The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-05-13

Temporarily losing sight of their
special plea Of insanity. attorneys
for the defense made a hard fight
to keep ou, of evidence a confession
given detectives by the prisoner the
night of her arrest.
COmpulsion Charged
The confession was obtained by
Detectives Stone and Dalton under
compulsion. the attorneys objected.
Judge James A. Collins overruled
them, and the~signed statement went
IN the record.
The questioning that led to the
statement took place in the sweat
box" a little room in detective
quarters at the police station De
fense Attorney II. B. Pike insisted.
The room is called the stolen
goods room" replied Witness John
Dalton. detective. who arrested the
girl in a taxi the night following the
murder He denied she was given
the third degree" and said she was
told all she related would he used
against her.
You policemen questioned her
four hours Continuously" Pike said.
Signed Statement
From $50 in the evening until
500 the next morning" replied Dal-
ton. She had several breakdowns.
and wept She was considerably ex-
cited, but signed OF ner own free
will All she was afraid of was
that it would get in the papers,"
Prosecutor Remy read the state
ment to the jury. The defendant,
occupying the chair which racently
held Warren T. McCray and John
Thomas Shaw. seemed to realize she
was facing death or life imprison-
ment in the womans prison.
Her right foot ierked continuously.
The statement in brief said her
father and mother had separated
while she was little. her mother
committing suicide later. The girls
history after she was II, has been
series of arrests. sentences. par
oles and parole violations. She was
committed to the Womans Prison
in 1919 from Charlottesville for
stealing.
Captured as Parole ViOlatOr
On Jan. 25, 1924, she was coptured
again as a parole violator, and locked
in a solitary confinement wire cage
at the prison, according to the state
ment Here she learned to pick the
outer lock with a spoon and hairpin.
on the night Of Feb. 25 she hid in
Miss Richards room. watched her
read a paper, and go TO bed.
q when | came from behind the
dresser and the light was out
bumped into something and it woke
Miss Richards" the confession read
"She flashed her fiashlight on and
asked me what / was doing in these
This was about 8 p, m., and I told
her not to make any noise and
went over to her bed and she called
for Miss Handy once and Miss Ell
lott twice. 1 then gagged her with
a piece of bed sheet and l then tied
her hands and feet.
II then took her keys. went to my
cell and dressed in her clothes which
had taken during the day, and got
$50 or $50 which was in Miss Rich
ards room and which belonged to
her. l then unlocked the door that
leads from the midway to the outer
corridor. l went down the stairs to
the basement, unlocked the west
door and unlocked the west gate. I
went 20 the Great Eastern Hotel
and registered as Betty Baston of
city"
Four Days for Trial
Judge Collins has allowed four
days for the trial. The State is ex-
pected to finish its case late today
or early Wednesday. Attorney
Pike said it is probable the defend
ant will take the stand in her own
behalf.
If convicted and sentenced, the
girl will have to be taken back to
the Woman's Prison, whence she
found it so easy to escape, authori-