The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-22
NEGROES HERTJE STORY TOLD.
HeOE'S COyFESsION IN PITTS
BURG DIVORCE CASE. -"
Says lIia Story Of Intimacy WIN Mrs. HartJe
tas Inspired by wcIshons and HartJe.
1h0uEh Neither Told Him what to Say
False Rumor OF HartJe's Suicide.

vas IUhIbtFtu Ny UtiSiluiIH utI tfhhtJt'
1houEh Neither Told Him what to Say
4False Runior OF HartJe's Suicide
sessidn Of OXFORD u. .Hoos, he negro
coachman in the .Hsrtje DIVORCE; case,
was made public here to-day. In II Hooe
attacks John l.. Welshons' and Ed Hartje,
friend and brother respectively Of Augustus
Hartje. Hooe in his confession says in part:
isAfter being there about three days
Welshons wanted to know IL | ever worked
for the Hartje people, for Mr.. Augustus.
told him, yes; I used to coach for him. r
said I used to work for them, and he began
to ash me about Mr.. and Mrs. Harsje. how
did they used to live together when l was
working for them, apd ! told him all right.
he asked me If I knew they had sepa-
rated. I told him. no. He told meltbey.
had separated, ard he said to me, he:says,
Now, you used to work'for them atldr said,
yes. He said: Did you. ever see anything
crooked about Mrs. Hartje?' told him, no,
! did not see anything crooked about her
90 far as / know. Lasksd him, why, what
was the matter; had they split up on ac-
count of some man, and he said yes. Then
he goes to work and. asks mel Clifford, |
am a friend of Mr.. Hartje,' and he says.
You used to work FOR those people and
I believe that you know something o
these people, and that is the reason why |
am talking to you this way He said. You
don't need to be a friend of mine. Twill be
q friend to you, and everything will be all
right
Il said, What do you want?' He said,
Did you ever see anything crooked bot
her. He said, did you ever see her have
anything to do with any man, or did you
drive her anywhere, and leave her any
where2' l said, No, only shopping, and
one thing or another
Il said, What do you want to find that
out for? Are you a detective, friend or
what?' just joking.
HE said, i am just a friend of Mr.. Hartje
and / would like to find out If there is any
thing, and l would like to tell him.
$50 1 told'him No, l don't know anything
about her
He said, I~have a little contract with
Hartje. and I would like TO get it. He was
to furnish this building for Hartje, and they
had some words and he says, IF you will
tell the truth about thist thing, it is worth a
good deal of money l said, L don't know
ANYTHING about it, but if l can do anything
] will do it, l said, What is it worth?'
and he says, A great big pile of money
and I said, All right, let her co.
I'VE vent up and sat down in Welshon's
office and began to ak about II. / don't
remember all that was said. l just remem-
Der the most important things that were
said,
He says, This is a matter of investment
with me and everything will be all right
He said. There will be no danger l did
not know of the danger at that time. He
said, If you ever saw or heard anything
in any shape, manner or form about the
woman, tel me and I will tell it, and every
thing will be all right.
Il :said. L donH;khaw Anything, about
her, except with myself That vas in
order to get this money. He told me about
he said he would give me $25 to make the
statement before Mr.. Hartje and, later on
he would give me Siters HSbney,' and in case
they would win the case, still more money.
had a talk with him that night. Mr.. Hartje
said that anything be done for me, it was
all right, and it was as 4 he done it him.
self. That was in Mr.. Welshons's office,
He fot augustus Aastjsa to Sops, there
] don't know his name. He was in the court
room the day they bad the argument for,
the reduction Of Che BALI He was a little
fellow, with a short. stubby mustaehe.
He Y q brotheE1n-iaVsI think 70 Vs., ,,,
~b nS0 sss ssRsssi Hsae Ell sha ~ f giSiss'e CT ne sh e
Welshons's office Hart je said:
well, Clifford, Mr.. Welshons ~telephoned
for me and said YOU knoM something about
this matter" ~ -
Il said 1 don't know anything about IT,
only except about myself
II said 1t isn't necessary to say any
thing. about any one else but yourself.
Just let me know what you know that is.
what we are here for / went eatto tell
him that I had been intimate with Mrs.
Hartje. ] told him q whole lot Of stuff. :
Il want to be a Witness FOR Mrs. Hartje,
and go on the. stand, and tell just. how II,
happened, becaifee'these people have made
They carried me to the brink OF he'll, and
they. must feel a little Of the sa me thing
II they had @ueR 60 ME- would have
stuck to them, and to that lie, but they did
not % i and. they they would
n0 ar 81 II" they had done something for yous
. A. ]; would have stayed right with them
and stuck to the lie. When l. sign my hand
, 10 a man to dol thing I will do /.
:, Q.:Did they ask you to give them your
A. No, that is just a saying of my own.
That is all the statement ! have to make;
This afternoon some one teiephoned to
the bureau. Of detectives that Augustus
u LOU piC w oiiiiiA ~
shooting himself in his office. OIL 80 -.
Chief Of Detectives Egan, who received
the message personally, sent two detec-
tives hurrying to the office Of Hartje and
At the same time he turned the tip into the
newspapermer's room,
Intwo minutes business Pittsburg was in
, an uproar. The name Of Hartje has been
on every lip since the notorious divorce
case has opened and soon every newspaper
was at work trying for details OF the case.
It proved to be q false alarm, but it was
? nome time before any definite information
could be got, as Hartje was, not at his
Office, nor could his whereabouts be learned
for half an hour, when he was found in the
Office Of one Of his attorneys.
Hartje fairly wePt with rage when the
rumor was told to him.
Mrs. Hartje is Frustrated over the alleged
plot to kidnap her children. She will not
allow them to go out of her sight.
PHILADELPHIA, July 2i.-On a request
from the Pittsburg police, Captain of Detec-
tives Donaghy tonight turned his force
loose to try to discover traces OF three
men whom Willis r. Brooks overheard on
Thursday evening plotting to kidnap the
Hartje children. To Offset he re-
garded as a tactical error Of the Pittsburg
police in making the plot known, Donaghy
officially announced that he had dropped
the case. Donaghy was indignant. ap-
parently. He declared that his telegram
to Pittsbur8 had been confidential. After