The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-13
Sordid Story of Glittering AlIurements Unfolded In City Court This
 Morning.
HELEN DOUGLAS WAS
 STATES CHIEF WITNESS
Absence Of Important Wit ness Does Not Save Ire chette From Being
 Bound Over.

OF O1s
 Alexander Trechette, who claims to be a French Canadian, was arraigned in the city court this morning on the charge of having attempted to induce two Bridgeport young women to leave the city and enter immoral resort conducted by him at White Plains. V. Y. After trial that occupied the entire morning, Judge Wilder found probable cause against Trechette and so overwhelming was the evidence against the accused, despite the ab- sence of one of the states principal witnesses, that the judge increased the bonds from $500 to $1,500.
 Attorney Israel Cohn, for the ac- cused. entered a general demurrer, to the charges, but the demurrer was oVerru1ed
 Helen Douglas, a pretty girl. fash ionably attired was the principal wit ness against the accused Another witness. Eva LaPIante, likewise con cerned in the case, was absent, being sick at the home of her mother in Sprin gfeld Mass. A physicians cer- tificate telling of her illness was pro- duced in court.
 The LaPlante girl is only Is years of age and in short skirts. This would make her additionally attractive for
 
 statements that witnesses in court this morning aIlege him to have made
 Miss Douglas, who is 20 years of age, was the principal witness for the state and made an excellent one, not varying her story in the least under the severe cross-examination of the attorney for the defense
 She testified that she first met Trechette, who is a man of about 40, few days before last Thanksgiving, when a friend introduced them cas- ually. She did not see Trechette rY-szch, except p bow to him or t'-@ of January.
 Trechette met her one day, she tes- titled. and asked an appointment to see her at her rooms on Fairfield avenue, stating that he had a proposi- tion to lay before her lie called the next morning and made h1s offer, which was that she was to go with him to White Plains and there to pre- side at road house in which he claimed to have an interest. He did not call 1t a road house, according to the testimony Miss Douglas, who was forced to repeat his exact words. They were very outspoken and no mis- taking them.
 The story of Trechette's offer. as unfo1ded by the witness, was sordid and revolting. According to her tes- timony, Trechette made all sorts of glittering promises and left no stone unturned in tempting her to fall in with his scheme. He also told hef, she testified, about the LaPlante girl, who, he said, had agreed to accept. His offer. as told by the witness. was revolting in the extreme, and a glittering allurement almost to the point of absurdity. The girls were vision of wealth was pictured to them. Then they were to go to the Worlds Fair at California and after that were to return here and be installed in a saE1 was building in Fairfield, just over the Ash Creek line. Half of the pro- ceeds of this venture were to be giv- en to the promoter; the other half the girls were to keep for themselves
 For nearly two hours Miss Douglas was on the stand, telling of this wis it of Trechette's and others that fol- lowed and finally of a meeting in Hackett watched the proceedings. Trechette was afterward arrested by Detectives Peter Hall and Hackett.
 Daniel A. Noonan of 632 Fairfield ness for the state. He testified that Trechette had approached his wife with offers exactly similar to the story outlined by Miss Douglas.
 that when Trechette was brought to police headquarters and accused in the presence of the girls, he said, ''Oh that was a long time ago" Upon be- ESmlnOSQ LHdL ne naQ haQ a con- versation with the two girls in the post office that very day, he was si- lent.
 Detective Sergeant Hall corroborat- ed Capt. Arnold's testimony regard ing Trechette's admission when ar raSted
 Neither Prosecuting Attorney w. A. Redden, who handled the case for the state, nor Attorney Cohn for the de- fense had anything to say after the 1 overruling of Attorney Cohn's demur- 1 Ter, which was entered on technical l probabl cause and fixed the bonds | at 1,500, raising them from $500.
 The statute under which Trech- | cite is held is a blanket one which | covers any attempt to commit a | statutory crime The maximum sen- l prison. AS both the girls rejected | Trechette's alleged offer he could not | be charged with the crime itself for | which penalty of 15 years is fixed, l but the state had to be content with l arraigning him under the general tat | tempt" statute.
 Attorney Cohn claimed that this ' course of procedure is not warranted, 1 as the legislature "created" the crime | in question by statute enacted after l the general attempt statute had l been passed, and he claimed that the | attempt statute shouldn't apply. His | demurrer on this ground was not sus- | taired, but another demurrer, based | on the wording of the warrant against l Trechette, was sustained to the ex- | tent that the wording of the war ! rant was changed somewhat.
 Pouehkeepsie-Mis Laura Laurens, | s. says her brothers locked her in an | attic to keep her from meeting AbraD l ham Tillett. 50. her boyhood sweet 1