The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-11-22
CARUSO FACES JUDGE
Famous Singer Accused Of Insult
ing Woman In Central Park
Appears In Court.
SAYS SHE SMILED AT HIM.
italian Declares That Complainant,
Who Does Not Come Forward to
Press Charge, Made First Advances.
Policemen corroborate Story of Man
Who Mace Arrest.

New York, Nov. 22.-Enrico Caruso,
the great italian tenor, faced an audi
ence Of 600 persons in the YorlSgilie
police court and denied positively that
he had made insulting advances to a
woman in the monkey house in Central
park. He declared that his arrest was
due to pique upon the part of woman
who described herself. as Hannah Gra-
ham and because lie failed to respond
to advances which she made to him
Mrs. Graham was not present to
press the charge which she lodged
against the singer, and the police Off
GERS interested in the affair testified
that they had exerted every effort to
find the woman, but without result.
Park Policeman Cane was there,
however, and he told circumst tantial
story of the alleged events which led
to the arrest of the tenor. He was cor
roborated in part by other policemen.
PoIiceman's Story Upheld.
The desk sergeant and the captain
of Gains precinct corroborated the Off
Ger as to happenings in the police sta
ton at the time Of the arrest. They
declared that Caruso pleaded with the
woman not to prefer a charge against
him and that, with outstretched hands
and in an imploring voice, he declared
that 1T is all mistake, Madam;
meant no harm.'
A new witness, jeremiah Mccarthy,
ticket taker at the baseball grounds,
said he saw the tenor insult women
in the park zoo.
After two witnesses had testified
against him Caruso took the stand in
his own behalf.
The tenor, who was calm and collect
ed, but very much in earnest, <swore
that he was not guilty of annoying
Mrs. Graham or any other woman and
that the charge was great mistake.
Denies All Msdolns.
Questions We're put to Garuso through
an Interpreter Iessaid that he left
the Hotel Savoy to take a stroll in
the park. He said that when he visit
ed the park he went around to the
menagerie and that he had been in the
monkey house only for four or five
minutes when he was arrested. He
denied that he had touched any wo-
man with his hands, knees or feet.
Caruso's whole testimony was practi-
cally a fiat denial Of the charge against
him, with the exception that he said
he did Exchange glances" with the
woman.
He said that HRS. Graham looked at
him and smiled first. He considered
the look which she gave him as equiv
alent to an admission that she was a
woman of doubtful character
The singer explained that portion
of his defense would be his inability to
!, speak English. Previous witnesses had
testified as to remarks which the tenor
is said to have made at the time of his
arrest and at the station house. 1t ap-
peared to be the plan of the defense to
discredit these witnesses by showing
that owing to Caruso's' limited knowl-
edge of English it would have been i'm
possible for him to have made the
statements
The examination of the prisoner had
not been completed when the magis-
trate ordered that the case be adjourn
ed, as there were many other cases for
!, AL