New Britain herald., 1928-04-07
MRS. KNAPP TO BE TRIED WEDNESDAY,
Is at Present Free in Bonds
 of &,000

Albany. N. Y., April R}-With- in the shadow of the capitol building where for two years she served as secretary of state of New York. Mrs. Florence E. s. Knapp must stand trial for alleged criminal acts, in volving grand larceny, false audit and certificatton of state records, and aiding and abetting notary public. in the making of false affidavits. growing out of her administration of the 1925 state census.
 Arraigned at a special term of supreme court yesterday New York's first elected woman state official pleaded not guilty to six indict- ments. and furnished bail bonds of S6,000 for appearance in court at 10 a. m.. next Wednesday, when the date for her trial will be decided upon.. On the preceding day. the special grand jury investigating her conduct of the census will recon- vene for consideration of evidence intended by the prosecution to bring forth further indictments.
 Mrs. Knapps appearance in the supreme court room of the Albany county court house yesterday after noon furnished a tense climax to a case which has been under investiga- tion, in one way or another. since last June. Officially it was being in- vestigated from early last October, when the Moreland act Commissions CT Randall J. LeBoeuf. Jr.. appoint ed by Governor Smith. began a searching inquiry into allegations of irregularities filed against the for mer state official.
 Claiming no knowledge of the handing down of the indictments until she read of them in yester- day mornings newspapers. Mrs. Knapp hurriedly left New York city, where she had gone for an Easter weekend vacation, at 10 a. m., and arrived in Aybany shortly after l pm. She was accompanied by Robert F. Lewis, a New York city attorney. at whose home she was staying, and Mrs. Florence Squyer, g Syracuse friend.
 Her first public appearance came an hour later. when she stepped from an elevator in the court house and after brief visit to the cham. bers of Justice Stephen Callaghan presiding. entered the court room Standing between Attorney Lewis and George z. Medalie. special prescott or appointed by Attorney Genera Ottinger, she listened with calm de meanor to the charges read by the court clerk. A trace of 8 f1usl spread over her fact once or twice during the formal routine, but at al times she retained marked com posture.
 Heedless of the scores of eye' turned toward her when the cour was adjourned six minutes later sh' passed into the justices chamber again to await the arrival of bonds men. For nearly an hour she ga talking-smiling sometimes. agail angrily-with Justice Callaghan while outside the door of the cham ber Lewis and Mrs. Squyer told he story to reporters.
 When I formally pleaded no guilty" Mrs. Knapp declared in statement made public through MT Lewis. Tit was plea that meant am not guilty of any charges tha may be made, and I can say thi without having read the indictments because there was no action durinl my administration of which I an ashamed
 With the bail bonds arranget through the Globe Indemnity com
 pany of New York city-$1.0o0 fo each of the six indictments-Mri Knapp left the court house. afte speaking affably to old acquaintanc
 es among the newspapermen an' posing for photographers.
 The remainder of the afternool
 she spent with MT. Lewis, in tn
 office of John J. Conway, an Al
 bany attorney and former assistan
 district attorney of Albany county
 ostensibly arranging for him to b
 her counsel. What decision wa
 reached remained a secret today. bu
 Mir. Conway intimated that he migh
 have a statement within a few dayi
 The former state official returne'
 to Syracuse last night with Halse
 Knapp. a stepson. who came to Al
 bany during the afternoon by auto
 mobile. Mrs. Knapp announced tha
 she would hold herself in readtnes to return to Albany at any time
 When she appears again next week
 her counsel will seek to have tn
 trial date fixed later than April IL the date sought by the prosecution
 on the ground that further time
 needed for study of a case which tn
 prosecution has been building Il l over q nAr1nh of n1Nntha