The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-03
LAWYER TO RESCUE
j. II. SAUSSY. JR., TAKES A HAND
IN HARTMAN CASE.
PROMISES A SENSATION
WHEN SISTERS ARE PUT ON TRIAL
FOR LUNACY.

Signed City of savannah, and Mr..
Saussy's Suspicious Are Aroused.
Intends Probing Matter to Bottom
in Effort to Find Out Who Played
the Prank-YOunEer of the Sisters
Became Violent Last Night and
Threatened to XIII the other.
MIR. saussy Does Not Think the
Women Lunatics.
! When Misses Grace and Belle Har-
man, whose arrest by city detectives
for lunacy was reported in the Morning
News yesterday, are given a hearing
before the Ordinary on Monday, it is
| likely that there will be developments
of more than passing interest. A
| check on the Southern Bank for $780,
900, signed the City of Savannah"
was sent them by some one, and ]. r.
Saussy, Jr., Esq, who will appear in
| their behalf, is of the opinion that he
knows the parties connected with the
city government who know who sent
the check.
| Although the fact that Mr.. Saussy
! had taken a hand in the case and was
ready to precipitate a fight of some
kind, was the most important develop
ment in the unfortunate affair yester-
day. there were several others. The
younger woman, Grace, became violent
| last night and wanted to attack her
! sister. She declared that she would
not spend the night in the same room
with her sister, and that she intended
to kill her. Chief Deputy Sheriff
| Sweeney was unable to pacify the
younger woman and the sister had to
| be provided with separate quarters.
| She herself asked that she be moved,
| declaring that she was afraid she
would be killed during the night.
Lunncy Warrants Issued.
During the day Detective Frank Wall
swore out lunacy warrants against the
| unfortunate women, and a hearing was
set for Monday. The investigation will
probably be lengthy one, and large
| number of witnesses will be subpoen-
| aed. City officers and newspaper men
will be among the number. The jury
| will be made up of four physicians,
| two newspaper men and six prominent
| citizens, not yet selected. Mr.. Saussy
appeared in the office of the ordinary
in the morning and announced that he
| would look after the interests of the
women. He gave the names of three
city officers and asked that they be
subpoenaed. Mr. Saussy at the same
| time told of the check incident and
| declared his intention of probing the
matter fully.
The attorney visited the City Ex-
| change in the morning and asked for
| IL blank check on the Southern Bank.
| He was told that there WAS none in
the office he visited, and he then asked
| permission to use the typewriter. The
| machine, however, was locked at the
time. Inasmuch as the check sent to
the Misses Hartman was drawn on the
| Southern Bank and filled out on type
writer the object of Mr.. Saussy's visit
to the City Exchange later became APP
parent, although at the time those with
whom he talked said they had no
| knowledge of the fact that such
check had been sent. Mr.. Saussy said
| that he is in earnest, and he does not
intend to let the matter drop until he
| has shown who sent the check, or, to
use his own expression. has made some
body lie like the devil"
Believes Them Sane.
They've got as much sense as 1
| have" said Mr.. Saussy when asked if
in his opinion the Misses Hartman are
insane "They are simply very much
| exasperated because of the treatment
that they have been receiving. They
sent for my father and l called upon
| them. I found the younger sister in
| a highly nervous condition but they
| talked nationally. When I called upon
them in the Jail they handed me the
check that had been sent them, and
| asked me if it was genuine. They
were very much disappointed when I
| told them that the piece of paper was
worthless. Somebody will tell where
that check came FROM or will lie
| idea who sent it, have
not yet had an opportunity
to look up the law and do not know
| if the statutes cover such a case, but
| am going to endeaVor to show where
that check came from"
| Mr.. Saussy does not believe that the
prisoners are fit subjects for a lunatic
asylum. They have simply been wor-
ried nearly to death. he says, by child
rem on the streets, and their con-
dition is one that solicits pity. Mr..
Saussy feels that the Misses Hartman
have been treated in a shameful man
ner and says that he will show the
real trouble to the jury that investi-
gates the case. The attorney says
that while there is no connection be-
tween the sending of the typewriter
CutCh anu the test Oh tire WOlilCh TIC
alleged joke played on Il EN- was a
cruel and heartless one, in the face of
all the circumstances surrounding the
case. The real trouble with the
Misses Hartman at their home on
State street was occasioned by the re-
turn to the city of a third sister.
Refused to Eat.
The women refused to eat breakfast
in Jail. but appeased their hunger at
the dinner hour. They were visited by
their sister during the early afternoon.
and ate again last night. Miss Grace
refused to allow her sister to have any
of the soup sent to them by Chief
Sweeney and it was shortly after this
that they had to be put apart Chief
Sweeney had provided his prisoners
with beds and is making them as COM
Portable as possible.
The Misses Hartman have for years
been familiar figures in Savannah.
Each year. too their eccentricities
have become more marked. until
strangers have noticed them and COM
mented upon their queer actions. Not
until recently has there been any sus-
picion that the time might come when
it would be dangerous to allow them
at large. They had been regarded as
entirely harmless, having naught but
they pecularities to be urged against
them. The mania of the Hartman sis
tiers has ever been a haunting fear
that men had designs against them.
This was shown in their daily inter-
course with the ODDOSite sex Scant