Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-21
HARTJES HINT
At CROOKEDNESS
NEGRO C0ACHMAN NOW AD-
MITS THAT HE LIED
Series Of Telling Victories Scored Ap-
parentIy by Wife In the Noted
Pttsburg Divorce
Case
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
PITTSBURG, July 2O.-Charges Of
crooked methods made by both sides
were a feature of the sensational
Hartje divorce case during its hearing
today.
What are apparently series of tell
ing victories for Mrs. Hartte, the re-
spondent in the suit, also marked the
days session and eliminated in tne adj
mission of the confessions of Clifford
Hooe, the negro coachman, in which he
is said to have declared that he lied
when he swore that he had improper
relations with the respondent.
This most important point was not
gained until after a bitterly contested
struggle between opposing counsel
which lasted for over an hour and a
half and during which Attorney Fergu-
son made many sensational threats.
With the Offering of this confession
and of several other documents today
the case for the respondent was prac-
tically closed, although Attorney John
Freeman of Mrs. Hartje's counsel, told
the court that he might have some mat
ter to present later.
An adjournment was then taken until
Monday morning
Detectives Testify
Detective Ray of the Perkins agency
and Superintendent P. G.. Perkins told
of the arrest of Hooe in Ohio and of his
being brought back to Pittsburg where
he made his confession.
Attorney John Marion of Augustus
Hartje's counsel, put both Ray and
Perkins through a rigid cross eXamin-
alton In which he tried to show that
Hooe was made drunk and coerced into
making his confession.
Mrs. Mary Scott Hartje, the re-
spondent, testified that she was pres
ent when the first deposition of the
negro coachman was taken and that
what he said there was "outrageously
false
There was a hard battle of argument
when counsel for Augustus Hartje tried
to get stricken from the case the evil
dence concerning Hooe, given by John
L. Welshons, Hartje's close friend, and
the witness who followed him.
Arraigns Wife
Attorney j. Scott Ferguson led the
argument for Hartje and bitterly ar
raigned Mrs. Hartje.
Attorney John NJ. Freeman, chief of
counsel for Mrs. Hartje, replied sharply
and was reinforced with typewriter
and carefully prepared papers to estab-
lish his contention that the evidence
was proper.
Judge Robert Frazer gave the coun-
sci for Hartje no encouragement and
finally ordered that the evidence be
considered and made a part of the case.
The opposing counsel had difficulty in
agreeing upon a statement of fact to
be considered.
Statements Not Read
At the close of the day Judge Frazer
said that the four statements made by
the negro coachman would not be read
in open court. The judge said it would
not be we'll to have them made public
at this time, and corrected an intima-
ton that he was acting solely in the in
terest of public morals
Hooe has made four statements, the
first accusing Mrs. Hartje and the other
three, made later, declaring this to be
false.
With the unexpected throwing open
of all the doors in the celebrated case,
even bigger than those here
tofore promised are expected.
Adjournment was taken late this
afternoon until Monday morning.
Mrs. Hartje's side was given the
privilege of examining the forty love
letters until Monday.