The San Francisco call., 1896-06-17
Racy Revelations Regarding the
Letter to That Handsome
Fresno Man.
LEACH SOLD IT TO BALDWIN.
Some Light Thrown on the Relations
of the Plaintiff With Wesley
T. Bach.

The Ashley Baldwin case opened yester-
day, with E. Barnes, private secretary to
J. r. Wood, the Boston detective, still on
the stand. AS was the case on Monday
evening, most of his testimony was OF an
unprintable character. When he finally
got down to matters that can be men,
toned in polite society he was asked by
the plaintiffs attorney concerning certain
letters which he had written over his own
signature, but at the dictation of his en-
ployer, to Miss Ashley.
These letters, it is claimed by Mr.. Crit
tenden, were indited with a view to mis-
Leading their recipient and of betraying
her in the interest of Colonel Pope, who
was at that time Mr.. Woods client. One
of the letters was introduced in evidence
by Mr. Crittenden yesterday. The follow
ing is copy of it:
Boston, Aug. Is, 1893.
Miss L. A. Ashley, Hotel Westminster, Los An
geieS, Cal: Mr.. Wood is engaged on an import
ant murder case in Vermont. Your deed was
received after Mr.. Wood had sent you instruc-
tons about your affidavit and thought that
we had better let that remain until he had re-
ceived your affidavit and had consulted or
confronted Baldwin, which he has arranged to
do on receipt of the papers from you. would
forward them to him Immediately and he
would go directly to Baldwin, and he felt very
confident when he left here that when armed
with the necessary affidavit from you he would
get a handsome settlement for you, which
have no doubt he would.
Now it seems to me to be very important
that you comply with his request in getting
the papers for him to act with. | have writ
ten him about it, also the deed and your dis
hot fO-NS | IL
swered as follows: "Dispatch received. Wood
away. Await sworn affidavit; on receipt will
act at once and make satisfactory settle
ment."
1 would suggest that you see the parties
with whom you are negotiating for the house
and tell them you will have to leave the mat
ter over about ten days.
That will give Mr.. Wood a chance to get
through with his case in Vermont, and a
chance to see Baldwin. And then, again, [
think 1t would be better for you to get settle-
ment with Baldwin before you made any move
there, for if he is as smart man as Mr.. Wood
thinks he is, he would undoubtedly find out
about the real estate transaction there with
you, and then he would begin to make in
quries as to where the money came from, and
he would not think you are in the destitute
circumstances that Mr.. Wood intends to pic.
ture out to him that you are
From what know of the matter l should
most assuredly advise you not to close that
deal until Mr.. Wood has had an interview with
Baldwin, because if things work as he has got
them laid out, undoubtedly he will get very
handsome thing for you, and he is really in
earnest about it,
Believing that you have been grossly
wronged, and that this wealthy man can do
no more than partially settle with you for the
great wrong he has done you.
Mr.. Wood thoroughly believes your state
ment, and has often said that he would be glad
to see the man have to divide with you.
Now let meagain assure you that it all de-
pends upon your sending on the papers that
he asked for. and then, 1 have no doubt, he
win accomplish the desired result at once.
Very truly, E. BARNES.
Barnes also sent two kilograms to Miss
Ashley at about the time this letter was
written bearing on the same subject. They
are also reproduced here:
Boston, Aug. 10.
Lillian A. Ashley, Hotel Westminster, Los Ange-
les: Dispatch received. Wood away. Await
sworn affidavit. On receipt will act at once
and make satisfactory settlement.
f. BARNES.
BOSTON, Aug. II.
L. A. Ashley, Westminster Hotel, Los Angeles
Wood says purchase must wait or it will kill
Baldwin matter. Send papers at once if you
want settlement. Or shall we drop it for good?
E. BARNES.
Barnes, under the questioning of the
plaintiffs attorney, acknowledged him
self a prevaricator, although without
much squirming on his part.
when you wrote this letter to Miss
Ashley you intended that it should mis-
lead her, and thereby get an affidavit from
her that Baldwin is the father of her child,
and then use the affidavit against her in
the Pope case, did you not?" inquired Mr..
Crittenden.
The witness grew red III the face and en-
tered feeble denial, but was subsequently
forced to acknowledge that his intentions
had been correctly stated.
care you in the habit of writing false
hoods that you know to be such at the
dictation OF Colonel Wood % was asked.
~ do what my employer tells me to-" re-
turned the witness.
''Did you not know wheE you wrote that
letter to Miss Ashley that Colonel Wood
was not in Vermont, but in fact had
dictated the letter to your"
Eyes, sir, return ed Barnes.
In the midst of Barnes difficulty Lewis
Leach of Fresno appeared, much to the
relief of the man from Boston. Mr.. Leach
was in hurry. so he was allowed 20 testify
at once. He told of how he had receive
letter from Lillian A. Ashley asking him
for photograph "in case he was hand
some youth and had the ducats." Mr..
Leach is banker, and presumably meets
the latter requirement, but he will never
be convicted of the former charge. His
hair is tinged with gray, and he is past the
prime of life.
The letter was introduced and identified
by the witness. Under the questioning of
Mr.. Crittenden it developed that Mr.. Leach
had sold the letter to Baldwin attorney
for $l25, and had come to San Francisco
to testify under promise of payment of his
expenses and compensation for loss of
time.
Barnes was then called for cross-exam-
ination. He again went over the whole
unsavory mess, and was finally excused,
much 10 the relief of himself and every
body else.
Daniel ]. O'Kefe, another gentleman from
Boston was then called. He testified that