St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-27
BUT THE STATE ADMITS 1T HAS
NO DIRECT EVIDENCE
AGAINST MRS. PERKINS,
HER CRIMINAL TENDENCIES.
BOTH WOMEN HAVE A BAD RE-
CORD IN MINNEAPOLIS
. COURTS,
EVIDENCE is CONTRADICTIONS
Second Day of the Inquest-Pris-
Oner Will Testify Today in
Her Own Behalf.

But little that was new was learned
in Minneapolis yesterday concerning
the past lives of Mrs. Perkins or of
Mrs. Hawkins, whom she is accused
of having murdered. Assistant Coun-
ty Attorney Peterson was seen yes
terday by a reporter and consented
to talk to a certain extent about the
case and the events which led up to
the arrest of Mrs. Perkins. One
fact was developed in the interview
with Mr.. Peterson, and that was that
a woman with an unblemiShed past
would undoubtedly not have been
arrested upon the evidence which the
state had secured against Mrs. Per-
kins on the day when the warrant
for her arrest was sworn out. He de-
clined to discuss the statement that
the insurance companies would
swear that Mrs Perkins imperson-
ated Mrs. Hawkins and forged the
latter's name to the policies, never
theless he intimated that such would
be shown to be the case.
Mr.. Peterson did not care to state
just what the authorities knew con-
corning the past history of the two
women. The main evidence of the
| criminal tendencies of Mrs. Perkins
and Mrs. Hawkins, so it is alleged,
was secured from Police Inspector
John Hoy who has been energetical-
ly at work upon the case since it's in
ception. An attempt was made to
conceal this fact, nevertheless it
leaked out, and with the knowledge
that Mrs. Perkins did not hesitate
at a crime of no small magnitude
/ the state felt justified in causing her
arrest, with the many suspicious cir
cumstances against her. This piece
| of evidence of the criminal tenden-
cies of the two women is alleged to
have occurred some two months or
more ago, when a certain well-known
man about town spent the greater
part of the night at the house on
| Tenth avenue south with Mrs. Lola
Hawkins. 1t was claimed that while
he slept, Mrs. Perkins entered the
| bed room where the two were, and
took several hundred dollars worth
| of valuable diamonds. The next day
| the case was quietly reported to the
| police, who investigated. The we'll
| known young man did not care to
| prosecute, but Mrs. Perkins was in
| duced to give up the diamonds, and
there the matter dropped. It is also
| alleged that case was reported to
| the police where a check had been
| forged, and the victim paid it to
avoid publicity, and once again Mrs.
| Perkins was visited by the same
1 detective.
The assistant county attorney was
emphatic in his statement that no
! more arrests were to be made and
! stated point blank that it was be-
| lieved that the only person at all i'm
| plicated in causing the death of Mrs.
| Hawkins was now under arrest. AS
was stated in the G o b yesterday,
the state has no direct evidence con-
cerning the actual commission of the
| crime itself. All it has is vast num-
! Der of suspicious circumstances which
| weave a web about the accused Wom-
an. He did not think, however, that
| the state would place much stress up
on the accused woman's character, as
| it could not be introduced unless the
| defense took upon itself to prove her
! good character and general reputation
| when the state might rebuilt it.
| He admitted the statement that the
state believed the Lyndale avenue ac-
| cident-bicycle accident-to be one in
which the insurance company got de-
| cidedly the worst of it, and concluded
by stating that he did not think the
| county attorneys office would have
| been doing it's duty had it not caused
| Mrs. Perkins arrest
The residence on Tenth avenue south
where the Perkins-Hawkins outfit re-
sided was taken in hand by a con-
| tractor yesterday and work begun
| toward repairing the dwelling and
making it fit for occupancy again.
| The rooms on the lower floor of the
house are all more or less damaged by
fire excepting the room in which
| frankie was sleeping, and the room
| where Mrs. Perkins claims to have
been sitting. An examination shows,
| however, that had frankie been Sleep
| ing upstairs, where he generally slept,
| his escape would have been entirely
|
| to Mrs. Hawkins bed room
| In relation to the Des Moines rec
ord of the two women, the state does
not take very much stock in the
claims, and A. H. Hall, attorney for
Mrs. Perkins, says that it is simply
mares nest and that the evidence
of what is charged to have occurred
in Des Moines cannot be produced.
The opinion of the Des Moines detec-
| tives Mr.. Hall thinks is based on one
| circumstance, and there is nothing
in that. Mr.. Hall thinks that IL two
blonde widows were to live together
anywhere and be ever so circumspect
half the men in town would suspect
something wrong.
| Deputy Sheriff Anderson found him
self famous yesterday as the accepted
suitor of first Mrs. Perkins and then
Mrs. Hawkins. Both allegations he en-
| phatically denies, and says he only
| knew the two ladies slightly when
they were living in North Minneapolis.