The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1914-12-11
SILENT WOMAN IN BLACK SUR.
PRIsEs 200 SPECTATORS BY
HER KEEN INTEREST
IN TRIAL.
COUNSEL FOR STATE TO
PRESENT CASE TO JURY
Defendant Studies Faces of Men Sc
lected to Try Her Case-Feels
More Cheerful When Friends
Surround Her in the
Courtroom.

Minneapolis, Dec. 5.-When District
Court convenes in Judge .Learys room
Mrs. Charlotte Sharpless will face the
rain of accusations that First Assist
ant County Attorney Baldwin has an
nounced that he will include in his
opening address to the murder case
jury with a perfect confidence in her
final acquittal.
The silent woman in black, who the
police say is the only person who
Knows the secret of the sword mystery
which surrounds the death of Lean
ing Sharpless, her husband, surprised
the 200 spectators who had crowded
into the little courtroom. The sphinx
woman" who had huddled so silently
all the previous day with pale, set
face, half hidden by the flowing black
mourning veil, vanished. In her place
sat a woman keenly interested ard
confident.
Her Eyes Scan Jurors.
Her eyes, which on the previous
day had fixed their gaze upon space,
for the first time sought the faces of
the men who are to pronounce her
fate. They scanned the faces of the
veniremen as they were called for ex-
animation and occasionally she leaned
forward to consult with A. c. Finney,
George Armstrong or John p Nash.
her attorneys. Most of the time, how
ever, the accused woman spent in |
watching the men who had already |
been selected to try her case. AS the |
other veniremen were being ques-
toned Mrs. Sharpless studied the faces
of the jurors already chosen. She
the effect of every passage
between the veniremen and her at
torneys on the faces of the Jurors al
ready drawn. Then, at night, with
her vigil over, she expressed herself as
satisfied with the eleven men chosen
o find her guilty or innocent of her
husbands murder.
Declares Her Confidence.
Il cannot think" she declared after
he had reached the county Jail, that
men of the intelligence that those jur-
RS are still believe me guilty of my
murder, or will believe any
f the terrible things that the county
ttorney says he will charge me with
iy friends are with me now and I
eel more cheerful and hopeful some
ray that did before. 1t was an awful
rdeal to sit in the court room all day
nd listen to the whisperings of those
Tomen and face their stares as | was
I'd back and forth and to realize all .
he time that | was all alone. Now
have friends with me and the long
rawn out task of getting a jury is !.
most finished. I feel sure that am :,
ping to be found not guilty"
Defendant Among Friends. :.
The friends to whom Mrs. Sharp. u
IS referred were Mr.. and Mrs. E. o. :,
icock and Mrs. Bertha Sutherland,
ankato. They sat beside Mrs. Sharp =,
SIS in the court room. Their presence :,
tied as stimulant to the strange =
oman in black They reused her :"
ON the stony silence of the day be- =
re more than any sense of personal
niger could have done. At times. l.
hen she turned to talk to them of =,
e old days when she had worked in =
ankato as dressmaker and had a,
st met Leaning Sharpless, she =,
emed to forget her surroundings and =.
e presence of the attorneys and de-
ctfves on the opposite side of the
BILE who were preparing to prove her
murderess, and smiled. Then sud-
My the remembrance of the trial A
d OF the ordeal that she was still to m
,e would crowd out the memories is
the past and Mrs. Sharpless would RI
come once more the stoicaI, silent OF
IMAM on trial for murder. II
III