The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-04-11
JAKE HAHN GOES FREE
RESULT OF THE PRELlMI-
NARY EXAMINATION.
Nellie Hahn, the Prosecuting Witness, Mix
ed Her Dates and Went Back on Her
Original Story, in Consequence of Which
Her Father Was Set at Liberty.

Her Father Was Set at Liberty.
Jake Hahn is free man and the aw-
full charge against him which loomed
up like black thunder cloud has been
dissipatea into a thin mist of invisible
ity. His examination was held before
Justice McGown, Thursday morning
and lasted about 20 minutes, But one
witness was examined-Nellie Hahn,
the 14-year-old girl, who directed the
suspicion of this awful crime upon her
father. The details of this nasty mess
are entirelysunft for publication.
It seems that Nellie, in common with
many other imag NATIVE young Great
ures, has defective memory. At the
crisis it wavered and the vision of stern
prison walls which has haunted the
father for several weeks, went back
into the nothingness from whence it
came.
The examination was private one,
all spectators being excluded. W. A.
Clark appeared for the defendant and
County Attorney Galloway for the
state The offense charged in the
complaint was rape, to which the de-
fendant, on being arrigned several days
ago, pleaded not guilty.
The complaint fixes March 2 as the
date on which the offense is alleged to
have been committed. This is in ac-
cordance with the girls story as related
in the office of the county attorney to
that official when the complaint was
made out. According to her previous
story, narrated to several, she accom-
panied her father to Virginia City,
Saturday Feb. %; they left on the same
day, spending Saturday and Sunday
night at the home of w. J. Oliver in
the Madison valley. Monday, March
2, she accompanied her father to his
home, and alleges that the otfense was
committed on the night of this date.
On the strength OF her narrative her
aunt, Mrs. Berger, swOre to the COM
plaint on which the action was based.
)lt Oh bl1o SuuId bIc III tt4d u
different story. She swore positively
that no offense was committed on the
nirht Of March 2nd; that Hahn mad e
improper advances, but nothing wrong
was done.
Either you or I have a very defoc-
tive memory" remarked the county
attorney. Didn't you tell rae in my
office that this otfense was committed
Monday. March y"
Then she said that nothing "un
usual" had occurred between herself
and her father after Feb. %, the date
OF their visit to Virginia. She testi
fed that her father had assaulted hel
on 0, her occasions but could give NJ
dates
sa,h dates as he gave were contra
dictory.
~ is very clear to me that this de
fel d;lnt cannot be bound over upon
sucn evidence as this said the county
attorney.
''T'h&tis my opinion" said Justic
McGown.
There was no cross examinations.
u move that tho defendant be dis
charged, - said MIR. Clark.
Il ask that he be discharged, my
SELL, said Mr.. Galloway.
''I'he defendant is discharged sal
the court. and the agony was over.
The suddenness with which th
examination come to an enc, was {
sensational as some of the testimon
introduced. and which is not printe
for obvious reasons. 1t fairly took tn
breath away from the clerk of tn
court. and it was several seconds bt
forethe defendant realized the chane
ed condition of affairs. Other wi
nesses who were subpHnaed, but wh
were not called upon to testify wer'
DR.. isagan, Robert Hedge, G. M. Picl
ney. O. B. Walton and Mrs. Berger.
TO WORK THE KENNEL.