Putnam patriot., 1921-07-15
SAY EX-SERVICE
 MAN TORE SCREEN
Theodore Laparle Is Charged With Destroying Theatre
 Property At Night
Broken Pencil Clue May Lead To
 Mans Conviction

The pencil tells the whole story. The person who entered the Bradley Theatre about midnight Saturday and tore the screen and destroyed other property. used d pencil to slit the sil- yer sheet He jabbed once and tore a big slit; the pencil broke. He jabbed again with the remaining half of the pencil, and tore another gap. The broken end of the pencil was found in the theatre and the other half in La- parle's pocket. l ask that the court find probable cause and hold Laparls over to the criminal term of the Su- perior Court"
 This was the way Prosecuting At- torney E. C. Morse summed up the cHcumstantial evidence against Theo- dore Laparle, charged with breaking and entering the Bradley Theatre Sat urday night with criminal intent The case was brought before the city court Monday afternoon. Judge NJ. II. Gets sler bound Laparle over to the erim- nal term of the Superior court on Sl,0O0 bond. Laparle's father set tied
 Hyde Smith. manager of the Brad ley Theatre. testified that at about . o'clock Sunday morning he was noti- fled over the telephone by the elder Gilbert that his theatre had been wrecked. On reaching the place, Smith said he found the photographs and posters torn and strewn about the sidewalk and everything destroyed except that which was under screen.
 Inside the theatre he said he had found the red curtain in the rear pulled off and the iron rod, which had supported it, broken. The draperies downstairs and about the boxes. he claimed, had been ripped of. and the Mirroid screen, on which the pictures are flashed. was torn in several places
 The tears Smith described minute iy. IL appeared. he said, as though sharp object had been thrust through the screen at one point and from this place there was a long tear. Then there was another small hole and an- other tear. Belsw the screen he had found part of lead pencil on which there was a small ridge as though something had worn it. Smith said he surmised that the pencil had been used to make the tear and that the ridge was caused by the friction of the tearing There was some of the silver from the screen on the pencil, and pencil marks were on the screen.
 Smith testified that he had found the door leading to the fire escape over the back alley unlatehed. al though he had personally made sure the night before that the door had been fastened The door leading into the alley from the dressing room, he said, had evidently been forced open, and this could have been done with out much trouble since it had been only spiked.
 Lsparle. Smith said. had previously worked at the Bradley Theatre, but had left to enter the army during the war Since his return from war he had come to Smith and talked about getting his job back. He had told the theatre owner, according to the tes- AN00NNs that ft AdNtA | AN bANhAAAN ANt everything that he had been accused of" and seemed to show resentment that the Giberts had taken over his former job.
 Not SO long ago, Smith continued, he had been called to the city court to testify against Laparle, who was ae- cused of splitting on the walls of the Bradley Theatre. Since that time Smith said he had received tele- ephone call and someone at the other end of the wire had said there was riot al the theatre. In the course of the telephone conversation Smith &C., cused the unknown informant of be- ing Laparle, and the other person had answered that if he, Smith, were look ing for trouble he would get it. Smith said he had found that there was no trouble at his theatre at that time.
 Wilfred Gilbert, janitor at the Bradley, told a story much like Smiths. He said he had found the damage early Sunday morning and had informed the manager. He had locked up the night before and had seen Smith pick up the pencil the fol- lowing morning.
 Mrs. Julia Chandler, Livery street, said that at about five or ten minutes after ? Saturday night. she had been awakened by a noise outside, and looking out had seen an automobile filed with four or five young men standing at the rear of the Bradley Theatre. Then, she said, she had seen a shadow appear on the wall of the theatre, and a thick set, short man, wearing 8 black suit and black cap, had appeared. She said this person