The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-04
IS FRAIL WO MA N
GUILTY OF HIDEOUs
CRIME 4?
Sweet Faced Music Teacher of 20 Is
On Trial Charged With Murder
ing Her Lover in Brutal
Manner.
She Sobs Like a Child as the ACCUSE
ton Is Rehearsed in Court
Room.

NAUGATUCK, Conn. Feb. Sit is
hard to believe that this sweet-faced
girl OF 20, this gentle-looking teacher
OF music, is guilty Of a murder the like
o. which for ferocity and devilish cum
ming has seldom occurred In this land
Of many murders.
Yet the authorities say Sophia
Kritchman slew BrOnislaw Kulvinskas,
who loved her. bloodily and without
mercy returning again and again to
where he lay dying to stone him and
slash him with knives. after having
carefully planned the deed, and that
her hand was nerved not by jealousy
OF revenge but for the sordid sake OF
money! scant 5000 Kulvlnskas had
saved for the wedding.
Now she is on trial for her life be-
fore the superior court in Waterbury.
Conn
All day she sits at the trial table
clad I'm schoolgirl frock OF blue that
barely reaches to her shoe tops. Her
frailty has scarcely seemed 10 justify
the two brawny deputies who walk.
one on each side Of her into the court
room day after day.
She seems a gentle girl, full Of tears
and soft signs, not tiend who would
use her sex to lure a stalwart man to
lonely spot and then kill him cruelty.
Hanging is the penalty for murder
In Connecticut They have never
hanged a woman in the state Yet II
Sophia Kritchman is found guilty by
the II men in the jury box some cold
midnight will see a moose substituted
for the dainty little lace collar she
wears about her neck.
The allegation is that Sophia, know
ing OF Bronislaw's 5000 proposed Il
wall to the woods They sat down on
a bank She lulled the giant with her
pCutlngs and Caresses until he grew
drowsy and then she babe him sleep.
She smoothcd her handkerchief and
spread it over his face.
To keep tie flies of - she told
Bronislaw. the state alleges.
Because she could not look into
his eyes and do what she was deter
mined TO do was her real reason, y
the prosecutor told the jury.
She bent over him with a revolver
and poured shot after shot into his
body. it is alleged. Then she fed.
The prosecution is trying to prove
ttat she returned In the evening 10 see
II he was dead. He was grooming.
Then In a frenzy she stoned him and
slashed his throat with razor. Again
the next morning after she had been
to church, she returned 10 the woods.
He was still alive. According 70 the
gruesome theory OF the states attor-
ney she shot him again.
Hours later Bronislaw was found,
still breathing. His dying gasps were
to accuse Sophia and another sweet
heart of hers. Joseph Mitchell, aged
20.
The mans accusation was rehearsed
I'm the court room. The girl dabbed
her eyes with her handkerchief and
sohbed like an abused child.
She accuses Mitchell OF everything
saying he threatened to kill her II she
told
The trial is the principal topic OF
conversation in this part Of Connect
cut. The people look at the girls
mild brown eyes. the dusky hair fall
ing softly over her brow and they
too. think II the guilt Of the crime lies
between Sophia and Mitchell Mitchell
ie the guilty one. He will be tried
later