The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-09
In AND ABOUT THE COURTS
FREDERICK COOK ON THE STAND IN
HODGDON TRIAL YESTERDAY.

Visited I'm the Court Room by His Wife
and Child-AppraisaI of the Winches-
ter Estate Is 81, O52 ,643.9s -Twenty-six
Divorce Gases Entered on Superior
Court Docket-Other Court News.
Frederick Cook, who was sent to the
state prison in January after having
confessed to the firing of the Tontine,
was an object of much attention at the
second day of the trial of Captain
Hodgdon yesterday. He was called
late yesterday afternoon, and in the
course of his testimony said that when
he was arrested he told the detectives
that he had attempted to fire the Ton
tine because he had a grudge against
the proprietor, George White.
State Attorney williams asked, did
you, in fact, have any grudge against
White?"
Cook-"No, SIR"
Cook testified that just before leaving
Mr.. Merigan, for whom he worked be-
fore coming to New Haven, that gem
tleman gave him $40. He also said that
when he returned to Springfield after
his last attempt to burn the Tontine,
Captain Hodgdon gave him $50 with
which to get out Of Springfield. When
Cook was arrested s61 and about sixty
cents in small change was found on his
person. He testifiefid that from the
| time he left Mr.. Merigan until he was
arrested he received no other money
except the $50 which Captain Hodgdon
| gave him. He testified as to the vari-
Gus sums of money which he had spent
in that period, accounting for $2S.77
Cook was still on the stand when court
adjourned until ten o'clock this morn
| ing.
Yesterday afternoon Cooks wife took
his little boy around TO see him. Mrs
Cook refused to have anything to say
| to Cook, but the little boy talked with
him. Since going to state prison Cook's
mustache has been shaved off, some
what changing his appearance. The
| little boy going up to his father, who
sat in the prisoners dock yesterday af-
ternoon, said Are you my papa"
Cook assured him that such was the
case, and the two had a short visit.
THE OTHER TESTIMONY.
The letter to Henry Johnson, in
which Captain Hodgdon stated that he
| lost 81 900 clean by the Tontine deal and
| hoped to live long enough to see some
one else lose twice as much, was intro
duced.
Fire Marshal Fancher testified to the
condition Of the fire in the hotel on Oc-
| tober 9 and December 25. He described
the finding of the two cans of explo-
sives in the hotel room and identified
two charred pieces of board.
Alonzo Hall, the hotel clerk, said that
| he was not employed at the Tontine no.
| tel now, having left there May H. but
he testified to seeing Frederick Cook
come to the hotel on October 8 and De-
cember rs, when he registered as r..
| Loche, and was shown room.
George Burton, the porter who show
| ed Cook to his room on the nights when
the fires occurred, testified to the cir
| cumstances of the same. He, too, has
now left the Tontine hotel. He saw
\ Cook on the nights of the fires and at
terward identified him In Boston, when
| he was arrested. Burton was cross
examined at length by ex-Judge Bly,
denburgh.
| Eugene Cassagmeres, a cook, in the
| Tontine, testified that on the morning
| of October 10 he was awakened by a
| fire in the hotel. He saw a man with
| his coat and vest on his arm and his
suspenders hanging The man disap-
peared and the rooms and hall We're
full of smoke. Cassagmere did not tes-
tify at the last trial.
| Timothy Ryan, also employed in the
| hotel, another new witness, testified to
seeing the man in room on October
| TO- He also saw the results of the fire
| in room 8.
William Butler, a bell boy at the Ton
| tine, who slept next to room on the
night of october 8, was awakened the
| next morning and he came ont Of his
room with a fire extinguisher. He saw
a man come out of room s, but could
| not tell who he was. He saw fire and
| smoke in the hallway near his room.
| Joseph Parenteau, the clerk at the
Tontine, said he went to room 9 in the
Tontine on the morning of December
rs and found the two cans in the room
burning. He and George r. White ex-
! tinguished the fire. He also testified to
seeing the fire in the hotel in room on
October TO-
| Charles III. Nichols, the civil engineer,
| identified a chart of portion of the
city of Springfield, Mass. which he
made for use in the trial The map in
| cludes the Haynes hotel, the railroad
depot, the Connecticut river and inter
vening and intersecting streets.
| The trial will be continued to-day.
In the report of Mr.. Ess' testimony
in the trial Tuesday that gentlemans
| testimony was incorrectly given and
left wrong impression. What he did
say was as follows: II met Captain
Hodgdon in the latter part of July and
| we had a conversation. During that
| conversation Captain Hodgdon told me
that he paid $4,000 for the place, spent
$4,000 on it, and all he got out of it was
$4,000. Capt. Hodgdon said: This man
has practically ruined me, and 1 hope
to see him go up" Mr.. Ess told the
jury that he couldn't swear that these
| words were the exact ones used.
THE WINCHESTER ESTATE.
Henry c. White and Burton Mans
| field, appraisers on the estate of the
| 1af Mrc Tona yu;poLoetar. eta +Ln;r