The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-08
HARDING GOES FREE
COba Hartog, Placed on Stand, De-
MES Flatiy Story Told
to Officers.

The preliminary hearing Of r. IL Hard
tng. charged with improper relations with
Goba HartOS, the 1i-year-old daughter OF
Mr. and Mrs. J. Den Hartog, came to a
sudden and sensational end yesterday
afternoon, when the little girl went COM
pietely back on all her former statements
and brazenly said she had been lying
ali the time and that nothing of an i'm
proper Character had ever passed between
her and the defendant. The officers who
had heard her Oft-repcdtSd statements
Mfre dnmbfounded County Attorney
Ituianlski, without a word having been
uttered by the defendant or his attor-
ley, Mr.. Lessengcr, moved that the case
DC dismissed and Judge Murphy, after
Tepeating the request TO be sure that nc
heard Alright. granted the motion and the
prisoner hasteued from the court room.
It was some time before the father
and mother of the little girl could un-
derstand what had happened. Coba still
sat defiantly in the witness chair, cVi-
IDENTIFY expecting that she would be taken
10 task When at last she came toward
her mother, and after Mr.. HartOS had
explained i'm Dutch the import Of the
dismissal, the mother, her voice, tremu-
CODA. what do you mean? L do not
know what 10 think OF YOU
Tie girl answered promptly that she had
been lying all along and that she thought
IL ives time to stop.
WHY did you lie SOP asked the dis
oh it was so easy to make them up
was the rCiOindcr-
II could not make them up" answered
II can" was tho nonchlant retort of
The surprise OF the officers and the par
ents may be more readily COmpfehended
when it IS remembered that she had told
and retold the story Of the alleged Grim
inal relations with herself and the old
7n'n- she had, before her parents and
several Officers, told with minute detail
81 ms conduct toward her covering
period OF moro than n year. Twenty
minutes before. in the private office or
thief of Police Browning. she had told
County Attorney HulanisIi that she would
Iestify TO the facts as previously given
by her In order to be sure OF his ground,
inc attorney had the girls mother eX-
plain fully what constituted the crime
charged, and the girl stated that the
crime had been committed and that she
would 50 testify. DR. Coulter, who had
made an examination, was subpoenaed
and would have corroborated her
After this she went Immediately to the
court room. and was sworn, together
with her parents and a number of wit
prisoner twisted around and looked at
her When she took the stand he fixed
his gaze intently on her. The girl seemed
not in the least embarrassed. She an-
SWercd preliminary questions promptly
and had admitted going frequently to the
room of the old man in the Broom hotel.
When aFlNed 10 state what had occurred
there. she replied that nothing had oc-
CURED, and she stuck 10 the story even
after the defendant had left the court
room and friends were trying to reason
some explanation of her strange conduct
out of her.
When It was stated that the old man
had hypnotized her. the girl promptly de-
MED II, saving that he had not looked
at her during the examination.
Harding was arrested at Pennington
about three weeks ago. along with the
girl. who was dressed in boys clothing.
she IS but Il years old and rather small
FOR her age.
After discussing the affair with the Of
Ulcers, the parents refused 10 take her
home, but left her at the station while
they took steps to send her to the state
industrial school.
The little girl was locked ND over night
at the police station, and the cornmitt-
1nenJ papers sending her 20 the reform
school will likely be made out this morn
Ing. She remained otduratc and ,1Drepenf
ant
= After leaving the court room Harding
hunted I'D his son. The boys mother
has sent money TO purchase him a ticket
10 Oakland The hoy prefers to stav with
ms father. but would like to get the
money, which, however, is in the hands
of the police.