The San Francisco call., 1898-05-29
NEVILLS HINTS.
 AT FORGERY
DECLINES TO IDENTIFY LET
 TIERS AS BEING HIS.
Admits That He Is Willing to Com- promise With the Women He
 Is Prosecuting.

Quite a crowd gathered in Judge Joach- imsens courtroom yesterday, in the hope of listening to some spicy testimony or the reading of some of the interesting cor respondence that has been mentioned dur ing the present hearing. Disappointment was in store for them, as the testimony offered was short and dry, and no let ters were read
 Mrs. Warren Newcombe, who resides at 625 Powell street, was the first witness called, and under the cross examination of Attorney Baker it was eliclted that she had gone to Fresno on the 24th or February of this year at the suggestion of Captain Nevills for the purpose or seeing Mrs. Williams, with view to suppressing the scandal that was about to be made public She stated that she met MT. Azhderian on the train, and they discussed things. MT. Baker tried to make her admit that she learned that Azh- derian was on the same mission, but the witness said she was unaware or IT, Mrs Newcombe said that Mrs. Williams was going to bring suit against the captain for betrayal, and she went there for the purpose of suppressing 1t. T stayed at the Grand Central with Mrs. Williams the night of my arrival, ana was present when MT. Nevills signed the check" She said that she remained half hour, but heard no conversation pe- tween the captain and his accuser. Mrs Williams left the room to cash the check, and on her return l left. l know that she stayed in the hotel two or three days nursing the captain" On imparting the above information the witness was ex- cused and Captain Nevills, the relentless prosecutor of the alleged conspirators, was called He entered the courtroom with a heavy tread, glanced at the woman who charges him with the crime. and was given a sweet smile or com
 On taking the stand, Attorney Baker handed him three or four spicy letters, evidently written by the witness. and asked him to acknowledge their authen- ticity, and also the meaning of certain paragraphs .,.. ... Mr. Baker asked, handing the witness a billet detx. "The meaning was that the public knew that Elsie Williams was try ing to extort money from me" answered Nevills.
 You stated you were willing to, settle with her, but you did not like to pay lawyers" asked his questioner.
 Captain Nevills tried to restrain his feel ings, and said, Read the letter.
 Instead of complying with his request, and much to the disappointment of those in court, MT. Baker handed it to the wit ness.
 He was asked whether he did not mean by that it was all out now that the matter had been found out by Mrs. Nevills T did not mean my wife" an- swered the captain. ''I meant that they had told 1t to an attorney and sworn to a complaint
 expose you to your wife?
 Yes" said Nevills, "I supposed 1t was all out between us
 The last remark caused the persecuted ladies to laugh outright, in which all joined.
 On objection by MT. Dunne the court ruled that the letters must be identified, and MT. Baker obeyed He handed the witness a letter, and as the latter took some time to examine the epistle, MT. Baker peevishly remarked: Docs it take you as long as that to identify your hand writng?"
 The witness answered: Tn this case, where there has been so many charges of forgery, it does. It looks like my writ ing"
 The witness was shown a number of other letters, all of which he declined to identify, saying that he was not sure it was his handwriting.
 An adjournment was taken until next Friday at o'clock, when the captain will be further catechised.