The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-18
NEGRESS HAD PLATT FAST.
OLD MAN ADMITS THAT He
DIDN'T WANT TO SUE HER.
"Other People wanted IT. and Trusted His
Estate for Him--Ancient Rounder
and Scnekambian Charmer Face Each
Other-Old Man q Clipper witness.

I
yesterday his former paramour. Hannah
Elias. the negress, as the chief witness
in his suit to recover $685., 1856, which
he says he gave her in various sums TO
prevent her from making public their
relations. The action came on for trial
before Supreme Court Justice O'Gorman-tn
Special Term. Part w.
sSllvery Age against Dusky Youth, ~an
onlooker termed the case. and, the title
| "a descriptive enough to stick Eighty
| four years old. and feeble. Plat, with his
| white hair brushed in the fashion or days
gone by, from the back across his temples,
and his SPARSE snowy beard. faced the
! black tresses and creolelike complexion
| Of the Elias woman. -She must have been
bleached few shades lighter during the
summer" was the remark OF woman
who had seen her in May last, when the
| criminal proceedings against her collapsed.
| But closer inspection showed that hand
accustomed to handle powder and rouge
was largely responsible for her altered
| appearance.
Plat proved good witness. though
| his memory was poor and faulty, He
fenced cleverly with ex-Gov. Black, the
| Elias womans chief counsel, smiling and
even laughing as he met attack with parry.
But it was easy to see that he had no heart
in the work, and the result Of the whole
days proceedings might well be summed
UP in the last questions and answers OF the
recross-ex animation.
Were you afraid OF disgrace, Mr., Plat,
| when you gave up these sums 10 Mrs. Elias2'
asked Black.
i had no fear that anything would
oomeI out,' answered Plat. AS the boy
said 4 thought sho'd stand pat
And you were prepared to stanl pat,
too ehi'
Il guess that's So
And you thought II you stood pat she
would do the same, isn't that about It, Mr..
Platt?'
"Yea That's right
"And il your brother had let you alone,
You would have stood pat and let her alone,
wouldn't you?'
That's about how it was Yes. That's
So replied the old man. who was then ex-
cused amid hubbub Of laughter around the
court
| The biggest crowd that has been seen
around the old Tweed building for many
! years was at court. The obstruction in
the corridors was such that a squad Of police
came from the City Hall station to help
tho court officers keep order. They had
their hands full.
The case was called by Justice Bischof
and sent TO Justicei OGorman's court
Being a suit In equity to impress a trust
upon the money, not to recover 1t directly,
which would be law action, It ia tried by
a Judge alone, without jury. The con-
dition at present is that receiver has been
| appointed for all Of Hannah Elias's belong
| ings, including her real estate. Sheis allowed
to have $500 month and the use of her elaS-
oratey furnished house at go Central Park
West
Lyman E Warren OF Warren, Warren
& O'Beirne is conducting the trial for
| Plat Ex-Gov Black has now full charge
Of the woman's defence. In his opening
address Mr.. Warren declared that he would
prove that Platt had been mulcted and
| blackmailed consistently for over eighteen
years, under threats Of exposure, All the
letters she had written TO Platt for money.
he said, were procured from Plat by Au-
gustus C. Nanz. the Elias womans former
attorney, just after the murder OF Andrew
H. Green by Cornelius Williams, the negro
who believed Mr.. Green TO be keeping Mrs.
Elias, had brought the woman into notonety.
James p. Matthews was called as the
first witness. He merely testified that he
had never lent any money TO Hannah Elias
Platt himself was then helped TO the
witness chair by n court officer. Though
he was feeble and hoarse his intellect
was alert His eyes sparkled and his
hearing was good. There was scarcely
culver in his long, wrinkled fingers, the
nails Of which, scrupulously cared for
extended. some of them, half an inch be-
yond the finger tips.
When did you first see Hannah Elias?'
was Mr. Warren's first question.
We'll, l don't e1hctly remember the
date but it was somewhere about eighteen
or twenty years ago.
Where
In place on Twenty-seventh street,
l think, kept by Pop Miller and his wife.
was showing some exempt firemen from
Frisco around town. was president Il
the e1empts one time.
u saw her again. continued Plat, in a
low voice, answering a series OF questions
three or four times After that I never
saw her till the COS. when saw a MASSAGE
place on Third avenue and went there.
She was there. ] met her often after that.
There was some talk about her opening n
boarding house and Think gave her some
money for that
just at this point Mrs, Elias mnde her en-
trance. She was dressed all in black. even
10 her gloves and rcticule. save for stone
marten collarette. A dotted veil hanging
from her ostrich feather hat showed only
her yellowish red compile Xion and the
heavy black hair which she says is her own,
though it is free from kink or curl. She
was accompanied by an Irish maid and
man OF white extraction.
Platt pulled himself together as she
entered. and looked tho other way a. he
continued his testimony. which deat mainly
with the items Of the amounts he had given
her. Private ledgers, journals and day
books that he had kept, together with re-
turned checks and their stubs, were shown
TO him, and he identified them as in Mo
handwriting.
In his ledger he carried personal ac-
count which showed entries for every month
from January. 1900, down. These showed
that he had paid out sums TO various &C
counts, such az Elias, '-caeh. mortgage
trust, real estate. but always the checks
,.ora 20 the account spf haarar u ia Mr.