Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-25
PLEAD GUILTY DAY
BRINGS OFFENDERS
BEFORE JUDGE RICE
Wholesale Thcfts From Danforth
Drug Store by Woman Laid
to Physical Condition.
HEART INTEREST SEEN

4
| plead guilty day dockets ever to come
| before General Sessions And not only was
| the batch of seif-confesscd, mercy seeking
| PRISONERS large but each case seemed more
| than usually full of what Is erroneOusly
called human interest, but after all
| Is nothing more than human nature.
The first ease was that of Mrs. Mary
| Roster and her husband Henry r. Roster,
| the former accused of the larceny OF more
| than $500 worth of goods from the n.
B. Danforth drug store, where she was
| employed, and the latter, with receiving
stolen goods \ very remarkable set OF
| facts was disclosed as soon as the pleas OF
| the couple we're entered and their counsel,
Wilbur Adams, presented their plea ct
| leniency to tho court.
Mir Adams SAID Mrs Rosters thefts
| were undoubtedly the result of her phys
| zeal condition during the period of tune
they were going on. Only a few days
before the arrest she became the mother
of chlld and was IN the hospital re
covering when her home was searched
and the thefts discovered. Mr.. Adams
said that both the kosters had found IT
necessary TO work to get along and that
Mrs, Roster got job at Daniorth s
| She had never been IN trouble with the
authorities before and To MIR. Adams
mind there could be no possible explana
ton of her thefts than her physical condI
tion, which medical science shows, not
| unfrequently Is accompanied by extraor-
dinarv psychic manifestations Of which
kleptnmanl1 Is one often noted. kos-
ters sole connection with the matter,
MIR. Adams went on, was To protect his
wife, especially, because of hor condition.
Deputy Attorney General Green SAID
. L,s bs, LnE ha h hu. Il
gong on for long tune, and that Mrs.
Roster had been suspected, that when
the kostcr rooms were search j vast
amount of toilet articles, drugs, druggists
sundries etc, had been found As
matter of fact trunk loaded 10 the brim
with the drugs taken was IN court. hos
ter, Nir Green said was more deeply IN
volved, he believed than merely pro-
tecting his wife, because there was evil
dence to show he had helped her take a
lot of the plumber home
Judge Rice decided to hold the case
under adviscment.
Harold Mulholland, youth who came
here, some time ago, from Altoona TO
work as a brakeman for the Penuyl-
wanna railroad, pleaded guilty to the
theft of revolver from a fellow guest
at the Hotel Merritt. where he lived The
in the railroad building where Mulhol-
land had hidden IT, Former Assistant
CITY Solicitor Lynn, who appeared for
the youth, said Nulholland had a good
reputation back in Altoona. had not been
arrested before. and moreover was quite
boy The prisoner 5 father, who was
in court. SAID Harold had left school while
In the early grammar grades, had then
driven a team for about year, then
worked rs a Western Union messenger,
and then as Il brakeman. Judge Rice
questioned the father about the youth
various Jobs since he left school and
finally told Aiulholland he was, IN the
dourt opinion, partly responsible for
Harold's present situation. Harold, the
court went on, ought TO have had good
permanent Job II the shape of learning
a trade when he left school and not been
permitted to take up the somewhat
frec-and-easy team driving and message
delivering The court while considering
parole certainly wouldn't grant it, under
the conditions, with the father IN charge
OF the boy, but If it did consent to parole
would do so only with some other person
in charge of Harold and on the distinct
understanding that permanent position
was gotten him. The case was held
under advisement.
The next case was that OF Jeanette
Brown a young coiored woman who SAID
she lived IN Penn Grove, and charged
with the theft of dresses from Market
street store Another colored woman
arrested in connection with the theft has
elected TO stand trial, but Jeannette freely
confessed her guilt. She said she Was
only % years old and had been working
IN the laboratory at Carneys Point at
$50 a day. Some persons OF her own
race told her she was working too hard
and that she ought to steal what she
wanted She thought she would try
out their advice and n consequence
got into trouble She begged the court
to give her Just one more chance,
promising never to steal again. Mr..
Green asked the court to postpone SEN
tence until after the case Of the other
woman is disposed of, and Judge Rice
acqmesced.
WORK OR FIGHT CASES.
Two compulsory work bureau cases
were next disposed of, Joseph Cheesenan
and John r. Denness pleading guilty 10
violating orders of the State Council OF
Defence in not sticking to jobs assigned
them. In each case there was history OF
intermittent work and much drinking.
In Cheeseman $ case his final drinking
bout led to his arrest on a charge OF the
breach of the peace. In Denness case 1t
was shown that twice he had excused his
absence from work with a physician 5
certificate to the effect that he was sick.
once influenza being given as the cause,
but neither time was he too sick to keep
out of saloons or off the streets. Each
prisoner was sentenced to pay a hne oil
$500 and to serve two months imprison-
ment.
Isadore Berowski pleaded guilty to the
theft of $433, the property of person living
in the same house with the prisoner. 1t was
shown that Berowski had claimed TO have
found the money in the kitchen or wood
shed of the house. but had said it only
was $50, although the S400 was later
found in his possession. In Berowskl.s S
behalf it was shown that his great fault
is drink, and that he has a wife down with
consumption Mr. Green said it was
quite probable that he may have found
the money, as stated. The court held the
case under advisement.
Charles Bennett and James Green, two
youths from Penn's Grove who ST rted
from there for Nashville, Tenn, stole an
automobile at Newark, and finally were
caught at Denton, Md. After the court
questioned the youths as to why they left
Penn's Grove, how they expected to get