The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-23
BEN ALI MAY RE PARDONBD
The Arab Said to Be Innocent of
"0ld Shakespeare's" Death.

The Arab Said to Be Innocent of
"0ld Shakespeare's" Death.
New Evidence Recalls the Crime of
Ten Years ago in the East River
Hotel. New ork-An Affidavit IN
the Case From Il business Man.
! NEW YORK. Nav 23.-Ben Ali, better
/ known as ''Frenchy'' the demented Arab
/ confined in Matteawan Asylum for the
! murder Of the aged woman known as
/ old Shakespeare" in the East River Ho-
/ tel ten years ago, may soon receive a
/ pardon. When Governor OdeU visited the
/ institution on his tour of inspection few
! days ago ''Frenchy'' begged for his lib
! srty, but the Governor was not impress
/ ed Now. however, remarkable aff1davits
/ have been submitted to him tending to
! prove what many have commended since
the original conviction-that the woman
was murdered b. another and that
'Frenchy'' was a victim of the police.
/ then under the control of Superintendent
Byrnes-
! Foremost among the new witnesses is
a man of social and mercantile promi-
hence who has kept secret the facts in his
possession since the day of the murder,
dreading publicity. Even now he stipu-
/ Iates that his name be kept secret from
: all save Governor Oden- His name is with
( held at his earnest request. He lives in
neigF7boring State, the Governor Of which
! is his personal friend This Governor has
written to Governor OdeH. paying high
/ tribute to the honor and truthfulness of
the man whose affidavit embodies the new
( evidence It reads:
have hoard Of murder
one Shakespeare attributed to one
( .F7renchy' Amer Ben Ali, which happened
/ on April "a, 1891.
4 had a quantity of grading to do in
! front of my place in the spring of 1891,
and I vert down to Castle Garden and
hired several men to do the work After
( getting through this work I kept one of
the men TO assist my man, who had
broken his arm He took care Of the
horses As near as can reconect. his
name was Frank. I do not recoHect his
other name I had this man working for
me about a month before April a. 1891
The morning of the murder of Shakes
] peare' I went out to my stable and found
: only my regular man with the broken
/ arm. This was about o'clock in the
/ morning. I asked him where the other
man was, and he said that Frank had
been out ali night and had gone to bed,
he was pretty ugly. did not see him.
but at the regular time came to New
/ York Frank left me between five and
ten days later, without any notice
/ ''One of my servants, named Mary, went
up to the barn to clean UP the room said
| Frank had occupied and found key in
/ the room. I think in the table drawer
She made the remark that the key had
/ the same number on it as the room men
| toned by the papers as the one in which
| Shakespeare was killed
When returned home that night they
| called my attention to it The girl also
! founu shirt with blood stains on it y
| the room 1 put the key in my pocket
! and brought it to New York 1t was An
| ordinary bronze key Of the cheap kind.
| and had a tag on it numbered 81
The next day 1 told one of my en-
| ployes. who was familiar with the cir
| cumstances, and asked him to walk TO
| the scene of the murder with me, as I
! did not care TO go to that locality alone
| we went into a saloon On Catherine
! Street, the same hotel where the murder
| had been committed, and asked for q, CT
| gar We sat down at a table and com
pared the key I had and the tag with the
| keys on the board. II was exactly the
same style of key and same style of
small brass tag with the corners clipped
While sitting there man came down,
/ laid a key on the bar and went out We
got up and called for glass of beer and
| laid the KEY which I had beside the 9th
| Ct key and they were exactly alike; the
figures were the same size and shape, and
| the shape of the tag and key were the
same. As a practical printer, and being
familiar with figures, 1 am positive that
| the stamped figures on the key and those
on the keyboard were made from the
| The man whom I refer to in the be
! ginning of my statement, known 10 me
as Frank, was, / think, q foreigner
knew that he had Deen SailoT DtCt uSe ~
had done some splicing of ropes Tor me
He was man about feet 10 inches tail;
rather strong, but not very hesay' anu
! about thirty-tiVe years old de nad d very
| suIIen disposition He spoke In broken
| English and, in my opinion, was Dane
| He left me in the night ana L nave
never seen him since y men TINS man
came to work for me he had only a pun
die Of clothes. He left nothing but the
| shirt and key in his room II would be
impossible for me TO locate the maid ser
want and the man servant The only
thing ! remember Is that the man ser
| wants name was Henry
| Nv reason for not coming forward with
| these facts at that time was the belief
that 'Frenchy' would be quite as wei! on
| where he is as at liberty Furthermore,
| did rot care to have my name mention
| ed in connection with the case But /
now feel that It is my duty TO make this
affidavit. / believe that the man in my
employ was the real murderer Of that wo-
man"
| This affidavit was supplemented yes
terday by the man who made II IN an in
terview with a reporter
There is no reasonable ground TO
doubt - said he, that the key found by
me abandoned by the man Frank was
the kew of the room in which old Shake
speare' was murdered. This fact was per
| fectIy clear to me when learned that the
murder had been committed in room No.
81 and that the key found in Frank s
clothing corresponded exactly with every
other key Used in the hotel.
| Why did I keep quiet2 Well, because
! the murder was creating worldwide m
| terest, and ! dreaded the publicity that
! nv evidence would be certain to give
me. 1 dreaded ii as a busis-Ss man
and in a social way for my family.
! Then. again. I felt certain that al
| though 'Freuchy' was not guilty Of the
murder he was a dangerous character,
better under restraint than at liberty.
So kept silent"
| There IS another affidavit from a
| weIl-known business man To whom the
new witness cOnfided the secret OF the
| kew ard the bIood-stained shirt at the
| time these articles were found. This mans
affidavit cOrrobOrateS the evidence that the
ke- and tag were identical IN size and
| sirIe Of lettering with those in use at the
| hotel where the crime was perpeJratcd-
! Several months ago the man TO whom
/ the finder of the key had cpnhded the
] secret into lively argument with