Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-26
Detective Lawson's Great
Sensation Exploded.
An Affidavit from Jessie Ham
iltOn.
She Denies That Olsen Was at Her
House.
The ..New Evidence" Alleged to Have
Been Manufactured-How the
Alleged Confession Was
Obtained.

this state and telegraphed broadcast
throughout the country that A. B. Law
son, who ran a detective agency in this
CITY for some time, had discovered new
evidence in the Ivett murder which
would prove conclusively that August
Olsen, who was tried for the murder and
acquitted, was the author of the bloody
deed.
Lawson claimed that there was con-
spiracy between Olsen and two others
to put old man Ivett out of the way, and
that after the killing Olsen went to the
house of a woman with whom he was
living and washed the blood from his
person and changed his clothing. To
back up his statements Lawson gave out
that the woman, whose name IS Jessie
Hamilton, made q confession, in which
she stated that Olsen came to her house
on the night of the murder covered with
blood and carried bundle in his hands.
The publication of Lawson's story OF
the alleged confession created great ex-
citement in the neighborhood where
the murder occurred, and it now ap-
pears that the detectives claims amount
to nothing.
An affidavit of Jessie Hamilton COM
pletely knocks out the story of her con-
fession, and her statement is printed in
the Merced County Sun, which also
gives the following interview with Mr..
McCabe, who was one of Olsen's attor-
ney's at the trial. Referring to the ar
ticle, Mr.. McCabe said:
Eyes, we have read the article, and
IL, 10 -
ment at Ghe absurdity Of the PROPOSE
ton, knowing the facts in the case as
we do"
"Why?" was asked.
"The absurdity OF the matter stated is
sufficient to prove its falsity, for. as a
matter of fact, in going from either
Smelling or the Ivett ranch, long before
he could by any road have reached La
Granee, he passed through two creeks
of running water and alongside OF
reservoir containing an immense body
of water, at any of which places he could
have washed if he had needed to.
"Within one hundred yards of La
Grange runs the Tuolumne river, which
Olsen had to cross before he got home,
and on his road he passes numerous
mining shafts, which would have af-
Orded perfect place OF concealment for
anything. But the most unreasonable
thing is that with two or three saloons
running, and the very dance house in
which Jessie Hamilton lived in full
blast. as they We're that very night, ii
the evidence of the peace officers of La
Grange is to be believed, that man
fresh from murder and covered with
gore. would go to the most public place
in town, which this dance-house un-
questionabiy was at that time of night,
with probably twenty persons in vari-
ous stages OF inebriety, within few
feet, call up woman whose business
certainly was to have male companions
with her, and thus take every chance of
discovery that could be devised. and
Nfor what? Simply to wash off the blood
that, had there been any, could as well
have been washed off in the creeks,
reservoir or river, and out of the sight
of anyone.
About that bloody shirt. There is
nothing easier for an unprincipled pri-
vate detective. as most OF that class are,
stirred by the hope OF sharing in the al
legged English half-slster's propective
share of the Ivett estate, than to trump
up evidence of this character. One of
his tools puts the bloody shirt into the
flourish of trumpets, in the presence of
an admiring crowd, digs it out again.
Why. such man can have bloody shirt
dug out of any clubhouse in this town be-
fore the week is out ii be wanted to.
"We first heard of Jessie Hamilton
in Modesto during the Blanchard trial
and were informed then that parties were
after her to make statement of some
character. We were informed that she
was first offered money to sign written
statement for her of facts substantially
as stated in the Examiner, but she in
dignantly refused to make it because she
said it was false. Bulldozing was then
restorted to until the unfortunate woman
was forced to baIrcade her door to keep
out Detective Lawson and his,emissaries,
who were endeavoring to get this false
statement sigued.
"She finally went befora l.. J. Mad
dox, notary public, of Modesto, and
one OF the leading attorneys there and
voluntarily made an affidavit that she
knew nothing about August Olsen and
did not see him on the nights OF the 9th
and 10th of November, 1890, at all.
''She was not alone among women of
this class in this style of persecution.
for we are informed that the same
agency have endeavored to get similar
statements signed by several other
women.
Here is the affidavit, which you may
publish if you desire"
STATE OF CALIFORNIA,
County OF Stanslaus.) '''
jessie Hamilton being first duly sworn
deposes and GAYS: That she lives in
Modesto, Stanislaus county; that she
lived at La Grange at the time of the
murder oi John Ivett; that August
Olsen WAS not at my house on the night
of the murder TO my knowledge; he did
not come there between II o'clock and
1 O'Clock alter midnight, nor did he
come there between 2 or O'Clock after
midnight of that night; that he did not
that night nor any other time come into
my house and change his clothes, that
he did not change his shirt nor did
give him any shirt; that during no time
that night nor at any other time did
see any blood on him; that at no time
that night nor any other night did |
give him any water to wash any blood
off of his hands, nor did he wash any
blood off OF his hands in my house or in
my sight at any time. Aftiantsays that
he did not that night nor any other
night bring any bundle into her
house; that she did not that night
nor any other night see him have any
bundle of clothes or bundle of any
thing else; that affiant did not that