Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-30
HYP A0T|SM A DEFENSE
Interesting Criminal Case on
Trial in Baltimore.
DENIES HIS CONFESSION
Defendant Says That Capt. Pun
phrey's- Glasses Did It.
AN EFFECT OF ELECTRIC LIGHT
Had No Recollection Of Making
Written Statement Although He
Acknowledged Handwriting.
N EFFECT OF ELECTRIC LIGHT

BALTIMORE, January 3O-Hypnotism as
a defense In a criminal case was set up by
Attorney William Cotton in the case of
William F. Haase, on trial In the criminal
court on the charge of setting fire to the
plant of the Bennett Pottery Company,
Canton and Central avenues, on September
last.
1t had been testified in the trial, which
began Monday, that the entire case against
Haase rested on written confession which
he had made in the office of Captain OF
Detectives Humphrey. Haase declared in
his testimony last night that he has no
recollection of having made the confession
and that his mind is almost blank from
shortly after he entered Capt. Pun
phreys Office until he was given a needle
bath at the jail some hours later. He said
his mind was affected by the peculiar man.
ner in which an electric light on Capt.
Humphreys desk shone on the captains
eyeglasses.
Haase was called as the first witness at
the second night session of the court held
by Judge DObler for the purpose of expedit-
ing the trial of the case. The session was
called for 1:30 pm, but it was twenty min
utes later when Haase assembled the wit
ness stand. Until 9:21 o'clock Haase was
under direct examination by Mr. Cotton
his counsel. He spoke in slow. deliberate
manner, becoming emphatic when telling
how Capt. Humphrey insisted that he had
set fire to the pottery, notwithstanding his
denials.
The Electric Lights Effect.
II saw a great big man sitting at a
| DESK" Haase said, when asked by Mr.. Col
| ton to tell of what happened in Capt. Pun
| phrey's office. He had an electric light
| on the desk and glasses on his eyes. He
clya 10 7
addressed to Maury & Donnelly after the
fire. 1 told him 1 had not written it. 1 told
him / had written the other two postal
cards at the direction of Mr. Brunt and De-
tective Kratz. Capt. Humphrey declared 1
had written the Maury & Donnelly postal,
and that he could convict me of it before
any jury.
Then Capt. Humphrey asked me why
l had set fire to the pottery. told him
knew nothing about the fire He kept say
Ing: You did write these cards, you did
write these cards, you did set fire to the
pottery. you did, you did, you did, you set
the place on fire you know you did, you
THE light shone on his glasses and he
seemed to be getting nearer and nearer to
ME all the time. Then he put pencil in
my hand, and said: Write did not know
what 1 wrote. 1 did not recover my intel
ligence until was given a bath at the
Jail l do not know what occurred from
the time 1 was in Capt. Humphreys Office
until l was given the bath at the jail. /
have a faint recollection of seeing my sis.
ter, but do not remember seeing anybody
else"
When Haase was shown by Mr.. Cotton
the written confession he said the hand
writing was his. but he had no recollection
of writing it. He also declared he had no
recollection of telling Police Capt. League
at the eastern police station that he was
guilty. Il did not tell anybody 1 was
guilty, Haase went on, because l am not
guilty.
Head Once Injured.
Haase also said that he has headache
about five days a week and has frequently
taken a 25-cent bottle OF remedy between
8 am and l pm. He declared he never
was intoxicated; that he knows nothing
about Maury & Donnelly, the insurance
agents. and nothing of the postal which
was written to them. 1t was common
occurrence for him to walk In his sleep. ne
continued, in answer to his lawyer
questions and had once been injured by a
heavy wash basin falling from shelf on
his head. He has been in jail since Sep
TENDER 20 last.
Beginning his testimony. Haase said he
was twenty-seven years old on October IL
last but he looks much younger. He mas
been married eight years and has one
child living. He had been In the employ
wears at the time of the fire. In reply TO
Mr. Colton's questions he gave a lengthy
explanation Of his work at the pottery. AT
painter and made $3.50 a day. .
II lived about a square from the pottery,
he went on, land on the night OF the nre
l heard the alarm, and when l went 70 tne
door of my house l was told the pottery
was on fire. l ran to the fire bareheaded.
left the place that day at the usua! Time
Cotton waste saturated with coal OIL was
used in the place and was thrown Nv work
was on the third floor and the nre was oh
the second floor"
Interview With Brunt.
Haase then told about his interview with
Mr.. Brunt. manager of the pottery, and De-
tective Kratz. Mr.. Brunt and Detective
Kratz both testified that at this interview
Haase denied writing the Maury & Dom
nelly postal card and also denied all knowl-
edge of how the fire started. After the in
terview Haase was taken to Capt. Pun
phrey's office.
postmaster Harris testified as to the time
when the Maury & Donnelly postal card
passed through the mails on September II.
Mr.. Cotton said when questions asked his
first witness were objected to by Mr.. owens
condition was such as to absolve him from
ALI blame 1--WE will show" Mr.. Cotton
went on, chat Haase received a severe
blow on the head, that he was somnam-
headache. and the confession was sug-
gestion of stronger minds than his. He
never set fire to the building at all"
Three indictments were found against
Haase on the charge Of setting fire to the
pottery on three separate occasions. He Is
being tried on one indictment.
Dr. Charles G. Hill followed Haase on
the stand and was still being questioned at
midnight DIR. Hills testimony consisted
largely In answers to questions concerning
hypnotism Mr.. Cotton attempted to show
that Captain of Detectives Humphrey had
hypnotized Haase by means Of his spec
tacles and bright electric light near his