The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-23
Ex'Clerk William Peters of the
lakewood Tells His Little
Tale.
LILLIAN's MIDNIGHT RIDES
Returned to the Hotel Alone in a
Cart at Two O'clock in the
Morning.

The Ashley-Baldwin trial entered upon
its sixth week yesterday in Judge Slack s
courtroom. William Peters, formerly the
clerk of Lawre nce's Oakwood Hotel. was
the only new witness examined. Much OF
his testimony, which was in general rep
etition OF what Lawrence had said, was
uninteresting, consisting of a description
OF the arrangement of the rooms of the
hotel. His memory was not so good as
Lawrence's, and in one instance he contra
dicted his employers testimony. Law
renee had said that after Baldwin's daugh-
ter Mrs. Harold, had found Miss Ashley
and FalYey together she said she had
"driven them in" Peters was quite posi-
tive she did not say this.
The famous poker games at the lakewood
were described at some length by the ex-
clerk. Baldwin and his friends, according
TO Peters, used to play steadily, sometimes
for seven hours in one night. Even the
ladies took hand with Lucky" at the
game, but only in the daytime.
William Peters, who now lives in East
Oakland and is a clerk in the Southern
Pacific Company, was nut on the stand.
In the curly part of 1898 he was
clerk at Lawrence's Tallac and
lakewood hotels. He had seen Miss
Ashley and been introduced TO her
by Mr.. Lawrence several DAYS after her
arrival at the lakewood. Lawrence had
also introduced her to his sister and Mr..
Baldwin. Peters had never seen Miss
Ashley and Baldwin together except OF
the croquet grounds.
Peters corfoborated much that Hotel
keeper Lawrence had testified to. He had
seen Miss Ashley go out riding, sometimes
with her brother and sometimes alone.
Often she returned with Falvey in his
carriage and her brother brought her horse
back. The witness had never seen her
riding alone with anybody but Mr.. Falvey.
He remembered that Miss Ashley had
left the hotel alone one night about s
o'clock in q cart and had returned about l
or 2 o'clock also alone. During the even
ing her brother was at the hotel and felt
quite bad about his sister being out so
late. Peters remembered that Falvey was
q bsent from the hotel that evening.
On the evening when Mrs. Harold had
found Falvey and Miss Ashley together
on the upper veranda OF the hotel Peters
had seen them coming together out OF
Miss AshIey's room. They then went
downstairs into the sitting-room.
On cross-examination Mr.. Crittenden
went into the details OF Peters family
history.
He was born at Carson City in 1865.
and lived there until about 1870. For the
next fifteen years he had lived part OF the
time at Carson and part at Tahoe. From
1886 to 1889 he was in grocery store at
Tahoe City. He had been Lawrence's
clerk at the TalIac and lakewood hotels
from 1889 to 1898 at a salary of $50 month.
Then he came to this City and worked as
night clerk at the Baldwin for four or five
months, leaving TO accept position in the
Southern Pacihc Company at the Oakland
mole.
Ex-Clerk Peters gave an account of the
famous poker games that Baldwin and
his friends engaged in at the lakewood.
They played poker about five nights a
week, and the games generally lasted
from or o. clock in the evening to 2 or 3
in the morning. Peters, who acted as
barkeeper, took in drinks to the players
ten or a dozen times during the evening.
Ladies also played cards at the hotel, but
never played poker at night. They played
whist Some times during the day, how
ever, the ladies played poker with Baldwin
and his friends.
The witness did not know whether there
was IS, $40, $50, or any limit in the poker
games at the hotel. He knew the game
well from having seen it played so often,
but declared that he had never played
poker himself.
When the cross-examination was con-
questioned the witness about the arrange
Tnent of the rooms at the lakewood Hotel.
Peters drew diagram of the upper floor
and held an inaudlble conversation with
Mr.. Crittenden over his drawing, much
to the discontinue of the court stenog-
rapher.
Peters had not reported to Lawrence the
fact that he had seen Falvey and Miss
Ashley come out of the latter's room to-
gether. He understood the two were
engaged, so he thought nothing of it. He
never asked either party whether they
were engaged to each other, but he had
"ioshedH Falvey about it. The 'joshing"
had not been at the request OF Baldwin or
anybody else, but in imitation OF Hotel
keeper Lawrence.
Mr.. Highton again took the witness.
Before he commenced his redirect examin-
alton he had Peters draw a plan of the
ground floor of the hotel. Another unin-
feIIipibIe conversation over the drawing
between Attorney Highton and the wit
ness drove the stenographer almost to
distraction.
When at length Clerk Peters was allowed
IN depart Attorney Highton announced
that be would read the dispositions of 81.
g. Chamblin and r. Y. Harling. In an
swer to Mr.. Crittenden's objections to the
admission OF the affidavits Attorney
Highton cited a formidable number OF
cases to support his case.
Chamblin in his deposition said, IN ref
erence to his acquaintance with Miss Ash
ley:
Her first letter said that she had seen no.
tice of my place in a turf paper and that she
had long been anxious TO correspond win
wealthy Southern bachelor tod her IN an
ever that was not wealthy ana diq not MI
the bill Her second letter was simply 70
thank me for my letter. Some time a1ter mat
she wrote me third letter from Boston, say,
ing she had been thrown from a horse ana
badly injured That was about the last letter
] received from ner.
In answer to another interrogatory
Cham bin deposed:
met her. as above stated, about one or TWO
miles from Richmond on the road TO my larlh.
She first told me she was on her way 10 my
place to pay me q short visit, if il was agree
= BILE TO me, told her positively that she must
not 20 to my place. l picked her up IN my
cart and drove her back to the streetcar line
in Manchester, Va, and was in her company
only ten or fifteen minutes.
In answer TO ross-interrogatory
Chamblin further deposed:
About six months ago l received letter
from the Mr.. Hardin previously mentioned IN
my answers herein, in which he SAID that ne
had got into some trouble with Lillian A. Ash
ley, and asked me if 1 had any letters she had