The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-11-22
+CARUSO ON TIE STAND
 IN HIS OWN DEFENSE
FAMOUS TEEoR1s TESTIMONY 4 FLAT DENIAL OF CHARGES
 AGAINST HIM.

Declares That Mrs. Graham Smiled Firsst
 In the Monkey House at Central Park
 Considered the Look Which She
 Gave Him as That of Woman of
 Doubtful Character - Mrs. Graham
 Fails to Appear.
 New York, Nov. M.-Enrico Caruso. the noted Italian tenor, appeared be- fore an audience of 800 persons in the Yorkville police court to-day and de- nied positively that he had offered in- suit to a woman in the monkey house in Central Park last Friday. He de- clared that his arrest was due to piqua upon the part of a woman who describ- ed herself as Hannah Graham" and because he failed to respond to ad- vances which she made to him.
 Mrs. Graham was not present to press the charge which she lodged against the singer and the police officers irl- terested in the affair testified they had made every effort to find the woman but without result
 Park Policeman Kane, who made the arrest, was thsre, however, and he told a ci yumstantial story of the alleged i'm cldents which led to the arrest of the tenor, and he was corroborated in part by other witnesses. Several other po- licemen, including the desk sergeant and the captain of Cane's precinct, cor- roborated the officer as to happenings in the police station at the time of the arrest. They declared that Caruso pleaded with the woman not to prefer charge against him and that with outstretched hands and In an imploring voice, he declared that 1t is all mis- take, madame; meant no harm" Al young man who gave the name of Jeremiah Mccarthy, corroborated Cane's testimony as to Caruso's alleged action in the monkey house. He said his attention had been called to Carus0 by the officer.
 Against all this the singer placed what amounted practically to fat de- nial of the whole case of the prosecu- tion. He denied the ability to speak English and declared that consequent- ly, it would have been impossible for him to have made the statements at tributed to him by the police. He de- clared that the woman upon whose complaint. he was arrested, had smiled at him, and by look and action invited attention which he did not condescsssaa to. give. He was calm and self possess ed during his examination.
 Once or twice under the searching cross-examinatlcn by Deputy Police Commissioner Mathot, the defendant strengthened up and brushed his fingers nervously through his hair, but his an- swers to questions always came promptly and lucidly. Many of hi arl- swers were given by nod or ,5haxe of the head before the interpreter had fn-s ished the repetition of the question.
 Caruso was attended in court by Di- rector Conreid, of the Metropolitan opera house, and a number of prcmin- ent singers.
 Yorkville police court probably never' before harbored such a gathering as to- day's. Its normal capacity is scarcely more than 200 but long before the hour set for the appearance of Caruso near~ ly thre times that number of persons had crowded into the little room They were packed so closely that it was al- most impossible to move about. Nearly all the spectators were men. There were some women present but they were hidden away in corners where they could neither see nor be seen. The corridors outside the court room were thronged by curious crowd and hun- dreds unable to find accommodations in the building, crowded the sidewalk outs side the building,
 When the cab containing Caruso, Dis rector Conreid and several of his friends reached the building, an army of photographers greeted them and the crowd on the sidewalk sent up yell. Again, when the singer and his friends were leaving the place after the case had been adjurned until tomorrow, Ca- ruso was given rousing cheer.