SHEIKS IN CELLAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20150, 19 May 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

SHEIKS IN CELLAR

SALESMAN ADONIS. Crying softly from overwrought nerves, Sarah Mowell, a pretty 21-year-old bank clerk, was vindicated by a New Jersey (U.S. America) jury on a charge of attempting to blackman wealthy and elderly .Mrs Frank von Moschzisker, wife of the head of the | real estate department of the Pennsylvania Railroad. 44 Poison-pen’ ’ letters were alleged to have been sent by Miss Mowell to Mrs von Moschzisker in an effort to secure £BOOO husD money. In his summing-up the Judge asked the jury to dismiss from their minds the famous cellar parties given by Walter Burnett, a handsome young electric-appliance salesman, of whom both women were apparently much enamoured. The cellar, with its whisky, cigarettes and jazz music, was a subterranean assembly place for village sheiks and maidens, and supplied merely lhe background to a sordid romance. Four hand writing experts testified that the girl >d;id not write the offensive letters, and Miss Mo well had brought into court abundant evidence of good conduct. It was the fatal beauty of the young ‘.l'.esman which was blame* by both be defence and the prosecution for the 4 4 poison-pen” , Burnett was describ** 1 by the counsel for lhe defence as a “spineless jellyfish, cad. liar, and violator of the Unwritten Law.’’ “Is this vile thing Burnett a man?’’ askcyl counsel. “No! He is low and contemptible.’’ Counsel for the prosecution declared he was confident that this elderly society matron had written the letters herself, and in her rage had attributed them to the younger woman. “This woman is a public menace,’’ he thundered. “ What kind of stuff are these letters for a woman of 51 to be writing to kids?” In one of the letters from which he quoted, and which she admitted waiting. Mrs von Moschzisker confessed she was 41 hell-bent for excitement.”