The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-10
Statements That Convict Gardiner
Was Allowed to Visit
This City.
RECOGNIZED BY HIS DAUGHTER.
Two Witnesses in the Investigation
Held by the Prison
Directors.

| yesterday in listening to testimony con-
corning charges against Warden Hale OF
| San Quentin. The investigation had been
continued from their previous meeting,
| but though five witnesses were examined
the investigation is not yet ended, and a
| special session will be called shortly to
conclude the matter.
| The charges against the Warden alIege
that he permitted a prisoner undergoing
sentence to visit San Francisco with no
guard other than a woman dressed in
black. They are advanced by Mrs.
| Gardiner, the divorced wife of George
| Gardiner, who is the convict in question.
One night young man, accompanying
| Gardeners daughter from an entertain
ment, was met at the door by her father,
who shot and killed him without word
OF warning. For this, after desperate
| legal battle, he was sentenced to imprison-
ment for life, the jury reaching the YER
| dict only after sixty hours of elaboration
After Gardeners incarceration his wife
! instituted proceedings for divorce on the
| statutory ground that her husband had
| been convicted of a felony. While the case
was pending she received several threaten
| ing and abusive letters from her husband
| which were mailed in this City by Warden
/ Hale. Her attorney complained of these
| letters and they ceased, but shortly after
| ward, she says, she saw her husband
dressed In citizens garb, standing at the
| front steps Of her Their residence on Golden
Gate avenue, while woman dressed in
! black rang the doorbell. The door was
not opened and the couple walked away
| together.
Warden Hale has repeatedly denied the
truth OF these charges, but they could not
be thus set at rest, and finally the present
investigation was determined on at Hale's
own request. In anticipation then of the
| taxing OF testimony every member of the
Board of Prison Directors was early on
| hand. Governor Bud had intended to be
| present, but telephoned his inability to
| attend and the investigation proceeded
| without him.
Henry 1. Fisher, a reporter on the
| Chronicle, who had written some of
the published stories concerning the
| matter, was the first witness called. He
told of hearing about the charges and of
| investigating them before writing his
story. He had interviewed Lawyer Cotton,
Mrs. Gardeners attorney in the divorce
suit. Henry Eichoff accompanied him.
Mrs. Gardiner had told what she knew,
and being convinced of<the truth of her
tale he had published it. He had also
| spoken to eX-Prison Director Sonntag con-
| corning it.
Mr.. Sonntag had acknowledged hearing
OF the charges month or two before the
end of his term of office. He had spoken
| to Warden Hale about it, but 'Mr Hale
| threw up his hands and treated the
| matter lightly" Mr.. Sonntag had inves-
| tigated the matter personally and had been
convinced that the charges were true, but
did not bring the matter before the board
as 'his term was nearly ended and he
wanted to get out of Office without a
| scandal"
| When cross-examined by Director Devlin
| Mr.. Fisher declined to give the name of
his first informant, as he regarded that as
a newspaper secret. He had met man
Friday night who claimed to have seen
| Gardiner and the woman on the train at
| Greenbrae and who said that Warden
Hale himself drove them to the station.
He did not know that he was at liberty to
| reveal the mans name, but would obtain
| his permission if possible.
Mrs. Gardiner was then called She is an
elderly lady whose brown hair is slightly
streaked with gray. She repeated the clos
ing words of the oath in a voice full of
emotion, and told her story in a manner
which plainly revealed that whether or not
she is mistaken in her Identification of
| George Gardiner she believes every word of
| her story to be truth. She said:
George Gardiner did come to the City on Sep
! TENDER 4, 1898. saw him on that day. l had
lady friend stopping with me at that time.
| She was preparing to go out and asked me the
time 1t was 10 minutes past 10 O'Clock. Just
| then the doorbell rang She said she would go
| to the door, but she went instead to the bay
window and looked out. She saw George Gardi-
ner and recognized him. She knew him. She
| came and told me, and thought she must be
crazy; but thought he might have been par
doned, so / went and looked, too. l saw him
He was standing at the foot of the steps. He
had on a dark-colored suit He wore a SLOUGH
hat ana dark glasses. He was leaning on
cane.
The house is 1917 Golden Gate avenue. I
occupied the lower fiat. He stood at the foot
OF the steps There is no gate; the steps come
right up from the sidewalk. There was lady
at the head OF the steps ringing the bell She
was dressed in black She rang the bell three
or four times while we watched. No one
answered the door and they walked away to-
gether. watched them to the corner
On cross-examination, Mrs Gardiner
stated that her lady friend was her daugh-
ter. The daughter is now in the East and
will not be available as witness. Her
and down the street while waiting.
She did not open the door because she
did not think it advisable to speak to
George Gardiner. She did not care to meet
him. She apprehended danger from him.
How did you see him ?'' asked Director
Hayes.
81 saw him as plainly as 1 see you now,"
was the reply.
Mrs. Gardiner spoke of the "terrible"
letters she had received from her husband.
She had told Lawyer Cotton about the
whole thing. The matter had been a
severe shock to her and she had been
seriously i'll in consequence. AS far as
she knew she and her daughter were the
only persons who knew of their own
knowledge that Gardiner had visited the
Citv.
The cross-examination of Mrs. Gardiner
was very exhaustive, but 1t failed to shake
her testimony. At its conclusion Warden
Hale explained how he "came to mail the
Gardiner letters innocently." He stated
that he permitted any convict who desired
to send out letters outside of the regular
channels to bring them to him personally
and he mailed them. Gardiner had abused
his trust and he had talked to him.
Never mind just what he SAID"
After lunch Captain Alden, the assistant
commissary, was sworn. He produced the
department books-a dozen or more-and
showed entries in Gardeners handwriting
on the date in question. He thought it
impossible that any other man could have
kept the memoranda on slips of paper and
have had Gardiner enter them up after
ward.
Gardiner was called. He identified his
writing in each instance, but swore that
he could make all the entries shown in