The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-07-13

duties OF citizenship. AFTER mucn
thought hit upon the following plan:
I gave the facts to detective agency
. and asked that 1t endeavor to put a
man In the house with a view to max
Ing a search for the stolen property.
1t gave one of its best men the
Job, and by watching the house for
some time be finally found the prem
ises left In the care of n servant. En-
tering surreptiiously, be searched
room which he had taken pains TO
learn was the bedroom Of the young
lady had seen at your store. He
found the bracelet between the mat
tresses Of her bed.
Feeling that | have done even more
than my duty, leave the matter In
your hands. If you will get out war
rant and search the second story back
bedroom OF 80 Warren street you
will ind your bracelet. AT any rate.
the detective saw 1t there less than an
hour ago"
| While Judge Grif1ths was sitting on
the bench-he had just pronounced
sentence on a criminal-a hurry call
came over the telephone for him to
come home at once. He Immediately
adjourned the court and. calling cab,
drove 10 his residence. Hastily enter
ing. he found his family in most dis
tressing situa ton. The house was In
the hands of officers of the law. who
had In their possession the Identical
ruby eyed bracelet be had thought OF
buying for his daughters birthday
present. II had been found between
the mattresses of her bed
That some of the constabes recog-
nized a Judge of the criminal court
did not absolve them from doing their
duty. Miss Griffiths was taken by
them In a carriage to court. her father
accompanying her. where charge of
larceny was made against her. Her
father gave ball for her appearance
/ for trial. and she returned with him
to their home.
I A mystery doomed up before Judge
Grifiths. Not for moment did he
suspect that bis daughter was guilty
of theft What puzzled him was that
he had examined this very bracelet
with view to buying It, He was
sure that be could not have taken 1t
! from the store by mistake. And III ne
had done so how could 1t have come
between the mattresses Of his daugh-
ters bed2 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.
! He went at once to Benkards and
was closeted with the head OF the
firm
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 a different person, au-
thorizing him to say to Judge Grifhths
that II 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
eut
For the first time the Judge recalled
the 1'rowbrldge 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 30
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 bad been worked at all that
could be satisfactorily presented to a
court. He went at once to the gov
ernor of the state and laid the case
before him. The governor yielded to
his solicitations and issued a pardon
for Edith Trowbridge.
AS soon as Miss Trowbridge was
free Judge Griffiths received word
that the person who had worked up
the case against his daughter would
explain on a 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
Anter 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 80 and
make a plan for laying the theft at
your door occurred to me. At the risk
of you or some other criminal Judge
sending me where you sent Miss Trow-
bridge l slipped the bracelet into my
sleeve.
"My object thus far was revenge
upon you for sending an innocent girl,
the girl loved, to state prison. Then
1t occurred to me that my case would
be stronger and my revenge greater
II could fx 1t on your daughter. A
third idea was to show you the falli-
bility Of circumstantial evidence, and,
q