The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-25
IAN COLT CASE WITNESS LOST
ND CHTEF ACCUSER TURNS OUT
TO NE AN OPIUM SMOKER
nat. Lc,,-Raphael Jones. Post ONCE
1crk, Takes q Ten Day vacation
suggestions That There Was Demo-
ora,ic "plant" TO DO Up Van Colt

.,crh, Takes Ten Day vacation
suggestions That There Was Demo-
cratic plant" 10 DO Up Van Colt
nonuty Attorney General Collins, who IL
/, occurring the case against Richard Van
"a, son of the Postmaster, and Bankson
u,,yoy. cashier Of the Post Office, charged
9TH attempting to colonize voters in the
t,,h Assembly district, informed Justice
wyatt in the Court Of Special Sessions
.,.,orday that detectives and subpoena
,oryers had failed to find Raphael Jones,
,re If his important witnesses, who was to
have testified Yesterday.
lone. is employed as a clerk in the Office
n the Superintendent of Mails at the post
cf6cs. He is the man alleged by Benjamin
Tow, the chief witness against Van Colt,
IA have been directed by Richard Van Cott
n 900 to the placing of the men in lodging
houso. Levy says hn got most OF the
morev for his work from Jones. AT the
,,eliminary John Doe hearing, Jones adj
mi,ted having paid Levy money, but re-
fused to connect Van Colt with the case.
ZONES was not subTpnaed, but was told
10 appcar at subsequent proceedings. He
lives at q West Eighth street and has a
room al 10 Greenwich street. Mr.. Collins's
me-, say they couldn't find him at either
and then Mr.. Collins inquired at the Post
oaico and found that Jones had got va
os,ion of ten days. When Mr.. Collins
ssked about this he was told that Jones had
had a vacation coming to him and had
chosen to take it NOW.
Mr. Collins got subj paus from Justice
-, Ill L l., I,,
He said there was not hing to do but to wait
for Jones to come back, but added that
Jones was not absolutely essential to the
case.
Van Colt and McAvoy were both in court
again Yesterday afternoon.
Terence McManus, Van Colts counsel,
had chance to cross-examine Levy, whose
story led to the arrests, and brought out
that prior to his appointment as elevator
man in the Post Office Levy had worked
for three years in poolrooms and gambling
houses. had been accused of stealing $75
from John Broadman and had pleaded
guilty, sentence being suspended. Mr..
NcNIanus got from Levy a list of places
where he had lived. One of these was place
In Greenwich avenue kept by Teddy
Alderman, a Tammany worker in the
district.
Inc lawyer dShtu lilllI IL ilt uiliu re-
member going into a poolroom at Eighth
street and sixth avenue and saying: "Im
/ going to get bunch of money for put
hing up job on Dick Van Colt"
I may have said something like that
replied Levy. He didn't recall. he said,
having made an appointment over the
telephone to meet Alderman at Sixth ave-
nue. and Twenty-ninth street.
As matter of fact, said Mr.. McManus,
don't you know that every day between
Sept Is aud the time wnen Mr.. Van Colt
was arrested every detail of this scheme
was work ed over between you and Teddy
Ackeman?'
No, sir. He didn't ha We anything to do
with il, replied Levy, who then said that
he had first told about the coloniZing when
he heard threats of trouble for him.
A friend OF mine" he said, told me
that man in the Democratic Club in Thir-
tenth street had said they were on to my
game and that II l came around they'd
Kill me. This friend told me to go to the
Democrats at the club and tell them all
about it and square myself, and did"
DO you smoke opium" asked Mr.
McManus of him.
Yes, for pleasure" answered Levy.
Mr. Collins got permission to question
Levy as to. the statement he had made in
The saloon at Sixth avenue and Eighth
street Levy said that he told friend
named Devine that he was going to get
couple of hundred and good position
from Van Colt when the matter was fixed
up"
He denied that he had ever made such
a statement as Mr. McManus had used
There will De another hearing on Friday.