Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-22
NAN PAT TERSO n
An Interview With Her in
the Tombs.
SHE DENIES THE CRIME
SAYS SHE IS oUILTLESS OF
CAESAR YoUNa's DEATH.
Is Greatly Changed Since Her I'm
prisonment, but is Calm and
Collected Always.
SHE DENIES THE CRIME
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
NEW YORK. June 22.-"God help me. I'll
stay in this awful prison until l rot but
what I'll convince the world 1 am guiltless
| of the death of Caesar Young"
So spoke Nan Patterson to a represent
alive of The Star who was sent to New
York to get a statement from her.
The interview took place in the Tombs.
| where Miss Patterson was committed i'm
mediately following the death of Caesar
Young in their fateful ride on West Broad
way on the morning of June 4.
1t requires a lot of red tape to get into
the Tombs. VIII lie visitors are admitted
| between certain hours every day. such an
important prisoner as Nan Patterson 10
safeguarded both for her own sake and that
of the government Hundreds of people
have been to see her. but save her friends
no one has got near her. Each mail brings
scores of letters expressing sympathy and
giving advice. The letters serve dis
traction to her in the lonely life she leads,
and she reads them all.
1t was just after she had pleaded mot
guilty to the charge of murder in the
court Of general sessions that The Star re-
porter saw her.
Accompanied by the brother Of one of the
counsel. the reporter was admitted. AS a
preliminary his name and address were en-
tered in the prison ledger, and then the re-
porter was searched for dangerous weap-
ons. pocket knife was the only thing
dangerous" found. and this was confis-
Gated during the interview. Mrs. O'Brien, a
kindly, motherly woman, is the matron Of
the W0man: section, and her sympa-
thetic Celtic heart Is betrayed in the sweet
blarney that disclOses her BIRTH
sure, you can see the poor dear IL she
| says so. Poor. timid little ting" she
added, leading the way to the woman's sec
Nan Patterson in the Tombs.
Seated at the far end of a rough bench in
the first corridor sat Nan Patterson 1t
was not the same Nan Washington knew
half a dozen years ago. The bright viva
ciousness has been superseded by serious
mien and the slight girlish figure has
| rounded into a womanly form. The old
| winsOme smile was there, though, and she
| came forward hurriedly to grasp the re-
| pOrter's hand
''Oh. I'm so glad to see some one from
| home. HowS mamma? Surely my friends In
| dear old Washington don't believe me gull
! ty. How's mamma? Poor darling how much
| l want to see her. And papa, see how bad
ly he looks pointing to the figure of Mr..
| Patterson as lie came forward and clasped
| his daughter to his breast. 1t was a pic
! ture of exquisite sadness. The father grown
| dozen years older in the last fortnight,
StflNlilS " Keep up uIlueT circumstances
| desperate enough to break down d dozen
| men.
when are they going to let me out,
| papa? This place is terrible. If were not
! innocent of this awful crime I'd break
| down under this strain
| The two held a whispered conversation
| for few minutes and The Star man with
| drew. Shut out from the sunlight the
| bloom has faded from Miss Patterson's face
and the prison pallor accentuateS the sad
| ness of her countenance.
The newspapers have been saying such
| harsh things of me- They have fibbed out
rageously. Here is a sample: Another
| Witness Found That story is false"
At this moment the matron came in and
| fifteen minutes to II the bell rang for
| the visitors 10 leave the prison.
A Long Talk With Her.
The Star man went back in the afternoon.
Miss Patterson was with her lawyers. After
| they had gone the reporter had long
| talk with her. Miss Patterson was 10th
| to talk about her case. Again and again
she declared her innocence and then ut
| tered the words.
God help me, I'll stay in this awful pris-
on until 1 rot but what I'll convince the
| world 1 am guiltless of the death of Caesar
| Young. 1 never killed him. God knows 1
| did not. Some day it will all be known"
| She spoke calmly. but with great earnest
ress, and only when the names of her
| father or mother were mentioned did she
betray any feeling. Then her lips would
| CULVER and she would choke down the sob
that struggled for expression.
No knows when Nan Patterson
| will be brought to trial Some say she will
never be called before a jury; that she will
| Insist upon going before the district at
torney and telling the whole story of the
tragedy. This is what she wants to do,
but her lawyers advise against it,
iS ah n or of Of
torneys office that the government has
little or no case against her and is not
anxious to go to trial, hoping something
will develop in the meantime. 1t is also
known that if she were to satisfy District
Attorney Jerome of her innocence. he would
| order her discharge. 1t is this very thing
that makes Miss Patterson anxious to tell
her story, and Ii is through this process
and this alone that she will gain her free
com this summer.
There is no earthly chance, it is said. for
the trial to come off in July. The calendar
is full of important cases and Judge Croft,
who will likely be presiding at that time,
will hardly take this case up out of turn.
Many people believe it will be estab-
lisned that ]. Morgan Smith purchased the
pistol with which Caesar Young met his
death. PawnbrOker Stern has described
Smith to the district attorney as a man
above the average height. weighing about
200 pounds, with sandy hair. and says he
was accompanied by a woman much small
er than himself.
This. after all. is the important feature
of the case. The government hopes to
prove that this pistol was purchased the
day before the tragedy and must have been
in Nan Pattersons possession. They make
out rather a strong case of circumstances,
and unless this can be explained away
Nan Patterson will have to fight for her
life. New York forgot the tragedy for the
nonce in the Overshadowing calamity to
the steamboat General Slocum. She awoke.
however. today and the papers are printing
wild stories of the case. One afternoon
paper has Miss Patterson shrieking a pro-
test against taking any part in the killing
of Young and pictures her fainting over
the intelligence of her mothers desperate
condition. Both these statements are false.
She did not raise her voice when she plead
ed. and her father brought her news of
her mothers Improvement. So there was
no fainting that account, or any other
for that matter. She Is wonderfully cool
and collected, and is bearing up with a for
tituIa that Is winning her friends every
day. who cannot reconcile her honest de-
meanor with the suggestion that she is
murderess.
Various Explanations Given.