The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-10-05

question. To permit q theft without
reporting 1t would be a violation of the
dutles OF citizenship. After much
tnouent hit upon the following plan:
! gave the facts to detective agency
anu asked that it endeavor to put q
man IN the house with Il view to max
ing search for the stolen property
1t gave one of it's best men the
Job. and BY watching the house for
some time he finally found the prem
1ses left in the care OF u servant. En-
terlns surreptitiously. he searched a
room which he had taken pains to
learn was the bedroom of the young
lady l had seen at your store. He
FOUND the bracelet between the mat
tresses Of her bed.
| Feeling that l have done even more
than my duty, leave the matter in
your bands. IL you will get out a war
rant and search the second story back
bedroom OF 30 Warren street you
will find your bracelet. At any rate,
the detective saw it there less than an
hour ago."
| While Judge Grifaths was sitting on
the bench-he had just pronounced
sentence on criminal-a hurry call
came over the telephone for him to
come home at once. He Immediately
adjourned the court and, calling a cab,
drove to his residence. Hastily enter
Ing. he found his family in most dis
tress1ng situation. The house was in
the hands of officers of the law. who
mad IN their possession the identical
ruby eyed bracelet he had thought of
buying for his daughters birthday
present. 1t had been found between
the mattresses of her bed.
| That some of the constables recog.
nized a Judge Of the criminal court
did not absolve them from doing their
duty. Miss Griftiths was taken by
them in a carriage to court. her father
accompanying her. where a charge of
larceny was made against her. Her
rather gave bail for her appearance
for trial. and she returned with him
to their home.
| mystery doomed up before Judge
Gritfiths. Not for a moment did he
suspect that his daughter was guilty
OF theft What puzzled him was that
ne had examined this very bracelet
with view to buying it. He was
sure that he could not have taken 1t
from the store by mistake. And IL he
had done so how could it have come
between the mattresses Of his daugh-
ter's bed? But the mystery was nothing
to the terror with which the incident
inspired the Judge. Without an expla.
nation his daughter must be tried,
convicted and sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary. On just such evidence he
had sentenced hundreds of criminals.
BE went at once to Benkard's and
was closeted with the head Of the
6rm.
On hearing the judges errand.
Mr.. Bernhard told him Of the anony.
nous letter he had received and show
ed him another that had just come In
apparently from different person. au.
thOrizing him to say to Judge GrifI1ths
that 1t would be to his advantage to
recommend to the governor Of the
state that pardon be granted to Edith
TrOwbridge. whom he had sentenced to
serve two years in state prison. This
was all the information received on
the subject, except that Bernhard had
recovered his lost property by acting
on the advice Of his first correspond.
ent.
For the first time the judge recalled
the Trowbridge case. 1t was plain
that some one interested In that case
had planned an ingenious method Of
placing his daughter in the same posi-
ton as that occupied by the girl he
had sentenced. Furthermore. he saw
at once that the scheme had been SO
adroitly managed that there was little
hope OF exposing the perpetrators.
Whether the scheme had been work.
ed in the interest Of an innocent or
guilty person the Judge did not know.
He had no evidence to prove that a
scheme had been worked ut all that
could be satisfactorily presented to a
court. He went ut once to the gov.
ernor of the state and laid the case
before him. The governor yielded to
his solicitations and issued q pardon
for Edith Trowbridge.
AS soon us Miss Trowbridge was
free Judge Grittiths received word
that the pee III who had worked up
the case against his daughter would
explain on promise of immunity.
The judge. glad to remove the obloQuy
that rested upon his child. acceded to
the terms and soon after received a
visit from George Whitcomb who said
to him:
You convicted an innocent girl on
circumstantial evidence. After the
trial l saw you walk up the street and
enter jewelry store. ! went in after
you. stood beside you at the counter
saw you look at the bracelet and heard
all you said. When the clerks back
was turned and you were intent upon
another article saw an opportunity
to steal the bracelet. To do SO and
make plan for laying the theft at
your door occurred to me. At the risk