The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-12-11

MlnneapOhS, DecelnDcT 0.-Out
thousand persons. more than half Of
them women, watched Mrs. Charlotte
Sharpless yesterday afternoon as
she was led from the county jail
elevator to the large, court room on
the third floor of the court house
TO face the battering attack of As
sistant County Attorney Baldwin
who declares that the state win prove
her guilty of the murder of Leaning
Slarpless, her husband.
Every deputy sheriff available was
sent to clear n path through the
living wall that wound from the
elevator to the court room, to allow
the woman TO reach the scene of
the trial Then, when court con
vened. all that could get in damned
the court room, occupied every avail,
able seat, stood in the aisles, sat
upon the backs of the benches In
the rear of the room, perched upon
the gallery rail or chung TO window
stills for hours while the state opened
it's case and called the first three
witnesses.
Many In the Corridors.
hundreds who failed to gain adj
mission waited patiently In the cor
ridors outside or left the court house
10 hurry back when court adjourned
at o'clock to get another glimpse
of the sword Widow when she
should be taken Jack to her cell.
II any in the throng expected the
Sphinx Woman to wayer, or to see
the iron self-possession that has char
acterized her actions since the be-
ginning of her trial Wednesday shat.
tered, they were disappointed. With
Mrs. Nels Clausen, Jail matron, at
her side, Mrs. Sharpless walked down
the gauntlet OF peering faces with.
out a tremor Her eyes seemed to
gaze straight ahead without seeing
anything. Her white, expressionless
face appeared to be framed by the
black mourning veil that was draped
from the small black toque hat.
Woman Wears the Iron Mask.
In the courtroom Mrs. Sharpless
sat unmoved when Mr.. Baldwin rose
TO make the opening address for
the state. She did not finch as she
heard him instruct the Jurors in
their duties. without a quayer she
heard him utter reproaches upon her
character. Only twice In the whole
afternoon did the iron will of the
woman seem to falter. The first
time was when Mr.. Baldwin describ-
cd the finding of Mr.. Sharpless' body
and described the terrible wounds
that had taken his life. Then. for a
moment the Sphinx Woman weaken
cd and pressed her handkerchief
against her eyes. When she removed
ii, however, her eyes were dry and she
had resumed the iron mask of un.
concern. Women in the audience
were weeping.
A second time, later In the after
noon, when Mr.. Baldwin drew from
its sheath, the ceremonial sword
still stained with the blood of her
husband. Mrs. Sharpless placed her
handkerchief to her eyes, as IL to
shut out the sight Of the weapon
rather than 10 curb a fiow of tears.
Again, when she removed the hand
kerchief- she sat dry-eyes as before.
Expects TO. BE Proved innocent.
In her coli at tho county Jail at
night she WAS as phlogn,stic and
beginning She discussed the progress
OF the trial She expressed confidence
that she would be proved innocent.
We will SHOW" she said quietly,
that all those things that Mr.. Bald
win said about me are. untrue. I
will have friends on the witness stand
who have known me since l was a
child. They viii tell the court and
the jurors how impossible those
stories are
After Mr.. Baldwin had finished
his, address TO the jury and had com
pleted the direct examination OF Lewis
Slarpless. brother OF the murdered
man. and the first witness called by
the state. the defense gave the first
intimation that it might set up the
eNh~hNS NhNOiy as pOooiufc
alton OF Mr.. Sharpless' death. They
questioned Lewis Sharpless as to the
condition Of his brothers. health fol
the moaths just previous to his
death. and asked Of possible reyer
ses in a business way that might
have made him respondent.
Mr.. Sharpless replied that his
brothers health apparently had beer
good and that he was succeeding In
his business.
Was In Normal Condition.
DR. Il. T. Bell. the second witnes,
for the state, stated that the condi
ton OF the dead mans body wa,
normal at the time OF the autopsy
save for the wounds that had caused
his death. Also DIR. Bell stated tina
death. in his opinion, had been caus
ed by the first wound inflicted
where the thrust had pierced tn,
aorta
When court adjourned George Arm
strong. attorney for Mrs. Sharpless
stated that the defense would no
rely on the suicide theory. 9Th,
fact that the blood-stained under
clothing waSfound outside the Sharp
less apartment on the night OF thu
killing xro,tfd maka that theorv urac