The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-25
STOLEN By THE LAW
LExOw COMMITTEES "sTAR" WIT
NESS SENTENCED TO JAIL.
shrewd Trick OF Tammany's Corrupt
Police, Aided and Allotted by
Jersey City Masistrate.
LAWYER G0FF'S CHARGES
WOMAN WHO PAID TRIBUTE KEPT
FROM GIVING TESTIMONY,
And the Committees Private Detect
ives Arrested and Charged with
Attempted Abduction.
LAWYER GOFF'S CHARGES
WOMAN WHO PAID TRIBUTE KEPT
FROM GIVING TESTIMONY.

NEW YORK, Oct. 2i.-Counsel Goff
startled the Lexow committee when it re-
convened this morning by saying the police
had made away with witness who could
give the most sensational testimony yet
produced. Mr.. Gof entered the court room
and said excitedly: "For the first time. /
am compelled to ask for adjournment
until o'clock. | told the committee that
our star witness, a woman. who has paid
money to high officials, had been stolen
from at the dead of night. We had her
under subpoena and under surveillance in
the day time, but at midnight the police
or their accomplices, came in carriages
and took the woman away. / will now tell
you her name for the first time 1t is
Matilda Hermann. The police, or their
agents. hurried her to Canada and then to
the large cities of the West Our detectives
finally ran her down in Chicago. She con-
sented to come East. When the party ar
rived In Jersey City this morning the police
Of New York got the police of Jersey City
to arrest all our party on charge of kid
naping-a trumped-up charge designed to
detain her,
Chairman Lexow interrupted with the
question: rs she over twenty-one years
Of age?"
here" answered Mr. Goff ''This woman
will tell how the police raised fund 20 get
her and other women Of her class out of
the city. There is colony of them now
in Chicago waiting for the committee to
adjourn"
I've may never adjourn" said Chairman
Lexow.
Mr.. Con- said that he hoped to prove
h0y hoH hoa +r;A
furtherance OF the alleged police conspiracy
to spirit away Mrs Hermann.
The chairman said that it had been the
intention to examine Police Commissioner
Sheehan to-day, but that gentleman had
asked to be excused in order that he might
attend a meeting Of the board. No other
witnesses had been called when the sitting
adjourned until tomorrow. In answer to
questions. Mr.. Goff. after the adjournment
said that a story that Mrs. Hermann had
been decoyed from Chicago to Jersey City
by telegram stating that her husband
had broken his leg was wholly false. "She
came on voluntarily" said Mr.. Goff. "and
sxen fsre Se Pad man her alleged to raif06e be
her husband broke his leg before she
left this city. She was nursing him when
she went away. And, moreover. since she
left him he had been taken away secretly.
too"
The story alluded to by Mr.. Goff was
printed in the Evening Post. which said: :
Mrs. Hermann refused to come East, and
bogus telegram was sent to her with the
Information that her husband had broken
his leg and was lying in hospital in Ho-
boken in a critical condition. Mrs. Her
mann lost no time In coming to her hus-
bands assistance. She arrived in the Penn
sylvania railroad station at half past
O'Clock this morning. Detective Wells was
shadowing her He and Sergeant-at-
Kearney asked her to consent to go TO
New York. The woman became highly in
dignant and was gesticulating wildly when
Senator William ID. DAILY, of New Jersey,
approached her and told her he had been
retained as her counsel. Kearney and Wells
wanted TO compel the woman TO go to New
York, but Senator DAILY demonstrated and
declared he would not permit her TO be
kidnapped" A crowd collected and the po-
lice arrested the party for disorderly con-
duct. When Mrs. Hermann was arraigned
before Justice Potts in Jersey City Senator
DAILY appeared as her counsel. He said he
had been retained for that purpose by
Gustave Dirk, of New York. who told him
an attempt was to be made to abduct Mrs
Hermann upon her arrival from the West.
Senator DAILY said that Mrs. Hermann told
him while the Lexow detectives were talk
ing to her that she did not wish to return
10 New York The detectives tried to force
the woman to go with them, and they and
the woman were arrested. Justice Potts
held, upon the evidence OF detective
kearny, that Mrs. Hermann was a fugitive
from Justice. and committed her to fall for
thirty days under bonds Of $1,000 to await