MRS. CHADWICK'S CASE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12834, 6 April 1905, Page 6

MRS. CHADWICK'S CASE.

THE SCENE IX COURT.

.Sax Feaxcisco, March 11. Mrs. Cassie L. Ciiadwick was to-night found guilty of conspiracy to violate the United States banking laws by conspiring to procure the certification of cheques on a national bank when there were, no funds in the bank to her credit. She was found guilty on every count of the. indictment upon vhieh the jury was at liberty to judge her, seven in all. The indictment contained sixteen counts. Two of these were ruled out during the trial by Judgw Tayler, and of the remaining fourteen one-half-charged her with securing the certification of cheques without haying the proper entries made en the books' of the bank. ' K -'

Judge Tayler, in his charge, directed the jury to disregard these counts and consider only the remaining seven, which related to the certification with no. funds on deposit. On all of these the jury found against her. According to the law, she can 'be fined on each count not more than lO.OOOdols. nor imprisoned more than two years on each count. The jury left the courtroom at. twenty-five minutes to four. It was announced two hours later that a verdict had been reached, and that the jurors asked to be taken out to dinner. Word was sent to Judge Taylor, and he set half-past eight p.m. as the time at which he would appear in Court to receive the verdict. The jury went out a*, fifteen minutes past sis and returned at half-past seven.

Court was opened promntlj at half-past eight, and the verdict read at twenty-seven minutes to nine. Mrs. Chadwidk came into the courtroon? five minutes before the jury, She was accompanied bv her son and two trained nurses. She sank into the seat she had occupied during the trial, and rested her face in the palm of her right hand, a position she held almost constantly throughout the sessions .of the Court. At first Mrs. Chadwick failed.utterly to grasp the meaning of the verdict. She is slightly deaf, and Clerk Carleton read the verdict in a tone so low that it was nearly inaudible ten feet away. As the people around her began to move and talk, the prisoner grasped the face that her fate was decided. She shot a quick glance at Judge V rag. "We have lost, Mrs. Chadwick," he said. Ihis time she realised it. She turned halfaround to look at Emil Hoovei behind her, and, reading there a confirmation of the words of Judge Wing, she flushed deeply and raised her hand in a bewildering fashion to her head. Suddenly her limbs- seemed to give wav beneath her, and she sank feel.lv into her chair. Her head fell forward on'her hands and a. succession of strangling »bs came from her, while J-.mil and Judge Wing sought vainly to comfort her. "The Government mows for sentence, your honor," said District Attorney Sullivan. , . »>©■ desire to enter a motion for a new trial, said Judge Wing. "I will, at a future time, set a date for the argument on the motion for a new trial." said Judge Tayler, "and I presume the matter can rest until that time." . "That is satisfactory to the Government," said Sullivan. Judge Wing bowed a silent assent, and client f ° & ' d ° ° f Il!s distracted r Mrs. 1 0ha , cIwick soon composed herself, roAlr i ia " d ' r- wd , her *?<*> and she rose to her feet. tendd * Em" Hoove, and the marshal, she walked steadily to 1* delVy Li* W f a Vr lot fe and '»» th * flight fcedlertteflv: Ohadwick's composure deserted her utterly. She was carried into the elevator, and was taken into the office of Marshal Chandler and placed on a sofa.