The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-06-13
The ~
TROWBRIDGE
CASE
A Lesson rs to Circumstan-
tial Evidence
By EDITH v. ROSS
By EDITH v. ROSS
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911

yond doubt The charge was grand
larceny, though it was afterward
changed to receiving stolen property.
Some goods had been missed from a
store. A woman was seen to take
them and had been followed. She was
tracked to an apartment house, where
she was lost. Among others the apart
ments In which Miss Trowbridge lived
was searched. and the articles-some
1ngerie-were found between the mat
tresses Of her bed.
Miss Trowbridge had captured both
Judge and jury by her innocent and
modest appearance, but the evidence
was so strong against her that 1t was
impossible for the twelve jurymen to
acquit her. The judge gave her the
ightest sentence the law would al
low-two years in the penitentiary.
But even 30 light sentence was a
horror to one who had been carefully
reared and well educated After it
had been pronounced the prisoner. hav-
ing been embraced by her mother,
turned to George Whitcomb, to whom
she was engaged to be married and
on whose face were written horror and
indignation.
Cheer up, GeorgeP' she said you
and ! know that / am innocent Two
years will soon pass. and then we win
be reunited"
ITS horrible" was his only reply.
When Judge Grif1ths left the court
room at the end of a days work he
thrust from his mind, as was his Gus
tom, the scenes Of the day. A hap
pier scene to come took their place.
In few days would occur birthday
to his daughter, girl just emerging
from her teens, and her father was
thinking Of giving her present Of
some article of jewelry. On his way
horHe he stopped at Benkard's, the
principal jeweler Of the town. There
he looked over various articles until
his fancy was caught by bracelet.
golden serpent with two ruby eyes.
He asked the price, but found 1t to
be greater than what he had laid out
for his purpose. The salesman show
ed him others. which he examined APP
provingly, but always returned to the
snake with the ruby eyes.
81 wish it." he said. for my daugh-
ter, whose twentieth birthday comes
around in a few days. But I'll not de-
eide today. Perhaps I'll come In to-
morrow"
When after Judge Griftiths' depar-
ture the clerk put away dozen or
more articles that he had been show
Ing the Judge he missed the bracelet.
Frightened, he looked over every ar
ticle on and In the case. thinking that
he might have overlooked 1t, then on
the floor to see If it had been dropped.
The bracelet was not to be found.
One thing was certain-the bracelet
had been taken. The salesman report
ed that while showing goods to an
emin emily respectable appearing gen
tleman a bracelet had been lost. A
member Of the firm questioned him
closely, but got no further information
than has been given here. The sales
man had recently been given position
on trial He was very anxious to
make sales. and both he and his EN-
ployer considered that his anxiety In
this respect had momentarily diverted
his attention from what every sales
man must constantly be on the watch
| for-theft.
week passed and nothing had been
heard from the missing bracelet. Then
one day an anonymous note in an evi
IDENTIFY disguised hand was received at
! Benkard's 1t was as follows:
ION Wednesday. the 7th Of June last.
was in your store looking at some
| jewelry. l stood near case at which
gentleman was examining different
articles. 1 saw lady standing at the
same case. She picked up several ar
tcles. looked at them. examined the
tags attached to them and put them
down. While the salesman was intent
on his customer she took up bracelet,
held It In both hands and examined
1t closely. She wore loose flowing
sleeves, and while the salesman was
examining the tag on brooch for the
purpose Of learning its price she drop
ped the bracelet into one Of her sleeves.
'The young lady was evidently not
q common thief At any rate. she was
handsomely dressed Curiosity led me
to discover whom she was ana what
her object might be In stealing the
bracelet. She went directly from the
store, hurrying as soon as she reached
| the door. followed her and saw her
| get on a trolley car. l boarded the
car myself and left 1t when the thief
left 4. Passing or the main street.
she turned into residential avenue,
stopped at stone front dwelling and
entered with latchkey.
1.-THE adventure interested me, and
took pains to investigate as to who
lived In the house. l learned that 1t
was the residence Of prominent citi-
zen. Describing the girl thief to those
who were familiar with the family,
| was told that had described his only
daughter
IT found myself in an unpleasant po-
siti0n. To accuse a young lady, the
daughter of a respectable and infiuen-
tial man, Of theft without corrobora
tive evidence would be out of the
| question. To permit theft withou
reporting it would be violation Of the
duties Of citizenship. After mucl
thought hit upon the following plan
1 gave the facts to detective agency
| ond oa%od %ho% e ondoovor 70 r,xsf {
man in the house with a view to max
ing a search for the stolen property
1t gave one Of its best men ths
Job, and by watching the house FOL
some time he finally found the prem
ises left in the care Of a servant. En-
tering surreptitiously. he searched {
room which he had taken pains Il
learn was the bedroom of the young
lady had seen at your store. HI
found the bracelet between the mat
tresses Of her bed
Feeling that l have done even NOR,
than my duty, leave the matter IL
your hands. II you will get out war
rant and search the second story bacl
bedroom of 30 Warren street 20,
will find your bracelet. At any rate
the detective saw 1t there less than al
hour ago."
While Judge Grifiths was sitting oil
the bench-he had Just pronounced
sentence on a criminal-a hurry cal
came over the telephone for him Il
come home at once. He immediatel,
adjourned the court and, calling a cab
drove to his residence. Hastily enter
ing, he found his family In most dis
tressing situation. The house was II
the hands of officers Of the law. VIII