stamfordconnecticut

Mrs. Helen M. Angle was on trial in March, 1915, for manslaughter in the death of her friend Waldo R. Ballou in Stamford, Connecticut on June 23, 1914. Helen was divorced from her husband of twelve years, Frank W. Angle. Her father was Leonard Blondel, a wealthy former Stamford Councilman who was retired from the coal and road contracting business Waldo Ballou was was a friend of her fathers, and a leading Republican politician and Stamford business man. Helen met Waldo in 1911 after his wife died. Waldo proposed to Helen several times, but she said he was too old. He was 69, she was 40. 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. Judge William H. Williams presided. Eight months after the trial, Helen remarried her former husband, Frank Angle, a foreman at Union Metallic Cartridge Company in Stamford. It was said that during her trial Mr Angle's sympathies were aroused, and he was a frequent visitor in the court. [1] [2] [3]  

There are several low-angle shots from inside the courtroom. I wonder if they were taken surreptitously?

Thanks Pixel Wrangler for her full name, we will update our record. That's a good question artolog. I think it would be hard to sneak a camera from that time period in, but he may have been able to take in his camera because he took photos before and after the trial. The only thing I'm unsure of, is if he could take multiple photos without making any noise or being disruptive. He would have had to change the glass negatives and that seems like that would be hard to do secretly. That's all assumption on my part. Feel free to suggest other reasons.

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.

This was an accident at Stamford, Connecticut, on June 12, 1913. A west-bound express train from Boston apparently did not stop for a signal, and rammed into the (wooden) Skylark chair-car (pictured above), that was stopped at Stamford Station, killing six people and injuring dozens more. There was an extensive investigation amid differing claims that the brakes were either faulty, or were in excellent condition. — excerpted from New York Times. This accident appears to mark the end of major railroads using wooden coaches, with all steel construction becoming the norm.[1] (Note the large wheels of the locomotive are under the wooden coach car.)  

Pixel Wrangler: Thanks for supplying further information and references. We'll upgrade our source data with the specifics and reload the description.

Ghastly. The engine went more than half way through the passenger car. Interesting that the locomotive wasn't damaged in the collision. Two days later its brakes were tested at full speed by a panel of experts. The engine appears to be a 4-6-2 (Pacific) locomotive.