New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-19
TRIAL WILL RE UNIQUE
SO SAYS NEGROES LAWYER
No Confirmation Of s1OOOOO Pan.
ment Story en- Bessie DaCis Case

~ Z
Sensational runlors. lacking definite conf.
ton. characterized the situation with regal :
Cornelius 81. williams the murderer OF 49,.
II. Green. yesterday Interest nas4ra11v -.
toward the VIII or the murdered man. I'm, -
counsel. Mornay Williams. was in BuHalo -
the family was stin IN Worcester. Mass -
the burial took place. and little inforns.,,- -
this subject could be obtained. Lyman = a.
drews Sfr. Green's secretary. said thar ~ -,
no idea OF the contents OF the v-i1l IA -,
even doubtful as TO whether be had vgifno..-,
IT, It was learned that this VIII had BEEN o.
about eight years ago but that ls has -.
changed several times. and no sszrsssio. =
the nature OF the changes could be sscurss
District Attorney Jerome was asked rass rf...
II he had heard anything regarding sensa4ic,.1
stories Of a check FOR 100000 playing anv -.
in the situation and he declared positivalv 49,.
he had not. He vas also asked II he had :.
ceived any confirmation OF the rurnors ef-s,,1s..s
yesterday Of possible claims against the so,...
Of the murdered man. To this querv hs a..
replied in the negative. Mr.. Jerome repea.ss
his emphatic declaration that Re was Convince
as a result of his visit 70 Mrs. EIias.s an.-.
ment at No. 236 Central Park West. that -.
woman never had seen 3Ir. Green. He a..
added that Mrs. E1ias's statements to hin, "a
assured him that the mention Of various oss.-
names in the case was the result Of misiaforrs-
ton. The District Attorney, as a result Of IN,
talk is in possession OF all the history az -.
Elias woman and the story OF her present pros
perity and it's sources. but wiz not discio..
them
Have you any theory as to how the navro
Williams came to make the mistake Of connect
ing Mr.. Green with the Elias woman" sfr
Jerome was asked.
That is something know and you do1'tr
was his answer. Moreover. that is a subject
on which I Will not say a word"
Considerable exaggerstion has been INDUCED
in as to the degree Of luxury in which the Ella,
woman lives AS matter OF fact. she kseps
two servants. French negress and Jaraness
maid. A person who had visited her apart
ment yesterday estimated her expenses at a5ou.
5000 a year
The discrepancies in the birth and death car
tifcates Of the Elias baby. which were men
toned in yesterdays Tribune still remain unsx-
planned DR.. Lederle said last night that IN a
day or two he expected TO learn why the baby
was credited with two different fathers in tie
two certificates. and in one was described as
white and in the other cOlored- He said how
ever, that he had made no specific plans fo-
any formal investigation.
The full history OF the negro Williams was
yesterday given out by his counsel A H Kaf-
fenbUrgh. who had previously obtained thu
facts from his client in a stenographic record.
According TO this report. Williams was born in
Finncastle. Va. forty-three years ago. Both his
parents are dead. and his only living relative is
a brother. Perry Williams. who lives in Blue
Ridge. ". Va At his nome Williams has vis-
tied at intervals. williams attended public
school for four years. and at eighteen became
teacher in his native village. After two years
Ct teaching he went to HAMPTON Institute and
studied for a year.
The Negroes history after this is one Of wan
derings. He was employed at various hotels
first in Norfolk. Va then in Baltimore. Red
Bank. y. J.. and on the old Hudson River Bca-
Saratoga He appears TO have come to New
York first in 1854. Subsequently he worked n
a hotel in Scranton. Penn: in Freehold. y. J.
az the Mansion House In Ear Rockaway. az
Narragansett Pier. and later IN Boston From
1898 TO 1900 he worked for a Mrs Cor. now
dead. who lived at No. 159 West F'orty-fOurrh-
St There he took care Of the furnace and
looked after the shoes OF the bOarders- II was
in this period that ne boarded with Bessie
Davis at No 132 West Fifty-third~st-. and that
his troubles began. In 1900 Mrs. Cor died. and
he went TO Blue Ridge and stayed with his
brother When he returned % the city he went
TO work for DR.. Fisher. at No 10 West Fifty
second-st- he lived at the Gilbert House az
No go West Twenty sixth-st-. he said The
proprietor Of this hotel declares emphatically
that the negro never lived there, and is not
known at the hotel
Mr.. Kaffenburgh declared last night that he
had intention OF putting Mrs. Elias the
stand, and that the defence he had outlined for
his client would prove unique IN the history OF
murder trials. He asserted enphatiCally that
any stories that might have come TO him OF a
transaction in which 100000 figured were the
merest gossip. for which he had not the sltSat-
est substantiatiOn.
why doesn't 3Ir. Jerome bring this case 70
rrial2" frduired Mr. Kafe0burgh we are
ready" He was told that Mr. Jerome had SAD
that there were other cases in the TouDs n
which men had waited longer for a trial
That's all RUBBISH said Mr.. Kafenourgh
hotly. This Is the most important case N
town. They did not delay about the negro Jhal
shot MacFarIane ard why 90 they delay now
Incidentally Mr.. Kahenburgh denied the story
printed yesterday that he planned 70 attempt %
prove case Of tustifable homicide