The Washington herald., 1907-04-24
HARTMAN ON STAND
TeStiiies as TO "Where-D0-I-
Stand" EpiStle.
TRIED TO SUPPRESS LETTER
Wall street Finaneier Declares He
Was Told by One Paper Nothing
Would BE Done with Transcribed
Notes Furnished by Former Stem
srapber-Decision May 1.

New York, April BE. H. Hartman
was on the. witness stand Ia the Tombs
Police Court this afternoon in the fourth
hearing of the case Of his former stenog-
rapher, Frank W. Hin who is charged
with having sold the famous Where do I
stand?" letter 10 local morning news
paper. Magistrate Wahle said al the close
Of the examination that he would give
| former Magistrate Ommen, HIS counsel,
until April p to submit briefs The de-
cision in the case will be given May / at ?
O'Clock in the afternoon by Magistrate
Wahle. in the Jefferson Market Police
Court.
Mr. Ommea asked Mr. Hartman if he
had ever shown the letter to any one be
| fore its publication The latter said that
he had shown it "a person IN his Office Mr..
ommen wanted to know wbo this was,
/ Here Mr.. Krotel broke IN with:
1T is immaterial If Mr. Hartman did
show the letter II dida't give the clerk
the right to tear his stenographic notes
out Of the book and sell them for publica-
/ ton. The statute prohibits a clerk OF
lanybody else from taking letter for that
purpose. Now. Judge. I don't want this
witness 'hippodromed. It is absolutely
iimmaterial to whom Mr. Hartman showed
the letter. The statute does not prohibit
a man showing his private correspondence
to whom he pleases, but it does prohibit
an employe from doing so"
objection Sustained.
/ Magistrate Wahle sustained the objec-
/ ton. Mr. Hartman was then asked If
it was not true. as Justin McGrath, mar
/ aging editor of the New York American,
had previously testified, that a man had
/ sent Il reporter to him 20 ask permission
to publish the letter, explaining that it
had been offered 70 the paper through the
medium of Hin. Mr.. Hartman said that
/ no reporter came TO him personally, but
/ such a request had been made to him
/ through one OF his subordinates and was
! refused. Mr.. Hartman said that a week
/ later. when he learned that Hill had
given the letter 20 the New York World
+ and that the latter paper had it in type
/ ready 70 use, he had brought every in
/ fueaee 20 bear 20 keep it from being
/ printed. When il seemed certain that his
/ efforts would meet failure. Mr. Hartman
/ said that he called al the American Office
shortly after o'clock the next morning
and talked presumably with MT Ne
Grath, and told him the situation Ac-
cording 10 the witness. the editor replied
I that he thought the American didn't in-
/ tend doing much with the letter that
morning.
ITO my intense surprise" MIR Harri-
man said. smiling ana biting his lip as if
greatly amused. ''the morning In question
] saw the letter spread all over the front
page Of the paper"
Upon subsequent reflection, the AmeTi-
cans powers-that-be probably changed
their estimate Of the letters Importance, 20
added Mr.. Krotel. with a laugh
Hartman "a Good witness.
Mr.. Hartman was then excused.
Throughout the questioning. the fnancisr
appeared very much at ease, and showed
no signs Of nervousness.
Alexander Millar. Mr. Harriman's sec
Rotary, was the next witness. He gave
additional testimony as 10 the number Of
copies Of the original letter. Mr.. Mnlar
said there was a letter press copy Of the
original. a typewriter copy Of the origi-
nal and a carbon copy of the latter One
W liieSe' Ht salu' ID hoM III eNiuchNci anu
the other three are IN his possession and
have never left IL.
Magistrate Wahle said at the conclu-
sion of the examination that this case
would be given exceptional consideration.
not from the fact OF the prominence of
the persons concerned alone, but that il
Was a pioneer proceeding He said that
it is d question how far the State of New
York, by a criminal statute, may 80 in
protecting a mans private papers mas
much as the Federal government, through
its copyright laws. does the same thing