The Marshall republican., 1911-07-06
The
TROWBRIDGE
CASE
A Lesson as to circ1mstrl-
tiai Evidence
By EDITH ". Cc5S
By EDITH v. TOSS
Copyright by American Press Asso.
citation. 1911.


The case OF the state against Edith
Trowbridge. a girl OF twenty-five. had
! been tried before Judge Grilitlis. and
the evidence had proved her guilty be.
yond q doubt. The charge was lr:HJ
larceny. though IL was nfterwGgj
changed TO receiving stolen property.
Some goods had been missed from o
store. A woman was seen to tabc
them aud had been followed. She wa
tracked to IN apartment house. where
she was lost. Among others the APART
ments In which Miss Trowbridge lived
was searched. and the articles-some
iingerIe-were found between the mat
tresses OF her bed.
Judge and jury by her innocent and
modest appearance. but the evidence
was so strong against her that II was
impossible for the twelve jurymen to
scquit her. The Judge gave her the
lightest sentence the law would al.
row-two years in the p~enltentiary.
But even no light a sentence was n
horror TO one who had been carefully
6>teared and well educated. After II
had been pronounced the prisoner, hav-
ing been embraced by her mother,
turned TO George whitcomb, TO whom
she was engaged 10 be married md
on whose face were written horror and
Indignation.
''Checr up. GEORGE she said. "you
and ! know that I nm innocent. Two
years win soon piss. and then we will
DO reunited"
tits horribler' wns his only reply.
when Judge Griniths left the court.
room ut the end OF a days work he
thrust from his mind. ms was his Gus
tom. the scenes OF the day. A hap
pier scene TO come took their place.
In n few days would occur n birthday
20 his daughter. n girl Just emerging
from her teens. nnd her father wns
thinking Of giving her n present o:
some article OF jewelry. On his way
homo he stopped ut ~Benkard's. the
principal jeweier Of the town. There
he looked over various articles until
mis- fancy was caught by a bracelet. a
golden serpent with two ruby eyes.
He asked the price. but found II 10
b greater than what ne had laid out
for his purpose. The salesman show
I'd him others. which he examined MP,
provinyly. but always returned 10 the
snake with the ruby eyes.
~ wish g." he said. 'for my daurh.
ter. whose twentieth birthday comes
around IN n few days. Hut I'll MT de-
eide today. Perhaps I'll come In to-
morrow"
When nftrr Judge Gririths' depar'
ture the clerk nut away n dozen or
more articles tint he had been show.
ing the Judge he missed the brnce'et.
frightened. he looked over every mr.
dcle on aud in the case. thinking that
ne might have overlooked II. then on
the fioor 10 see n II Ind been dropp d.
The bracelet was not 10 be found.
Ope thing WINS certain-the brise'ci
had been taken. The salesman re"o-t'
cd that while showing goods To nm
eminently respectable appearing gn
tleman a bracelet had been lost. \
member Of the arm questioned him
closely. hut got no further informant n
than has been given here. The sales
man had recently been given a po~iti, n
on trial. He wns very anxious Ia
make sales, aud both he and his EN-.
ployer considered that his anxiety In
this respect had m%ouientariiy diverted
his attention from what every sales.
man must constantly be ON the watch
for-theft.
A week passed and nothing had been
heard from the missing bracelet. Then
one day an anonymous note In nm evi-
IDENTIFY disguised hand was received nj
, Benkard's. II was rs follows:
ION Wednesday. the 7th OF June last,
I was In your store looking ut some
"Jewelry. I stood near a case ut which
gentleman was examining different
articles. / saw n lady standing nj the
same case. She picked up several ar
ticles. looked at them. examined the
tags attached to them and put them
down. While the salesman WINS intent
on his customer she took up a bracelet,
held II In both hands and examined
It closely. She wore loose flowing
uiFeSes. anu Whiie tue suiesnihh WuN
examining the tag on a brooch for the
purpose Of learning Its price she drop
ped the bracelet into one OF her sleeves.
1.-THE young lady was evidently not
aIcommon thief. At any rate. she was
handsomely dressed. Curiosity led me
tb discover whom she was aud whni
hter object might be In stealing the
bracelet. She went directly from the
store. hurrying as o as she reached
The door. I followed her ana saw he,
bet on n trolley car. boarded shf
tcar myself and left II when the thlet
left n. Passing on the main street
Vshe turned into Z residential avenue
lVtopped ut a stone front dwelling and
kbntsred with q Iatchkey.
ssrho inroroated ma and