Based on a true story . . .

A Nell Trustmon Story from her magazine, Broken Tree Tales

In June 1909, the daughter of one of California’s first ‘gold bugs’ shot her fiancée, the son of a wealthy Portuguese fruit grower.  Alma Pike shot Joe Armez.

“Flying over the pretty little mining town of Auburn, California I immediately saw the Courthouse. It is situated on a hilltop that can be seen for miles. Its classic dome gleamed in the afternoon sun. Even from the air, I thought it was an immense showpiece.

When it was built in 1898, the building included four state-of-the-art jail cells. The four cells were adequate for a courthouse that typically handled only a dozen criminal cases a year.

What no one ever thought of was that maybe (just maybe) the Courthouse might have to sometimes house a female prisoner. When a criminal case involving a woman charged with murder occurred in the summer of 1909, there was no place to house her. So, the County created a special cell for her under the main stairwell leading to the front of the Courthouse.

What they did not realize was that in placing Miss Alma Bell in such a public location, she was literally where anyone could walk up and talk with her. And the young Miss Bell was very talkative and more than willing to tell her story to anyone who would listen.”