Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-21
CROWDS THR0NG TO
HEAR CARUSO CASE
Ugly Rumors of Graft and
BlackmaiI AfIoat.
TENOR STANDS TRIAL TODAY
Mysterious Mrs. Graham" Cannot Be
Located.
POLICEMEN ARE STANDING PAT
Many Other Arrests for "Disorderly
Conduct Have Been Made in the
Central Park Monkey House.
)LICEMEN ARE STANDING PAT

Central Park Monkey House.
NEW YORK, November 21.-Thoroush
preparations were made by the police de-
Caruso, the famous tenor of the Metropoli-
tan Opera Company, for a hearing in police
court this afternoon of the charge that
Caruso annoyed woman in the monkey
house at Central Park one day last week
Notwithstanding what appeared to be an
Caruso is alleged to have annoyed, repre-
sentatives of both the police and the de-
Tense declared before the hour set for the
hearing today that they had been unable
to find her. When her complaint caused
the arrest of the singer she was taken to
the police station along with the prisoner
and gave her name as Mrs. Hannah K
Graham of the Bronx borough. She was
told to appear at the hearing on the next
day and allowed to go. When the case
came up In court neither Mrs Graham nor
Garuso appeared, the tenor sending a physi-
clans certificate that he was too i'll to
come.
Cain, who arrested Caruso, is prepared to
go on with the case and act as complainant
declaring that he witnessed the annoyance
OF which Mrs. Graham complained
Director Conried of the METROPOLITAN
opera House has Loyalty defended Caruso
from the charge and the singer himself as
sefts that he was a victim CT extraordinary
circumstances or OF an attenot to make a
false case against him for some Interior
purpose.
Many Other Arrests.
There have been many arrests in the Cen
trail Park monkey house on similar charges
to that on which Caruso is held Some Of
the Offenders have escaped with fine. hut
In other cases a jail penalty has been i'm
posed.
Polce Captain Stephenson Of the Central
Park station said today that he was in
FORMED last night by prominent business
man who knows Mrs. Graham that she
would not appear in court for ANYTHING
as she does not want to be snapshotted
and have her name spread all over the
city and perhaps the country
capt. stephenson said his informant told
him that Mrs. Graham is a woman of emf
nent respectabity. He declared that her
failure to appear would make little differ
ence as to the outcome of the case against
Caruso, however.
Capt. Stephenson Of the park squad was
not SO sure today as he was several DAYS
ago that two little girls would appear
against the singer, but he said that there
was at least one man, civilian, who was
In the monkey house that day, who would
pear out the policeman In his testimony
Witnesses Against Caruso.
Other witnesses who. it was said, would
appear against the tenor are a woman who
was employed at the Metropolitan Opera
House while Caruso was there; a former
nip
Of the Zoo.
The attraction Of the Caruso case had
tne eject OF drawing a large crowd to the
court room even at the morning session
Inc doors We're hardly open for the days
work when number of persons most of
them women, began to arrive. The women
were OF various ages and of various de-
grees OF pulchritude. They all settled them
selves down prepared to sit it through until
the grand feature Of the days performance
came. To them the hearings in the disor-
derby cases. stories Of women who had been
taken up while parading the streets, the
tale OF the sObbing wife asking protection
or support from her husband and the jan
Cling testimony of witnesses in an Italian
stabbing ARRAY were simply uninteresting
numbers on the program that must be en-
dured in view of the star event that was
to come. All through the morning hours
they sat there prepared to face even hun
ger that their plans might not go awry.
Women Crowd Court.
1t was the fond hone Of all the women
that they would be allowed to retain their
seats during the recess time SO as to have
first row orchestra chairs when Caruso
made his first appearance in a police court.
In this. however. they were disappointed.
Court adjourned beloved the court Of
f1cer and those who had real business made
a quick exit through the doorway. But
no move was made by the women bent on
seeing the Italian tenor. Then a manner
ly court policeman went over to the deter
mined group and told the members of 1t Do
litely that they must go. All through the
morning the telephones In the court build
ing kept busy with requests that came from
the other side for seat in the court room
during the afternoon. The sergeant said
that most of those who called I'D were
women and were speaking from different
hotels. Some OF them requested facetiously
that tickets for the matinee be reserved
and the sergeant answered in turn that the
house was all sold out and that all persons
should guard against SPECTATORS at the
door.
Stampede the Court.
BY / o'clock the sidewalk in front of the
court room in 57th street was jammed 1t
was motley gathering. In 1t were any
number of women and girls who Lad seen
more or less arduous and lengthy service in
the chorus, men Of foreign look and dress,
street gamins. women who were even ma
tronly in appearance, young girls whose
parents perhaps thought they were In
school. The foreign-looking gentry shrug-
ged their shoulders and gesticulated at one
another as they discussed the case with
great animation. A battery of cameras
stretched along the block between Sd and
Lexington avenues so that the tenor could
by no manner of means escape a snapshot
The court room door was opened at I
O'Clock and the stampede to get inside was
terrific. In the van we're the chorus ladies
and the women who had tried to hold the
fert at the morning session. Within ten
minutes every available inch in the court
skirts was hurting itself with great force 1T
the entrance In a vain effort to be In at the
show.
Conried With Caruco.