fairfieldcounty

Judge William Henry Williams (b.1850) presided.over the twelve day jury trial of Mrs. Helen M. Angle in March, 1915, for manslaughter in the death of her friend Waldo R. Ballou in Stamford, (Fairfield County) Connecticut in June, 1914. The trial was held in the Superior Court at Bridgeport, Connecticut, the county seat of Fairfield County. The all male jury had an average age of fifty, the youngest was thirty five. The question before the jury was, did Waldo Ballou, Helen Angle's elderly suitor, fall down the stairs from Helen's apartment, after calling on her late one night, fracturing his skull... or was he, as the State contends, pushed -- or hit over the head with an iron? Judge Williams twice warned the lawyers and press against untimely disclosure or discussions of the evidence to be introduced. He said that under Connecticut law any one making public testimony in advance of its introduction in court would be open to a charge of contempt. Mrs Angle took the stand in her own defense, and told her version of what happened on the night of June 23, 1914. More than 500 people were turned away from the packed courtroom. After a twelve day trial the jury deliberated for one hour and forty-five minutes before returning a verdict of not guilty, after three ballots. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge William H. Williams was State's Attorney for New Haven County, and a partner in the firm of Wooster, Williams & Gager.  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]  

Thanks Pixel Wrangler, We'll add his full name to our record.

My father skippered a vessel like this--maybe even this one--in the early days of the war. He told tales of "harrying" 30-knot U-boats in one of these 20-knot sub chasers around the Florida Keys and Bahamas. The only shot they had was if they caught the U-boats napping.

William H. Brennan (1865-1923), Chief of Police, Stamford, Connecticut, testified for the prosecution in the manslaughter trial of Mrs. Helen M. Angle in March, 1915. She was charged with causing the death of her friend Waldo R. Ballou in 1914. "Helen" and (Chief) "Bill" were on a first-name basis before the alleged murder, as she was the daughter of a former Stamford city councilman. William Brennan was appointed Chief in 1905 by then Mayor Homer S. Cummings. Cummings led the prosecution of Helen Angle as State's Attorney for Fairfield County. Waldo Ballou, the victim, was was a friend of Helen's father, and a leading Republican politician and Stamford business man. Waldo had served on the Stamford Police Committee from 1901-1904, and was appointed by the Stamford City Council. [1] [2] For more details of the trial see the Bain/LOC photo of Mrs. Helen Angle on Flickr. Note: For caption clarity ;-)  William Brennan was the Chief of Police in Stamford, (S't'm'f'd ?) Connecticut, where the victim died, and Helen Angle lived. The trial took place in the Superior Court of neighboring Bridgeport, Connecticut, which is the county seat, and is likely where this photo was taken -- and why "Bridgeport' (well, "B'd'g'p't") is in the caption.

Thanks for the clarification Pixel Wrangler. I'll talk to our catalogers and see if we can add a note to our record to clear up where he worked.