New Britain herald., 1915-03-19
DID BALL0U DIE BY
ACCIDENT OR VIOLENCE
States Attorney Asks Jury to
Decide Whisky Bottle "pianted."
ANGLE CASE IN HANDS OF JURY
Closing Argument for the Prosecu-
ton Made-Attorney Reminds Jury
That Manslauohter is the Charge
Talk Lasts Hour and a Half.

Talk Lasts Hour and Half.
Bridgeport, March 19.-"The great
defense this woman has is that she is
a woman" said State Attorney
Homer S. Cummings in closing the
arguments for the state today in the
trial OF Mrs. Helen NJ Angle for man
slaughter.
For more than an hour and half
he addressed the jury, reviewing the
testimony and placing before them
the reasons why the state claims that
Mrs. Angle sent Waldo r. Ballou to
his death down a flight of stairs in
the Rippowam building in Stamford,
last June. Before him on the table
. lay the blood stained garments Of
Ballou and the defendant, the broken
straw hat Of the deceased, the cleo
trio fiat iron and other articles en-
tered as exhibits by the state. AS he
talked, from time to time ne held be-
fore the jury this mute evidence.
He told the jurors, while the
crowded court room Followed him
closely, that the state claimed that
Ballou had been knocked Gown stairs
backward, and that he had been left
lying there for half an hour in the
hallway while his assailanl awaited a
favorable opportunity to remove him
to the street. He said Mrs. Angles
explanations came too Iace, that her
testimony was contradictory, and then
added that the one great defense she
had was that she was a woman.
!" If 1t had been a man VINO had
placed his sweetheart out there you
would not be in the jury room five
minutes" he declared
1t was expected that, following the
judges charge, the case would go to
the jury this afternoon.
DO Your Duty
81 am not going to ask the jury to
do anything UNFAIR said MIR. Cum
nlings, but I am going to ask it to
dc its duty
The greatest consideration has been
shown to the defendant and her
father during the trial he said. He
defended Chief Of Police William H
Brennan and others of the states wit
nesses against statements made by
counsel for the defense yesterday, and
regretted that counsel for the de-
tense had permitted themselves to
make extravagant statements. He de-
clared the defense had practically
charged Chief Brennan and Mrs.
Seraphina Klahre, the police 1natron
with perjury, and denounced the ac-
cusation as unjust.
Was FAN an Accident
Ballou, Mr.. Cummings declared, was
precipitated down the stairs in the
Rippowan building at 10:45 on the
night of June %, and half an hour
later was dragged down to the door
way. The conviction or acquittal of
Mrs. Angle, he said, depended on the
question whether he fell by accident
or violence. He pointed out that the
defendant was not on trial for muir
Ger, but for manslaughter, which did
not imply malice. The state claimed
that Ballou was plunged down the
stairs by violence, he declared. 1t
might be that he fell accidentally, but
it was Exceedingly improbable" Mr..
Ballou plunged down stairs backward,
he declared, the state claimed TAX
ing from the table the denied blood
stained hat of Ballou, he held it be-
fore the jury
II wish that that dent had a tongue
to speak, he said. How it got there
l don't know But L do know that
this fiat iron (the electric fiat iron)
fits with remarka BILE precision into this
dent
Bottle PLANTED
He called attention to the whiskcv
bottle, found unbroken in Rallou's
pocket. If there was any plant in
this cases this was a plant he de-
clared. The story Of the. bottle was
a fabrication, he said.
A little later he said the state did
not claim that Mrs. Angle wiped up
all the stairs and landings after the
tragedy, but that she attempted to and
was interrupted in her work
The trouble with the defendants
explanation of the various circum-
stances connected with Ballou's DEATH
he said, was that they came too late
after a lapse Of several months, and
did not spring from her lips instantly
when first questioned
you may say, because your hearts
are kind let her 60 but if YOU do
you will violate your OATH" he declared
to the jury.
But One Defense.
There is one defense this woman
has. and that is, she is woman. If
it had been a man who put his sweet
heart out there and tried to conceal
the evidence you would not be in
the jury room five minutes Her great
defense is that she Is q woman
In closing he again reminded them
that they had G, duty under their
oath to perform to the law and the
state.
Mr.. Cummings finished his argu-
ment at 1924 p. m., having spoken
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