Year: 1875




FELoN's CELL


Miss Anna Connect, a pretty girl OF
IA years, was tried for burglary, in the
Court of Special Sessions at Elizabeth
last week. She lives with her father
and mother in cottage in Peace street,
a beautiful little maple shaded avenue
in Plain6eld. Her father had property,
and the family are highly respectable;
Anna had always borne an unexceptional
,reputation.-She was constant attend
ant at the Second Presbyterian church,
and she stands high in her class in the
Sunday School. Adjoining the cottage
of her father is the house OF Ephraim
and Elizabeth Whitemore, couple who
travel modest walk in life on the pro-
oeeds derived from selling milk and
keeping q few boarders. They are OF
frugal disposition, and, unwilling to
trust their savings 10 banks and brok-
ers, they laid them away in their home.
Their small change they laid up in
little fancy. colored and covered basket
on a shelf under the pantry window.
The window remained open. For
year or more they missed small sums
from the house, and in the summer
there were several petty thefts from the
fancy basket under the window. They
watched and waited to discover the
thieves, but in vain, and at length they
decided to appoint Mr.. Darby night
watchman. The pantry in which the
money was deposited is an extension Of
the house, and as it adjoins the kitchen,
the window of the one is diagonally
across from that of the other. 1t was
thought best to post Mr.. J. r. Darby
under the window at the kitchen. On
the sultry evening of August ls, be-
tween 8 and 9 o'clock, Mr.. Darby stow
ed himself away in bis position, and
looking directly into the pantry, scarce
ly an arms length away. For some
time the stiffness was intense, but at
length he heard soft step on the grav-
ell. A light form cleaned out of the
darkness, maidens foot was placed on
the stone abutment, and Mr.. Darby al
leges, head and pair of shoulders went
carefully into the pantry window. Then,
Mr.. Darby says, he leaned noiselessly
through his own loophole, caught the
night visitor by the arm, and dragged
the form of Miss Anna Comet into
view, and she cried out in alarm, "Oh,
I wasn't going TO get it," He maintain,
ed his hold, and shouted at the top OF
his voice, elizabeth, Ephraim, come.
bring light" Mrs. and Mr.. White
more and several others streamed into
the kitchen and stood about the prison
er and took good look at her to be
sure that it was surely Miss Anna Con-
net. Mrs. Whitemore then went into
the pantry and returned with the fancy
basket, and its contents were examined.
She said that she had placed SO cents in
the basket as decoy, and as proof in
case the thief should be apprehended.
The money had not been touched, and
Mrs. Whitemore chided her watchman,
saying: "\Nhy didn't you let her take
the money before you caught her !"
Mr.. Darby was crest fallen, and said
nothing. Miss Comet explained her
action by saying that she had little
pet dog that she confined i'll the wood
shed at night; that she went out OF the
house that evening to catch the terrier,
but it ran away from her, and she fol-
lowed it to the pantry window, and
then she was seized by the strong armed
Darby. She denied that she had crawl
ed into the window, or that she knew
where the money was kept. When
Anna went out she told her mother she
was going TO shut up her pet, and after
she returned from the pautry window
she informed her that the dog had been
safely housed. This fact was used at
the trial.


The Grand Jury indicted her on two
counts: first, for breaking into and en-
tering house il the night time, with
intent to steal, and second, for entering,
without breaking into the house. The
trial was before Judge E. w. Run"on
and Justices Farnham and Rowne. Mr..
J. Augustus Fay was counsel for the
State, and VIM. B. Maxson, an old Cali
fornia lawyer, Of Plainfeld, appeared
for the defence. The Court room was
packed. The youth and beauty Of the
defendant, the gravity Of the alleged
offence, and the novelty of the case,
/ combined to produce powerful impress
| sion upon the spectators. The counsel
for the State in summing up said that
he should abandon the first count but
should sue for conviction on the second.
He reviewed the testimony, which in
many points was almost conclusive of
guilt, and when he concluded there was
a murmur of disappointment over the
seeming impossibility of acquittal.


Mr.. Maxson followed. lie spoke Of
the promising life of his client in the
past, her spOtless reputation, her posi-
ton, her associates, and of the impossi-
bility of 80 sudden a descent through
all the graduations of crime to the level
Of the midnight burglar and robber.
"Jurymen," said he, 'you have arraign-
ed before you a child just bursting
from the bud of infancy and opening
the blossom of youth, who for FIVE years
has been constant attendant at church
and at Sunday school, and follower of
Him who has said Suffer little children
to come unto me, for of such is the
Kingdom of Heaven Gentlemen of


A L