Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-04-03
MRS. SMITH
Expresses Alarm as De-
tective Takes Her Letters
Fears They May Mean Hanging
to Nan Patterson.
Will Fight Extraditicn To New York
The Letters.

Cincinnati, April "A fight for the
possession of certain letters. which
Yer" intrustcd to Detective Akin by
Mas. J. Mnr.:an Smith when her hus-
band was arrested. is promised as the
next dc vclODflent i'll the Cincinnati end
of the Nan Patterson case.
Attorney Shay Saturday demanded
the return Of the letters from the de-
t"rtiEr. In" officer refused and the at
torn"T announced thai the matter
would be taken to the courts. The at
tnrney declared he would compel the de
livery Of the letters and threatened I"
'HliS" the detectives arrest.
Akin refused. pending the arrival OF
Assistant District Attorney G;rvan
from Nov York this afternoon. ans!
Shay decided 10 defer action until Nor
day
Akin said that when appealed to by
Mrs. Smith reg 1rdinG the letters. he
supposed hat they Wvr, Of minor i'm
r"rtancc and entirely uncOnnertcd with
the case. and therefore h. had promised
to care for them. After they had been
turned over 10 him, he said that Mrs.
Smith declared:
IF these papers ever get into the
hands of the police they'll hang Nam
This remark caused him to change his
intention, and he has turned them over
to the Cincinnati police for safe keep
ing until they can Dc delivered to Dis
trict Attorney Jerome. The contents Of
most of the letters have not been made
public. but 1t least four are said to be
very important. Among them is a Letter
from II. IT, who telegraDhed Smith
the day of Smiths arrest: Keep your
mouth shut. New York Will attend Ia
your case"
The II. l. letter is addressed to
''Tessic." which. Akin says. is one Of
the names assumed by Mrs. Smith in
her wanderings. while Alex" accord
ing to Akin. is Morgan Smith. The
letter is written upon an deliberately
embossed sheet of tinted paper of rich
quality.
The text is as fOllWs.
Dear Tessie-We are sending you to-
day some money. This is the last we
have, and God knows where any mora
is coming from. Hereafter Alex and
you must do the best you can without
our help: but whatever You do, keep
away from New York We are all driv-
t'i ~ uSSl'Sl htioii. ai't tIit suspense IL
awful. God knows what viii happen.
Do not let him come back to New York.
(Signed) II. L."
The Smiths are preparing for a stiff
legal battle to prevent their being talk
EN- TO New York to testify. Their will
nigncss to go to New York. as express
ed by them in several interviews after
they We're arrested. appears to have
disappeared entirely, and their one aim
now seems to be TO fight requistiOn to
the last ditch.
In making tie fight they assert they
will have ample financial support.
When Mrs. Smith was arrested she had
Il cents in her purse. but she asserted
Saturday that she and Ler husband had
been assured of financial backing to the
amount Of 100000.
Just why any one should put up such
q sum or what interest is to be pro-
tected through its expenditure Mrs.
Smith declines to explain.
TIL" cases of the Smiths were called
in the police court Saturday morning.
This was a mere formality. The prison.
erS were in court. In view of the fact
that the matter will be heard in the
habcus corpus proceedings by q higher
court on Monday. Prosecutor Holmes
asked for continuance of the case in
the police court until Tuesday. April
4. and the request was granted by
Judge Iunders