The Ordway new era., 1922-09-22
HIS 1RY'S'
MYSTERIES
r,s,en..r ~ NJ ,.,.zry p, -xzee,,Iss, Jy,s>Sx
"NUMBER ss"

= the gloomy walls Of the Asylum ior
the Criinlnally Insane at Mattewan-
n. Y, there is hcadpieee which
bears the number .SS'-and, back OF
this simple inscription. is story OF
flentity concealed even in the face OF
the laws most determined efforts
which makes fiction appear pale and
commonplace by comparison
All that Is known of the early his
tory Of Mrs. Henrietta Robinson tbs
palpably assumed name Of the woman
whose body rests beneath the pHI.r
bered headstohe at Mattewan, is that
Z she was of either English or Canadian
origin and that she came TO Eros, y.
, y. in 1851. being always well sup
piled with funds from source which
remained concealed even during the
rigid Investigation which followed her
arrest on the charge or murder.
Some months after Mrs. Robinson"
settled in Troy a strange and appar-
emily inexplicable tragedy occurred
A merchant and young woman who
was living with his family dropped
dead at the table. A poSt-mortem eX-
animation showed that they had been
poisoned and, despite the absence OF
motive, Mrs. Robinson" who had
been present. was arrested, but re-
fused to say word even to her law
yer.
To add to the air OF mystery which
surrounded the entire case, the de-
fendant insisted upon appearing in
court shrouded In a heavy black veil
which effectually concealed her fea-
lures. All during the trial she sat.
impassive and unmoved. apparently
taking not the slightest interest in the
conduct OF the proceedings. When the
state had concluded its case. COM
paratively f1imsy structure of circum-
stantial evidence, the counsel for the
defense arose and, admitting that he
had not a shred Of direct evidence to
offer introduced the plea of Insanity
At the conclusion of the trial and
before delivering his charge TO the
jury, the presiding judge called atten-
ton to the fact that no one in the
court had seen the defendants face
and requested Mrs. Robinson" to lift
her veil.
Slowly and with great dignity She
arose. but made no effort to comply
with the courts request
Il am here" she stated, in voice
which penetrated to every corner Of
the crowded courtroom. ito undergo
most painful ordeal, not to be
gazed at"
The request was not repeated and,
after a deliberation of several hours
the jury returned verdict Of
Guilty" and the prisoner was SEN
fenced TO death-a decree which was
later commuted to life Imprisonment
before Mrs. Robinson" had made her
one formal statement in the shadow
of the gallows:
When 1 am dead" she declared
''all will die with me. l have prom
ised to be silent, to die without be
traying anything
The first IS years Of her life SEN
tence were passed in Sing Sing peni-
tentiary. She was then moved 10 the
Auburn State Prison for the Insane,
where she remained for II years, and
finally TO the Asylum of the Crimlnally
Insane at Mattewan, where the woman
"
after % years in prison. During all
this time, however, she never wrote u
letter nor spoke a word, save to her
lawyer who visited her at regular in
tervals and who admitted that his
services had been paid for by certain
influential personagesH whom he was
not at liberty to name.
All that was known of Henrietta
Robinson" was that she played the
organ at Sing Sing with the touch Of
master musician and that She died
as she had liyed-in silence, utter and
absolute, leaving as a heritage some
OF the most puzzling questions in the
history of criminal proceedings:
What was the womans real name
and where had she come from?
Had she poisoned the merchant and
his young guest and, if so, with what
motive?
Why had she Insisted upon conceal
Ing her face during the triali
II she were innocent, why did she
refuse for more than half century
to make any plea for leniency?
What did she mean by her state
ment tnaI Sne -nhu promised 10 De
silent, to die without betraying any
thing?"
Who supplied the funds with which
the lawyer was paid?
The answers to these and as many
more unsolved riddles connected with
this woman Of mystery lie concealed
beneath that simple headpiece in the
Potter's field at Mattewan. a head
stone bearing only the number "SS.'