Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-10-04
THRICE GUILTY,
JURY DECLARES
IN HALSH CASE
Woman Who Crow Barred FINES
and Damages" From Con
cord Pike Motorists is
Convicted.
NOW AWAITS SENTENCE

NOW AWAITS SENTENCE
Mrs. Laura Halsey. who lives on the
Concord Pike. about ms Tar north ot the
Delaware PENNSYLVANIA line ms Iy Cobb
can heave baseball and who acquired a
iced al uncertain fame last spring by
holding tIp automobillsts who used ! =
shaped lane in front Of her property rs n
turning ground. anchoring them with q
crowhar through their hind wheels untli
they came across with cash hnc
and n ~rSh payment for damages, ISM
likely 10 reueat her performance IN the
near or even the distant future Yesterday
Delaware county jury At Media, touhd
her guilty ON three bills oi indictment
GROWING o,,t az her operations cXtortlon,
ohstrtIrtinr the public highway and main
! tanning public nuisance anu she Is i""
! awaiting sentence.
md So NilmingtonIans may now
use Concord Pike without fear OF any
. thing worse than many bumps and TIRE
worries. because the fine and damage
menancr has ceased from troubling ana
the crowhar Is at rest
Thus ends a case of "A very rrmarkahle
sort and unusual in many respects. FOR
considerable time Mrs Halsey acquired
and possessed tho goats oi quite
,rtl4d Uf motorists from this city ana
vicinity and even, u Is sald, from hlia-
,lclphn. having successfully imposed hct
law uIon them. when she caught them
using her \ a. q turntahlC he lteia-
ware Automobile NSsoClatlon, through rs
secretary. Charles W GIvcr, aud Deputy
Attorney General Green made thorough
investigation of the case, complaints
4 a, ar-rfactpH and
indicted uf,on a perfect shcat of charges
-Four 81 the lot charging extortlon. OH
str,lctIue the public highway. maintaining
\ public nuisance and carving "A concealed
deadly weapon came ~ trial Yesterday
i,e.orr Judge William Il Broonal, re-
-ulting IN convictions upon the first three
The eases were prosecuted by Assistant
District Attorney William Taylor while
j very able dc,ence was put IN by TX
District ATTORNEY JOSIAH Smith and Allen
Hodge md hardly had the trial begun
han an order went forth fnr the closing
.f the courts during the prevalence 81 the
1u epidemic But the case went on.
virtually the last To be heard III Media Tor
several weeks at least.
MRS. RAUpuaS's TESTIMONY.
The first witness Mr.. Taylor called was
Mrs. George " R3udman. wife Of George
" Raudman. the contractor. Who was
held TN bv Mir HalseY March y. She
told quite simply but graphically, how
she and her cousin had gone out 10 Iaiiey-
Vile to meet MIR Raudman. and having
little time TO spare before tho hour Of the
appointment, motored on M the pike as
FAR As The Halscv place Mrs. Raudman
here backed the ear into the shaped
zane leading INTO the Halscv prouerty and
then suddenly found herself with crow
bar thrust through the rear wheels OF her
car, the same acting like the Proverblai
monkeHwrtnCh chucked INTO machinery
and Mrs Halsev demanding $40 belorc
YOU move another wheel" She wanted to
know why aud was told that it was a five
dollar fine for trespaSsing on the propeTty
and a fivc-dollar payment for damages and
use of the ~ Then Mr.. Halsey was
called and he came and sat on the crow
bar. Came also two dogs, one of them
very efficient looking bulldog Mrs.
Raudman said she hadn ten dollars and
offered FIVE Nothing doing Gimme a
check. then. sand Mrs Ilalscy and re-
peated it, Mrs Raudman then asked il
SHE might telephone to GallevVile for MIR.
Raudman. Nothing doing again. II there
was anv telcphoning to be done, Mrs.
Halsev would do II FOR a constable
Then Mrs Raudmans cousin started on
shank mare for Tallevvlllc and would
have had to complete IT that way. had il
not been for a brace OF Young men who
came along IN q car and gladly consented
to give her q lift While she was away
Mrs Raudman was treated To sarcastic
ana scornful remarks about persons who
went ont automobilIng without ten
dollar bill 10 sec them through, also with
orders to Tom Mir Halscv to The
effect that when Mr. Raudman came
along and bv any chance should ggvc
trouble 10 SICK the efficient looking bull
Jog on him and let her Mrs HaScv know
dissemination failed 10 shake Mrs
Raudman story. but It gave rise TO a re-
mark from the court which caused q smile
Why did YOU pay what Mrs Halscv
asked" was the query.
Hin. SAID the court there was bar
in the wheel W hicb Was quite true
There also wa. a determined and rclcnt-
iess Mrs Halsey and two dogs, one Of them
he efficient looking bull. and Ms Raud-
man 20 replied.
R4UpMAN GLAD To GET OFF 80 CHEAP
MIR Raudman told OF his arrival on the
scene a a rescue party. The first thing
he heard was Ten dollars or We SICK
the dog on Nol Halst\ was sitting on
the crowbar through the car wrear-
wheels and Mr. Raudman had fears for
his brake-rod He got out Of his own car
and bent down as if to remove the bar
when his wife called to him to look out
Mrs. HaIsev was gesticulating with one
hand and talking lot, but ONT hand was
ut her side and alongside il he saw the
butt OF a revolver sticking out Of her
pocket. Mrs Ha.sev wanted t. make
tom" say Raudman had struck him.
but Tom didn't Raudman asked for
receipt for his ten iron men. but didn't
wait Tor il because the thought suddenly
struck him that If he stayed around long
cr the price Of escape might 60 up hun
dred per cent.
MIR. Raudman then told Of a nail-stud-
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