The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-04-13
FIST1 ]. { , !.
|#Y75 E !. IL.
D 80 - - slls1sseGs JyT@l1z-
NUMBER 50"

n-.tr
the +bpre Is a headpiece which
n L .be number "88"-and, back OF
oeaIs .,r,nle inscription, is a story OF
tais So. a-r.[ concealed even in the face OF
iaenu laws most determined efforts
tne Nv makes fiction appear pale and
E sal.I,o1pIace by comparison.
'' N +bat is known Of the early his
- airs Henrietta Robinson" the
'9.! = assumed name Of the woman
1asa body rests beneath the num-
VIZ w naadsrone at Mattewan, is that
2sl'- ..s Of either English or Canadian
,. .l.,n end that she came to Troy, n.
II 1881 being always well sup
T. = ,y.tb funds from a source which
I,. ..sfaad concealed even during the
~. - Investigation which followed her
..s-' IN the charge OF murder.
some r9onths after Mrs. Robinson"
Isl in Troy a strange and appar-
s ~.ig inexpIlcabIe tragedy occurred.
, ,esp,bant and a young woman who
.s urfnr with his family dropped
s pa NJ the table. A post-mortem ex-
..,.otion showed that they had been
-1igosed and. despite the absence Of
o-rre Mrs. Robinson who had
-.sn present was arrested, but re-
s,sea 10 say a word even to her law
yer.
n add to the air Of mystery which
.n-roBpded the entire case, the de-
fs,dant insisted upon appearing in
eonrf shrouded IN a heavy black veil
mich efectually concealed her fea-
mras All during the trial she sat,
l7,rssslye and unmOved, apparently
taking not the slightest interest in the
eonduct Of the proceedings. When the
stste had concluded its case, a COM
psratively fimsy structure of circum-
sfaBtial 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 a voice
which penetrated to every corner of
he crowded courtroom, "te undergo
most painful ordeal, not to be
pzed at"
The request was not repeated and,
after a elaboration Of several hours,
the Jury returned q verdict Of
"GOlty' and the prisoner was SEN
fenced to death--a decree which was
later committed to life Imprisonment
By Srder Of the governor, though not
before Mrs. Robinson" had made her
one formal statement n the shadsw
Of ne gslIows:
When l am dead" she declared,
al WIN die with nae. have pronA
lSed to be silent, to die without be
Taying anything"
The first Is years e her life sen.
tence were passed In Sing Sing peat
eutlary. She was then Moved to the
Auburn State Prison for the Insane
where she remained fer IT years, and
alnaEy to the Asylum Of the Criminally
Insane at Mattewan, where the woman
q mystery finally died on Nay 4, 1898
amer o. years In prison. During al
mis- Tine however, she never wrote {
Ie'ter nor spoke a word. save to heI
lawyer who visited her at regular In
esVals and who admitted that hi
services had been paid for by "certaiI
HAuendAl persOnages" whom he wal
not at liberty to name.
All that was known Of Henrietta
Robinson" was that she played tai
organ at Sing Sing with the touch o.
: master musician and that she dice
y she had lived-in silence, utter anC
absolute, leaving as a heritage som,
" me most puzzling questions In tai
history Of criminal proceedings;
What was the woman's real nam,
all where had she come fromP
Had she poisoned the merchant an,
us young guest and, If SO, with VIVA
nOdyei
why had she insisted upon conceal
e uer lace during the trial8
she were innocent, why did sh
ss'uSe lot more than half a centur
nake any plea for leniency?
"nat Gid she mean by her state
,T ,u. mat she had promised to b
hhg?" 'i@yi"s an'
II, VINO supplied the funds with whic
NE lawyer was pald2
Inc answers to these and as man
M. unsolved riddles connected wit
Sa ,s woman Of mystery lie conceale
po .saln that simple headpiece in th
soD 'e's held at Mattewan, a heat
bearing only the number "8s.
u Philip Founded oratOry.
The memory Of St pb,lin sbo,,,d +.
Treasured by al = r,, -; E ,l should Q