The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-27
HIRED TO SWEAR TO A LIE.
A WITNESS IN THE LAME CASE
HELD FOR PERJURY.

Herman Lange to Answer to the SUI
perfOr Court for subOrnation of
Perjury-IsaIah smiths Confession
That LANCE Agreed TO Pay Him
well for His neutrality-suspicious.
Wilson TO Break Up Tampering
with Witnesses in Police Court.
Herman LANCE. the West Broad street
salOonkeeper, who was fined 500 by Re
corier Wilson Tuesday morning for viola
ton Of the Sunday law. was bound over
to the superior court by the recorder yes
terday afternoon on the charge OF subor-
nation Of perjury.
Isaiah Smith, one Of the negro witnesses.
was bound over for perjury. The cases
grew out of the Sunday liquor selling case
against LANCE, and both the fine and the
charge Of subornation are due TO the re
corders quickness in diving into hidden
facts, and his knowledge of the tricks
that are mean, and way that are vain"
OF the people who appear before him in
the police court.
The circumstances which led up 70
Langes fine have already been stated in
the Morning News. Policeman Crosby ar
rested a negro boy Sunday afternoon for
participating in a crap game on West
Broad street. The boy stated in court
Monday morning that he was not engag-
ed in the crap game, that he was only
spectator, and corroborated this with the
statement that he was just on his way
home with a half pint of liquor for his
father.
The recorder asked him where he got
the liquor and the boy replied that he
got it from Herman Lange and that he
was in the habit of going there on Sunday
for liquor for his father When question
ed by the recorder he gave the names of
several others whom he saw in the place
at the time he got the liquor.
Recorder Wilson had case entered on
the docket against Lange and ordered the
parties named by the boy Gaines sum-
moned as witnesses. One OF these was a
was served on Smith by Detective God
bold he stated freely that he was in
Lange's place on Sunday and that he mad
been in the place several times on sun
day. When the case was called in court
Tuesday morning, however Smith swore
positively that he knew nothing about the
place being open Sunday, and that he had
not been there. Detective Godbold then
stated to the recorder what Smith had
told him the day before. The recorder
decided to hold Smith for investigation on
After court he took Smith one side and
questioned him. The negro confessed that
he had lied in his testimony before the
court, and said further that Mr.. LANCE
had told him that he would pay him for
his days work, If he could testify in
court that he knew nothing about the
case. The recorder has often had good
reason to suspect this sort of work in
cases in the police court, but he never
had a clear case of the kind before. He
accordingly had Mr.. Lange docketed, and
set the case for a hearing yesterday ar
ternoon. A Morning News reporter was
present at the hearing. Smith made his
statement substantially as stated above
He did not say that Mr.. Lange promised
him any specified sum to swear that he
knew nothing about the case. but that Mr.
LANCE told him he would pay him for
his days work"
Mr. LANCE when put on the stand, de-
MED Smiths story. He said that Smith
came to him and told him that he was
summoned as a witness, and that he re-
piled that If he knew anything about il
to go to police court and tell the truth
about it, and he would pay him his days
wages, II he lost anything
That's all l told him. your honor; to
tell the truth about it," said LANCE
The recorder did not accept Mr.. Lange's
story, and told him that he should place
him under $500 bond TO appear before the
superior court on the charge of suborn-
ing witnesses. Mr.. LANCE gave the bond
and was released. The negro Smith was
bound over for perjury Another negro
witness by the name of Fields, who was
subpoenaed to appear in the liquor case,
could not be found by the police.
This thing of tampering with witnesses
in the police court has gone on long
enough and propose to break it up III
possible" said Recorder Wilson after the
adjournment of court.