The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-01-01

New York, December 27.--One uf the
most remarkable and distressing Eases
of mistaken identity eyer brought be-
fore h courts in this city. reached its
climax today when he victim, Mrs.
Alexander Trautman, :he wife tt a
prominent physician, was honorably
discharged after a hearing in police
court. A n after Mrs Trautman
had been given her liberty her &C
cuser, Peter J.. Hogan. a clerk vas
placed under arrest on q charge OF as
sault preferred by Mrs. Trautman. IN
support of her charges that Hogan
treated her roughly when he caused
her arrest, she barred her arm and show
ed the magistrate black and blue marksI
where she said Hogan had seized he..
Mrs Trautman, testified that she wacI
in bed at her home in Lexington ay-i
enue at the time Of the alleged robbery. |
She tsId Of meeting Hogan in the street
on MOnday when he seized her, &c
cUsed her Of the theft and threatened
10 strike her in the face if she tried
20 get ava from him. At the police
station she said she was badly treated.
The police sergeant seemed to take thej
matter as a joke although she dcclarei'
her innocence and sent for persons tO}
Identify her. She said she was kent
in a cell for our hours.
Katie Nevins, Mrs. Trautman'S sefv-j
ant testified that Mrs. TraUtman came
home at 6 p. m. Saturday and Went}
tn bod and ihat che Cqur Hoy in hpft
asleep al 10 p. m. 1t was between g.
and 10 thar the alleged robbery took
place
Secretary Ludden. Of the Westside Y.
NJ. c. A, testified that Hogan reported
ais loss to him and wanted the library
searched for his money saying he had
lost II there
TIE evidence against Mrs. Traut-
man was OF SO fimsy a nature that
Magistrate Finn dismissed the COM
plant wthout the Formally of bringing
The NEST important witness into the
cOurE room.
This witness who is an unwilling one
is knGwn as Kitty Wilson" and she
is almost ii perfect double OF the we-
man who was focused Kitty Wilson
is known to the police and the fact of
her remarkable resemblance to Mrs.
Trausman was recalled soon after the.
investigation of the charge made by
Hogan, was begun. AS a result OF a
search by the police, the missing
double was taken into custody today
and during the ~arraignment she was in
a small adjoining the court room
The necessity Of taking her beforei
Hogan was removed, however, when
Magistrate Finn directed that Mrs.
Trautman Ne h~onorably discharged.
When Hogan was confronted by Kit
" Wilson, alleged to be the double of
Mrs, Trautu1an, he said she was not
the woman who robbed him and tnati
he never saw her before. She was
discharged from custody.
After a consultation Uetneon r~nrious
parties III the case it was decided not
tC press the charge of as5al..t which
had seen preferred again>t Hogan
This decision was reached, it is said,
on the ground that Hogan is not en-
tally responsible. The complaint then
was Withdrawn n Hogan was dis
charged.
The case has attracted wide atten-
ton because of the social prominence
III AnAo AlouN1AAoA d4u uo Ao~1AS IACi
i~ndignities 10 whcih an innocent wo-
man may be subjected on the accusa-
ton of persons who may Or may not
be responsible.
Hogan who is a clerk. seized Mrs
roughly by the arm while
she was looking at a show window, ask
ed if she knew him, threatened her
with physical violence and ended by
on a policeman TO arrest her.
His story was that Saturday evening