Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-10
GIRLS DREAM OF LIFE OF EASE
AND LUXURY AZ WIFE OF
"coUNT" SHATTERED.
MISS WHO Welded BOGUS
NoeLEMAN TELLS STORY
Autumn stonebrsaksr, Aged IS, Re.
lates in Court How She Was Be-
trayed Into Marriage and Taken to
House Of Prostitution by Alleged
Austrian count-coIIapses on Stand.

Davenport, Oct. 10.-Breaking down
at last under the terrible ordeal thru
which she has gone since she was en-
Edwin Joseph Brunsvik de Corompa,
alias c. E. Layton, little Autumn
Stonebreaker collapsed on the witness
stand in federal court as she was Civ
ing testimony that will probably place
the count" behind penitentiary bars
and was led sobbing Historically from
the court room.
Until this morning the 15-year- DID,
blue-eyed little girl has told her heart
breaking story bravely. 1t was a
story that few grown women could
have related without breaking down,
"a tale of shame, many of the details
of which are not fit for print; a tale
of fairy castles in the air that turned
out to be the worst OF novels: dreams
of a life of ease and travel that
proved to be the pitiful and poverty
stricken existence of a common hobo.
At Last Breaks Down.
Hard as her story was to tell the
little girl, neatly dressed in clothes
bought her by the government. took
the stand before the court room
crowded with men, and beginning with
her Inflated visit to the fair grounds
at Charlottesville last Fourth OF j fully,
where she first met the count con-
tinued it thru all Of her terrible ex-
periences until the authorities found
ner at Muscatine.
1t was only when the Austrian. who
had refused the services OF an astor-
ney and is fighting for his liberty as
his own counsel, began merciless
cross examination that his girl-Wife
broke down. She sobbed out her an
swers bravely for several minutes
and then covered her face with her
hands, crying out My God, 1 can't
stand this any longer" She was led
from the room weeping bitterly and
Judge Mcpherson excused her from
further testimony.
Castles in Air Shattered.
She had told how the dream Of
castle in Austria, Of the title of count
ess, servants to wait on her and OPP
portunity to travel thru Europe had
sounded SO very alluring as it came
from the Austrian's lips. Then he
said he would take me to Chicago. l
had never been there and wanted to
see d Dig Guy, SHe SaAu. l AS SooiAs
said he had nice furnished home
there and he would buy me nice things
liked him and I went
Autumn Stonebreaker's mother and
father had been divorced and her
mother married again. There were
several children at home and the lit
tie girl had not had an easy time OF
it. She had never been away from
her home town and wanted to see the
world She had never gone with men
and the widely-traveled count with
his story of nobility and a ship to
come in some day seemed the realiza-
ton of her girlish idea Of romantic
lover.
"count" Own Lawyer.
The girl was able to remember even
the smallest detail Of her Inflated ro-
nance and gave her testimony VIII
childish eagerness. The 'coun: APP
neared completely at his ease. told
plausible sounding story 10 the jury
and cross examined his girl-w!ie min
rtely and acutely in the effort 10 prove
that he was not TO blame for any OF
her wrongdoing but that she hao
brought the worst of her experiences on
herself without his knowledge and con-
sent.
He admitted having taken her from
one state to another but tried TO prove
that he had not forced her into I'M
moral relations With other men.