The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-18
WITNESSES WERE
SPIRITED AWAY.
LIGHT ON THE METHODS WHICH
WERE EMPLOYED IN THE
BLYTHE CASE.
MRS. COTTRELL'S EXPERIENCE.
WHAT ONE WOMAN SAYS SHE
ACTUALLY RECEIVED FOR Dis
APPEARING.

IL
the recent Blythe case are rapidly coming
to the light. 1t now appears that wit
nesses who would have testified in behalf
OF Mrs. Alice Edith Blythe were spirited
away by interested parties and that de-
tectlves were the agents in the trans
actions.
Over in Oakland woman has been found
who confesses that she received money for
her expenses and a promise that she should
be paid handsomely on the settlement of
the case, on condition that she should
absent herself from the city for given
length of time, in order that she should
| not be available as witness in the case
Her name is Mrs. Mary J. Cottrell, and
she is the wife of one of Oakland's most
prominent citizens.
In the years before Blythe's death Mrs
CottreH, then Mrs. Conner, was in partner
ship with Mrs. Jerome Deasy in the little
florists shop in Blythe alley, where Mrs.
Alice Edith was accustomed to buy flowers
to paint from, and where Blythe called to
inquire whether ''his little wife owed them
anything" When the contest arose the
Deasys espoused the Florence Blythe side
OF the case, and Mrs. Deasy was one of the
witnesses for that side. 1t was therefore
important that Mrs. Cottrell should not
appear for Mrs. Alice Edith, and therefore
she was spirited away.
The story of how it was done is best told
in Mrs. Cottrell's own words. When ques-
toned on the subject yesterday she said:
g! was paid $50 by Harry Morse, the de-
tectlve, to go out of town and stay for
time. lie gave me the money himself and
promised that should be paid handsomely
when the case was finally settled.
Nv hen my former husband died | was
left q widow with mir oh IN -
AT that time Mr.. Morse was very kind to
me. He took one of my girls into his Of
flee, bought for her a typewriter and paid
for her lessons on it. When she became
proficient he provided her with employ
ment and assisted me in establishing a
little business OF re-inking the ribbons.
Through his influence | secured that work
from several banks and large business
houses, and was making from $25 a week
up, when a Mr.. WiXon, of some typewrit-
ing company, threatened to have me ar
rested for infringing his patents Then
Mr.. Morse befriended me again and saved
me from arrest. Naturally enough, then.
was disposed to assist him when he got
into trouble in the Blythe case-or, rather,
when he saw an opportunity to make a
great deal of money out of it.
The first | know of the proposition for
me to go away was when | was living on
Linden street, Oakland. Two young men
smart-looking fellows they were too-came
to my house and stated the m after. / pro-
tested that [ could not leave, on account of
my business Il was then teaching painting
and fancy work on Ninth street. near
MlsSion). Then Morse's men began COM
ing to my store They were not careful in
their language, either, and did not modify
it even when other ladies were present. and
this nearly ruined my business.
Finally got note from Morse asking
me TO meet him that night on the corner
of Ninth and Brannan streets. The note
was brought by a messenger-boy. 1 met
him as requested and he urged me to leave
the city. He didn't care where went if /
would only go: He said he would make
lot of money by it and when he got it
should be paid handsomely. I agreed to
go and he handed me $50 for nv expenses.
When l remarked on the smallness of the
amount he said did not need to go first
class or put on any style; also that $50
ought to last me ten days, after which he
thought all search for me would have
ceased.
II left the city and went to Petaluma. I
had lived there before with my former
husband and was well acquainted. That
was the reason l chose that town, so long
as Mr.. Morse did not care where went.
When | departed / left no address behind
me and after staying away for a week or
ten days returned to San Francisco.
''Since that time when | saw how they
treated poor Mrs. Blythe and how that lit
tie woman was made to suffer, my con-
science has reproached me terribly, but |
have suffered, too, in other ways because of
my actions then.
Sometime after married Mr.. Cottrell a
woman calling herself Mrs. La Rue called
at my house. She was of medium height,
dark complexioned and had Jewish cast
OF features. She had a matronly figure,
and must have been about 35 years old.
In some way Mrs. La Rue had learned
about my knowledge of the Blythe case,
and OF the fact that had gone away to
avoid being Witness and she threatened
to tell Mr.. Cottrell unless I made it worth
her while to keep quiet. Ny husband is
man OF the most scrupulous honor, and he
thinks | am pretty nice, and l thought
that if he found out | had done such a
think, especially as 1 had kept it secret
from him, a divorce would surely follow.
So gave her money. This thing has cost
me over $4,000 first and last, and I had to
mortgage some property | own in Oakland
for $500 to satisfy such demands. Suffered
L should say l had. You can imagine
what my life has been, between the fear of
discovery and divorce and having these
people coming to the house and shouting
their threats.
"Why did / not appeal to Morse? I did.
l wrote him letter after letter, but he put
me off from time to time and not a cent
did get. I have got all his letters now.
They are peculiar in way. He never puts
date on letter and never signs name.
He sends them, too, almost always by
messenger-boy, so that there shall be no
postmark or date upon the envelope. |
rather think that no one except one IA
mliiar with his writing would know them
for his.
Their contents2 Oh, they were very
guarded. Often they were in sort of
cipher, and there are only a few that are
plain enough for any one else to make
anything out of. He is a smart man and I
am smart woman, and we understand
each other pretty we'll.
How much money was l to be paid?
There was never any definite amount
named except that 1 was to be paid
handsomely 1t was understood that he
was to fully reimburse me for what 1 had
paid out and something more. Last time
| heard from him, though, he said he was
going to use the statute OF limitation
against me. am happily married now
and | do not want to make any money out
OF the matter, but want to get back what
1t has cost me.
81 appealed to Morse for aid many times.
Once l got three months behind with the
interest money on that mortgage, but he