The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-11

BECAME VERY MUCHCONFUSED
Answers to Questions Were Practl-
cally All of Il Don't Know" Char.
aeter-Woman Is at
Once Rearrested.

New York, June 1O.-Mrs. Hannah Elias
was discharged late this afternoon on
motion of Assistant District Attorney
Rand acting for District Attorner Jerome
at the conclusion of the testimony OF
John r. Platt the aged millionaire who
caused her arrest for extortion.
Mr.. Platt proved a disappointing wit
ness.
To questions bearing directly on the
charges on which the woman arrest was
made, he answered repeatedly "I don't
know" His helplessness and his appar-
emily unreliable memory surprised those
who attended his examination. He did
not remember whether he had given Mrs.
Elias large sums of money during the
| past ten years as charged and did not re-
member signing papers in connection with
his charges against her. The ordeal was
a trying one for the aged man, and his
replies became scarcely audible toward the
the last. As soon as he had left the
witness chair Assistant Attorney Rand
said:
Your honor, think the parties to
| this miserable scandal ought to be al
lowed to stew In their own grease. There
is no evidence before you that will pos
sibly serve to hold this woman on the
charge of extortion. | recommend that
she be discharged"
The magistrate thereupon discharged tho
woman.
Is Immediately Rearrested.
Immediately afterwards Mrs. Elias was
re-arrested on a writ IN the civil suit
originally brought against her by Mr..
Plat to recover $685. coo. She was released
few minutes later on $4,000 bail. and
was escorted by detectives through the
crowded corridors Of the criminal court
building to the street. where her carriage
was waiting Several thousand persons.
among them hundreds of negroes, at
tracted by the case, thronged the building
| and stood In the streets outside
When Mr.. Platt, feeble and trembling
and apparently dazed, was helped out of
the building, the crowd hooted and hissed.
Mr.. Platt who was the first witness,
said he was SO years of age, and had re-
sided in this city since 1855. He first met
Hannah elias at the time the volunteer
hremen came on from San Francisco,
about fifteen years ago. Some time later
he again met the woman at a Third ave-
| nue. massage establishment through an
advertisement and had kept up the ac-
quantanee since His relations with her
|
had bought for her a house and given her
large sums of money.
"She was your mistress2't asked AS
sistant District Attorney Rand.
'She was not my mistress, replied MIR.
Platt.
AnaL ,g,+na.s pac.n,a co,,f,,eed
Ihe aseo Witness then gu ~ o
come very much confused, and to several
subsequent question he replied that he
ouastion ouasd "a bis attorney
Asked II he had signed a paper several
days ago In which he stated that Mrs.
tslias had extorted hundred of Thousands
- doIIors from, him no ranIled that ba
ia 49, .a,aar,har ua had .,rnaa q
earta,r ,anar so,,araI r,onths 90 h,+
s,a ~ ra,,s,,,,au a,s,,,,,.. io,,,,Ss.
u uil ho' ,t resfa unu s'snans "a, io"ser pap. p.
"nien "it' "aiie" save hiii MI. isiee
~ "ouiu NO. - So an ans"el " ,ne quss1oii
as 10 whe'her ne nao paio the woman
more than s0oo,Wo since January. 1895 but
old remember that ne gave her $fooO. Ihis
| payment was made he said, because
| Mrs. Elias told him she was being sued
and would have to go to court and ex-
pose him unless the money was paid
He could not recall that two men. whom
the assistant district attorney named.
were about to bring suit against her
She did tell him that IN she was taken