The People v. Nichols

On a trial in the criminal court of Cook county without a jury, plaintiff in error Robert Nichols, otherwise known as William DeFrance, was found guilty of “robbery with a gun” and sentenced to the penitentiary for one year to life. He sued a writ of error out of this court to review the record of conviction.

About 10:30 P. M. on the evening of May 16, 1940, Mabel Mudge and Helen Sorenson were sitting in the rear seat of their automobile parked near 3140 Indiana avenue, Chicago, waiting for their husbands to return from making a business call. With the exception of the rear window near Mrs.…