The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-11
OLD MAN COULD
NOT REMEMBER
Victim of 0CtOrOOn a Pitiabie
Object on the Stand.
CRIMINAL CHARGE DISMISSED
WOMAN THEN ARRESTED IN
CIVIL SUIT.

Al EyV YORK. June 10.-1Irs. Hannah
~ Elias was today discharged, ON
motion of Assistant District At
torney Rand. at the conclusion of the
testimony OF John II. PiaJt, the ola
millionaire, who caused her arrest for
extortIon.
Mr. Platt proved a disappoinyius
witness. To questions bearing directly
on the charges on which The woman
arrest had been made. lie answered fe-
peatedly Il don't know His helpless
ness and his apparently unreliable
memory surprised those who attended
his examination He did not Temem-
Der whether he had given Mrs. Elias
large sums of money during the la@-
ten years. as charged and did not re-
member signing certain papers In con-
neCtion with his charges against her
TIE ordeal was a trying one for me
old man. and his replies became scarce
~ audible toward the last AS soon as
he had left the witness chair Assistant
District Attorney Rand said.
No Criminal Evidence.
Your honor, / think the parties To
this miserable scandal ought TO be all
lowed to stew in their own grease
There is no evidence before you that
viii possibly serve TO mold this woman
on a charge of eXtOrtiOn. / recommend
that she be discharged
The magistrate theTeupOn discharged
the woman
Immediately afterward Mrs. ELIAS was
redrTested on writ in the civil Suit
originally brought against her by AIR.
Flatt 70 recover s5e5.ev- she was re-
leased few minutes later on $4,000 bail
and was escorted by detectives through
the crowded corridors of the criminal
courts building 10 the street where her
#a H
persons. among them hundreds of me-
gToes, attracted by the case. thronged
the building and stood crowded in the
street outside.
Hooted and Kissed.
When Mr.. PIatt. feeble and trembling
and apparently Cazed. was helped out
of the building the crowd ho0Jed and
hissed.
Mr.. Plat was the first witness. he
said he was So years old and had lived
IN New York since 1863. He first met
Hannah Elias at the TIME she FollA-
teer firemen came on from San Fran
cisco about fifteen years ago. Some
time ago he again met the woman an
a Third avenue massage establishment
through an advertisement and. had kept
up the acquaintance His relations with
her had been Of a tender character ana
he had bought for her house and had
given her large sums OF money
She was your mistressE' asked As
sistaut District Attorney Rand.
She was not my mistress replied Ar-
His Memory Failed.
Asked if he had not signed a paper
several days ago in which he said iuaL
Mrs. Elias mad eXtorted hundreds on
thousands eff dollars from him, Platt re-
piled that he could not remember. lie
had signed a certain paper several nights
ago. but did not remember signing q
longer paper which Mr. warren gave
to him Mr. Plat would not give q Oh
cot IHrg EFear- % q
he had paid the woman more IMAM $5-J, p
900 since January, 1870 but Qld reulall-
Der that he gave her $500 last month,
This payment was MADE, ne Saio, pc
cause Mrs. Elias told him she was beng
sued and would have 20 go 10 coui-
and expose 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 If she was
taken TO court she would be obliged 20
testify as to her relations with the wit
what were those reIauons?' asked Mr.
Business"
Did you not pay her because Of re-
lations of "a more tender character than
doctor and patient
Money Kept Things Quiet
Il had relations with her and paid
her sums of money replied Air. ElaLL
81 gave her the money because she
said she would be put out
At the request of MIR. Rand. Piatt reao
the first para graph of the complaint ~
the suit brought against Mrs, ELIAS and
said if was 'au right
Then you were afraid Of hert
81 gave her the money to keep things
Did you give her the money willing
Yves"
Magistrate Ommcu then took the Wit
ness I'm hand. but Mr.. Osborne, couuSe.
for Mrs Elias objected TO the manner
I'm which questions were framed on me
ETguUd that the magistrate Has H-t-
ting the answers in Jhe mouth or lLe
witness Magistrate Dmmen olo nor
press the point and, as MT OSBORNE 81
clu=d TO crozs-eSamiue the witness All-
Platt was excused
P1att was then called to- the stand l-
reply to question bT AT- RAND ne @Fi4
that he knew or evidence winch MNe4'
c0rr0b0rata Mr. PIatJE testimony. lie
declined. however to give any infoTua-
ton. ON the ground J1aJ me was C'uAsI
for Mr.. Platt,
Received the 81, 500.
Mr. Osborne. attorney for Mrs. Elias
admitted that Mrs. Elias had received
fha $3.50 mentioned in the complaint but
said that it was not given to her los rea-
son of any threats
The court discharged the prisoner.
Mrs Elias tonight said that she dig
not know Andrew IT. Green and hac
+ never heard of him up 90 the time OF
his death.
y absolutely exouerate him. and am
I exceedingly sorry that me met So nm
timely d fate through the fault of am
other man poe she said.
She declared that she had no charges
10 make against any mIIlQnalie ale
/ that there would be no further charges
made against her by Plat EaSElDEtal
Brauns. her counsel who was present
. when this statement was made. a4oe'
/ tbar there was no foundation for t1t
Z assertion that Mrs Ela= had beer
blackmaiIed by physician ana Jaw
ser. and that Mrs. Elias would not take
! the initiative iu amy legal proceeding
I growing Gus OF Che ease against leE-
RECEIVES S36.150.