliged to give testimony against story as her husband about Gordon finding the jewels and coming home late in the night and showing thsm- She stated that she had personally gone to her brothers to have them re- turn the jewels to Gordon. but he re- fused, admitting that he had them. She later called on Lebepthal, and was told the jewels were buried, On an- other occasion her brother cautioned her against being a witness against him, should there be any trouble.
 Under cross-examination the witness denied that she ever had any trouble with her brother. She sadd she had called on him for the past three years, while she was a resident of this city, The last time that she was at his store was when he cautioned her about be- ing witness against him and threat ened that if she continued her callings he would be arrested
 When asked if she had not come to court and appeared against her broth | CT because she feared that her hus- band would divorce her, Mrs. Holzman l suppressed 9 laugh and said she came to court because She was given to un- derstand that she had to, and was | present to tell the truth.
 The last witness called was little Bertha Hickman, aged 13. who testified | that she heard the loud talking in the | bedroom between Gordon and Mrs | Lebenthal and had heard Mrs. Leben- thai say something to Morris about not | bothering her husband again