The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-13
HAD NOTICE OF THE FRAUD.
WITNESSES SAY WACHsTEIN KNEW
OF DEFECTS IN TITLE HE BOUGHT.

on the Stand in Superior Court.
Told of the Manner in Which the
Property Had Been Taken Away
From Her Mother and Herself by
McMurray-Mrs. Prenty Forced to
Sign at the Point of Revolver.
Other witnesses Testified That
Wachstein Knew the Title Was
Had Before He Bought From Me-
Murray.
The case of Mary Ann Prenty against
FeHb Wachstein and others continued on
trial all of yesterday. without approach
ing very perceptibly nearer its conclusion.
The plaintiff was the first witness placed
on the stand in her own behalf and con-
tinued there from II o'clock in the morn
ing until $50 O clock in the afternoon.
Hon. Pope Barrow conducted abe exam
nation for the plaintiff. Under Mr.. Bar
rows examination Mrs. Prenty told of
the treatment to which she was subject
ed by McMurray, her former husband,
and OF the manner also in which he treat
ed her mother. She related particularly the
incidents of the signing Of the deed from
her mother, Mrs. Catherine Prenty, to
McMurray, under which McMurray claim
ed title to the property on Perry and
Houston streets which was afterward
bought by Wachstein, the principal de-
PENDANT liz the pending case.
Mrs. Prenty said that her mother and
herself had been threatened by McMur-
ray with every cruelty imaginable and
that the elder woman had been forced
by the man, at the point of a revolver,
to gee up from her bed and to go into
an adjoining room to sign a paper. This
paper was represented by McMurray to
be a note or other evidence of debt. 1t
afterward turned out to be fee simple
deed to the property.
Mr.. Barrow endeavored to widen con-
sidelably the scope of the plaintiffs evil
dence and to show by her. in more detail,
the horrible outrages which she claims to
have suffered at the hands of her former
husband. This evidence was deemed ir-
relevant by Judge Falligant and he sus-
tanned Col. Meldrim's objection TO its adj
mission.
When cross examined by Col Meldrim
for the defendants, the witness reiterated
the story she had tod on the direct ex-
animation. She was then required to
identify a number of affidavits and docu-
ments of various kinds, which il is ex-
pected will be introduced when the intro
duction of evidence for the defendants is
begun Some of these affidavlts are said
to be confess ons Of her own wrcng-do-
/ & and further said to be of a sensation
al character. To explain them the plain
tiff is understood to say that these she
r alM signed were extorted from her by
her then husband by threats and force,
ard whiIa sh was i'm fear of har life
Tle next wi ness placed on the stand
was John Kelly, a well-known character
in Savannah. Kelly is the man who Serv-
ed a score of years ago under Admiral
Dewey when the latter was a young Of
ficer of the navy, and whom the Admiral
recognized while he was on h S late visit
to Savannah.
The witness said that he was present at
the door of the Court House when the
property was offered for sale. He heard it
cried by the auctiOneer and had then
stated to a man at his elbow that who
ever Bought the p.opsrty, bought law
suit" Wachstein had been bidding, said
the witness, and at the time he made his
remark was s anding only a foot or two
away Wachstein q not bid again.
However, McMurray, who was present,
had walked up TO Kelly and asked him
what he had TO do with It, Kelly swore
on the stand that he had then told Nc
Wachstcin. thai the property belonged to
Mrs. Pronty and that he had no right to
sell it.
Arthur Riley testified that he had met
| Wachstein before the latter's purchase of
the property and Wachstein told the wit
ness he was going TO buy it, Riley said
he told the prospective purchaser that Nc
Murray's tile to the property was bad
and that he thought it belonged TO Mrs.
Prenty.
Laurence G. Dwyer swore that some
time afteJ the purchase Wachstein had
called him into his store on Brough-
ton street and told him that he had
bought the Prenty property from McMur-
! ray Wachstein said that he had secured
it for $3.50 less than he had bid for it at
the public sale, when it had been bid in by
| an agent Of McMurray. He further tod
| Dwyer that he had borrowed $4,000 on the
| property from the bank represented by Mr..
j. j. Dale Cthe Oglethorpe Sa Wings and
| Trust Company, though he did not need
! the money any more than he needed
| cents. He had secured the loan, so Dwyer
said he told him, because he knew there
| was something wrong with the tile, and
| he wanted the bank to defend it as we'll
| as himself.
| Col. Meldrm tried hard but en-
| tirely without success, to shake
| the force of Dryers testimony.
! Counsel could not induce the
| wltness to vary one title from his original
| story.
Edward Brennan testified that he had
been asked by McMurray to represent him
at the sale and to bid on the property up
| 10 a certain named sum. This he had done
and had secured the property for his prin-
! cipal for the sum of $4,000 1t had been
| agreed between the witness, McMurray and
the auctioneer, Mr.. c.. II. Dorset, so he
! testified, that he was not to be held to
! his bid.
McMurray had told the witness that the
| reason he wished to sell the property was
| that his wife was of bad character
though this is NOT just what McMurray is
| said to have said of the woman, and that
! she was locked up in a house of deten-
ton in New York. McMurray wanted to
get rid of his property, or his wfe's, and
leave the city for good and ALL He had
also stated that there were several men
! who wished 10 purchase il, and if ii was
to go cheap he wanted the defendant.
| Wachsten, to get it.
decrepit and asthmatic old woman,
| Mary Martin, who said she was a niece
! of Mrs Catherine prpntV and a coua{r -