The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-19
HANNAH ELIAS TELLS
EXTRAORDINARY STORY
BOLDLY RECT ed THE FACTS OF
HER LEFE.


Declares She Has Nothing to Conceal
When She Takes stand in Suit Of
Aged John r. PIaft who Claims she
Extorted ses5,ooo from Him-Negress
Says Every Dollar Given Her Was
yoIuntary-Admits Having Served
Two Terms in Prison.
New York, Jan. 1S.-Hannah Elias,
the negress. whom aged John r. Platt
is suing to compel her to return $685.
600, which he claims she extorted from
him during an acquaintance of twenty
years, to-day told the story Of her life
before Justice o'Gorman in the supreme
court where the suit is on trial. 1t was
an extraordinary tale of sudden eleya-
tion from the lowest and most vicious
surroundings to a position of affiuence,
where money was literally rained upon.
her, and where she had everything that
great wealth could provide She in
sisted that she had nothing to conceal
and declared that every dollar Platt
gave her had been given voluntarily.
She believed, she said, that she was un-
der no obligation to return any part Of
the money which she now possesses.
How much money Platt gave her she
could not say, even approximately, as
she never kept any account OF his gifts,
which were made in large sums at fire.
quent intervals during their entire ac-
qaintance, Mr.. Plat was very gener
Gus even from the first, she said, but
he became more so after the death of
his wife in 1893. He told her at that
time that he wanted to provide for her
handsomely, and explained that if he
mentioned her in his will a contest
might result He had decided, there
fore, to give her a great deal of money
while he was yet alive. He advised her
to invest this money carefully, and sug-
gested that it might be well for her to
place a considerable portion of it in saw
ings banks. She said that the old man
always had been very kind to her, but
that he was even more tender after the
death of his wife, and showed many
little attnetions that had been lacking
before. Six months after his wife's
death he gave the witness Mrs. Platt's
watch and pocketbook. She identified
these articles when they were produced
by Mr.. Black.
Mrs, Elias apparently made no at
tempt to cover the details of her early
life. She answered readily every ques-
tion by. her counsel as to her method Of
life in Philadelphia and immediately
after coming to this city, and admitted
that she had served two terms In pris-
on, one in Philadelphia for larceny, and
the other in this city for disorderly con-
duct.
1t developed during the examination
of witnesses to-day that Mrs. Elias had
distributed her easily acquired wealth
with a.free hand among those who had
been Of assistance to her. Lawyer Au-
gust G. Nanz, said she paid him $780,
600 in fees; Lawyer Washington Brauns
received from her more than $4,000 in
fees; she paid more than $4,000 to one
firm for carpets and furniture; a man
who acted as godfather at the christen-
ing Of her child received present Of
81, 900, and when the child died it was
placed in a mausoleum. which she erect.
ed at costof $4,000 1t appeared from
the testimony also that John R. Platt
had paid Mr.. Nanz $500 in connection
with one of the Elias suits in which
the lawyer was interested.
Patrick w. Dugan, an. upholsterer,
who did much work for Mrs. Elias, said
that Platt made him a present Of a
five hundred dollar bill every Christmas
for three years, because he had been
good to Dolly" He explained that
Dolly was the name by which Mr..
Platt always addressed Mrs. Elias She
called him Papa Platt had offered
him more money when he called at
his office to tell him about Mrs. Elias,
but he declined it. He said thst on the
occasion of those visits. Platt had told
him that he thought a great deal of
Mrs. Elias.
On the cross-examination Mrs. Elias
said that she drew s150,000 from the
bank when she heard that suit was to
be brought against her. After her ar
rest, she said. she gave this money to
Patrick Dugan and took no receipt for
it. She had since received $4,000 from
him. E5s
When the defense rested a lawyer
representing the, banks that We're
brought into the case by an order Of
court directing them not to dispose of
moneys in their possession belonging to
Mrs. Elias, asked for q. dismissal Of
the order and the justice granted the
request. % '#