The herald., 1897-03-12
IHE LINES CLOSING IN
Spencer Case Prolific in
Surprises
The FILTHY Letters TRACED HOME
After Rigid Examination Newton
COnfesses
A MOST PITIABLE SCENE
The Livingston Couple Look Askance at
Each Other
And the Old Lady Is Committed to Jail for
Contempt
The Clarion Suit Develops Curious Interest.
The Bequette Claim FaIIs-scott Gets
$4,000 From the Los An-
x.I~s Dallusv
After Rigid Examination Newton
COnfeSses
A MOST pITlABLE SCENE
The Livingston Couple Look Askance at
Each Other
And the Old Lady Is Committed to jail for
Contempt
The Clarion Suit Develops Curious Interest.
The Bequette Claim FsIIs-scott Gets
$4,000 From the Los AM
geles Railway
Some strange developments took place

geles Railway
Some strange developments took place
in the Spencer case yesterday
The case has been prolific of strange
happenings and so far ii seems as If the
witnesses for the defendant are serving
the ends of the plaintiff just as salts
factorily as If put upon the stand for
that purpose.
Little of interest developed yesterday
until the afternoon, and then George S.
Hasson was put forward.
He testified that he had done busi-
ness for Mrs. Spencer in 1883, and deliv-
cred practically all the letters which
Newton wrote from Chicago to Mrs.
Spencer after getting them from Mr..
Spencer, and that previous to their de-
livery to him by Mr.. Spencer they had
been opened and read by that gentle
man. On c.oss-examination he was ask
ed whether his true name was George
L. Hasson, and he stated at first that
1t was, but finally admitted that his
name was George L. Ingram, and that
he assumed the name of Hasson after
the marriage of his mother tc-Mr. Has
son.
The most interesting event of the day
took place when a detective by the name
of Vanell testified, and after him c. D.
Newton. Vanell testified that he was
present in John Best's office when MIR.
Best and Mrs. Newton were making
erasures and interlineations in the orig
inal letters-those that mysteriously
disappeared from the deposition used
in the divorce suit, which deposition has
itself disappeared since the trial of the
Newton suit-written by Newton so as
to change the innocent business letters
which the worthy Mr.. Newton had
written to Mrs. Spencer into the vile pro-
ductions, copies of which have been in
troduced as evidence in the case. Ac-
cording to Mr.. Vanell, Mr.. Best and Mrs.
Newton took him fully into their con-
fidence, and he saw them make the nee
essary interlineations and erasures.
AN AMATEUR SLEUTH
On cross-examination vanell stated
that he had been employed in Slawson's
detective agency for a year and had al
later date worked as a detective on his
own hook, but that for the last month
he has been engaged in the innocent oc-
cupation of lodging house keeper He
emphatically denied that he had been
employed as detective in the Spencer
case, although he stated in side remarks
that Leon F. Moss, the plaintiffs attor-
ney, had been so anxious to secure his
valuable services in the case that he had
offered him $4,000 some time ago to work
on the case, which offer he (VanelD had
virtuously declined.
This witness also admitted that he was
in the habit of going under many other
lao hot -
and fixed the number of his different
names at about two dozen; also that
some time ago in case before Judge
Van Dyke he had filed an answer as de-
fendant in the name of Carlisle, and had
subsequently gone on the stand in that
case and testified that that was hin true
name.
Mr.. Vanell did not show to particu-
1arly good advantage but he was more
than discounted when c. D. Newton
went on the witness stand. His exam
ination was almost entirely confined to
those damaging letters, known popu-
larly during the case as the garbage
can letters He testified that the orig
inal letters purporting to have been
written to Mrs. Spencer, which were an
nexed to Mrs NeS toms deposition in
the divorce suit of Newton VS.. Newton
were delivered to him, and that he de-
Mrs. Spencer's attorney or of his own
he could not say which. He testified
that there We're five or six letters, and
that only one letter was entire. the
others being mere fragments. He main
tanned he did not write the letters an i
knew n9hing about who had written
them. and that the only letters that he
ever wrote to Mrs Spencer were innocent
business letters In answer to the direct
Interrogation of the court Mr.. Newton
repeated this He further testified tina [
after the divorce suit between him and
his wife he did not commence working g
again for Mrs. Spencer until 1884 whe
he again went into her employ as fore :
man on her ranch. Also that duriuc z
all the years he had worked for Mrs
Spencer he had been in her house exact
ly six times and no more, and Mr. Spen-
Ger was present every time. He dc
MED having been in a closed carriage
with Mrs. Spencer more than once, and
then to attend to business matter.
THE FILTHY LETTERS TRACED
So far everything had gone along
smoothly, but upon CT oss examination
Mr.. Newton was subjected to a merci-
less examination by Mr. Moss, and after
being lead to Chicago and back again
and marched all over the city Of Los
Angeles In order to determine where he
ndu ptt1 IeSlulfiS since 01S return from
Chicago. the question of the letters was
gone into. After much hesitation Mr..
Newton admitted that the original let-
ters. annexed to the deposition were
In a handwriting resembling his. and
hnally-being pressed more closely bv
coun nsel-admitted that the letters We're
IN his own handwriting, and that so far
as he had observed there was no part of
them but what was in his handwrtine
This astounding confession created
quite stir in court.
Judge Van Dyke took a hand in the
examination, and subjected Mr. Newton
70 series of searching questions as t.
why he had destroyed the letters, and
as to what interlineaaaons if anv
were in them, and in response to the
Judges question Newton stated that he
had destroyed the letters because he
cid not know he would have any further
use for Them and could not see thai
there was any use of keeping them.
The witness further stated that there
were no interlineations that he observed.
hut that the letters were made up of
pieces of letters at best, and not con-