Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-24
ASSISTANT DISTRICT
FRANCIS p. CARAVAN.

AEolS IANI DISTRICT AIINDRNE1
FRANCIS p. CARAVAN.
torney's office today who has had practi-
cally sole charge of preparing five of the
most important criminal cases in recent
years He is Francis p. Garvan, an as
sistant district attorney It is no exag-
geruton TO say that he has had a wider
knowledge Of the inside history of the Nan
Patterson murder trial. the second Roland
b. Molneux trial, Albert T. Patricks fight
for life. the Dodge-Aiorse marriage and d.
vorce tangle and the Thaw case than any
other one man.
1t has been his job to get these casef
ready for presentation to the jury And
while that was being done he has had
charge OF the homicide bureau in the dis
trict attorneys office in addition TO prose-
cutting makers OF fraudulent claims against
fire insurance companies and taking the
routine court work which every member Of
Mr.. Jerome's stan has to do in his turn.
Mr. GaTvan is a young man. few years
over 1.-The 80 mark. He looks younger, al
most boylsh. An observer of the Thaw
trial pictured him as the man behind the
gun" He was prompting District Attorney
Jerome In some important technical piece
OF evidence In the case. More than once
Mr.. Jerome has spoken OF the careful and
painstaking manner in which this young
man, who was an athlete at Yale and got
his early legal training in the Office OF
Colonel James, got in shape all the evidence
concerning the killing of Stanford White by
Harry K. Thaw.
II never knew OF a case better prepared"
was one remark made by Mr.. Jerome.
In every criminal case. especially the
ones that are taken UP by the newspapers,
an enormous amount Of anonymous infor-
nation is sent to the district attorneys
office. II the case Is properly prepared all
this information unless II Is absurd on it's
face must be investigated 1t has often
been the case that information furnished
anonymously has been very valuable.
Scores Of witnesses who think they have
something to tell are examined only to
show that they know nothing of value. but
are seeking notoriety and feel that by being
a witness Of some kind they will be able
TO get into the court every day and hear
the trial Then there are cranks who look
sane enough, but have only theories which
they expound as facts. In every so-called
big case these persons have to be dis
posed Of before any real work is done, and
all through the preparation Of the case they
have TO be eliminated.
In every important case an extraordinary
amount OF evidence must he gathered which
IS useless at the trial A phase Of the case
pears to be essential turns out, after a
week or more Of inquiry, TO be worthless,
Frequently some little thing, OF which
Z everybody has known about but to which
no one has paid attention develops into a
factor OF the greatest magnitude
In assisting James W. Osborne for the
trial OF Albert T. Patrick Mr.. Garvan went
to more than 200 autopsies to determine the
effect of emblaming fluid on the lungs The
Er-oe VIII
fluid would not have the same effect on the
lungs as chioroform, which killed william
Marsh Rice, fer whose murder Patrick was
convicted. But that was not all. Hun
. dreds OF cats. dogs and other animals wer'
killed for the purpose OF finding out thu
erect OF chloroform administered In diner
ent quantities. At the same time any mum
Der OF slides were made TO illustrate tn
street. OF chloroform on the lungs.
Not a little OF this was done for tn
benefit OF experts who were to testify 70
the prosecution. It also had 10 he dom
10 combat any evidence that the lawyer
for Patrick might introduce on this sub
jeot.
Before Abe IIummel was put on trial o
even indicted for conspiracy In connection
with the Dodge-Morse marriage and di
vorce tangle more than year was devote
10 collecting evidence to be presented Z
the grand jury Charles F. Dodge one o
the chief figures in the conspiracy, wa
FIRST taken out OF the city by those VIII
were interested IN having him put out o
the way. For several months he was &
Texas, spending money as freely as Pitts
burg millionaire He was IN bad shap
physically and az the pace he was goin
Il was a question how long he would live
II was necessary for the district attol
news Office TO know every move Dodge wa
making II was equally necessary tQ kno'
what those around him were doing. Tina
was one OF the things Mr.. Garvan had
look after, as the preparation OF the cas-
was left to him. Different sets Of do
tectIves were employed 10 watch what wa
going on In the end Mr.. Garvan had I
go 20 Texas himself. as EFFORTS had bee
made 10 get Dodge over TO Mexico and OF
OF the way.
After a lot OF trouble involving proceed
ings IN the United States supreme cour
Dodge was brought back to this city
the custody OF several Texas marshall
When he landed here he dropped his ol
lawyers and after that came the trial {
Hummel and his conviction.
When Caesar Young. the boo<maker, wa
shot while riding In a oabNwith Nan Pa
terson. two questions were asked az ono
Who bought the pistol and who took
into the cab? when that had been settle
the prosecution would be nearer the soil