Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-27
DREW WITNESSES At ODDS
GIRLS UNCLE AND FRANK
SMITH CONTRADICTORY.
Stories Do Not Agree Regarding
Movements Of Teal's Pond
Victim.

| TROY. July 27.-william Taylor, uncle
| Of Hazel Drew, the victim of the Teal's
pond murder mystery. and Frank Smith
the farmer boy Of Taborton road. fatty
| contradicted each other yesterday during
rigid cross-examination by District At
| torney OBrien. Taylor became badly
confused at one point during the in
QUESTION and tangled himself all up.
This was while he was trying to tell
when it was that he first heard Of his
niece's disappearance from Troy. He
and Smith made directly opposite asser-
| tions as to the last visit made by Hazel
to her uncles home. Taylor insisting that
he last saw the girl in January, and
Smith maintaining that she was there in
April.
| Taylor finally admitted he was not so
positive about Hazels visit.
Smith Admits Depravity.
Smith made an admission as to his NOR
al tendencies that astOunded the district
attorney and made him declare that the
farmer youth was possessed of a most
vicious mind. In answering the district
attorneys questions Taylor showed a dis
position to tell as little as possible.
| At the conclusion of the examination,
|
torney allowed the men to go until the in
quest today, but declared he did not con-
| slider that they had cleared themselves
of suspicion. The inquest starts at l
! o'clock pm. today at Wanger'S Hotel,
| Averil Park, about two miles from the
| scene of the tragedy. Coroner Strope has
| summoned twenty-eight witnesses and
the inquest will occupy at least two days.
| When the district attorney asked Tay-
Tor. at the beginning Of the examination,
when he last saw Hazel he promptly re-
piled: Last January"
| ''She was not there in April?'
mo"
Taylor Is Not Sure.
The district attorney hammered away
at this until Taylor. shifting uneasily
in his chair, blurted out: well, don't
think she was there then. If she was
nobody told me of it,"
"She couldn't have been there without
your knowing it," asked Mr.. O'Brien.
NO" assented Taylor, II don't think
she could
The district attorney remarked that
John Abel, the Averill Park hackman,
had stated positively that he took Hazel
to Taylors home with another girl in
April.
Il tried to convince him. after Hazers
death. that he was mistaken" replied
Taylor. HE told me he knew she had
gone there. and I said he couldn't get
i
Taylor recalled four visits Hazel had
made at his home. The last visit he
| could remember, he said. was last De-
cember, when she came to his home i'll.
Taylor said she remained in bed. at
tended by her sister-in-law. Mrs. Joseph
Drew. for nearly two weeks, but he
never asked what allied her.
Brother Left Suddenly.
! Joseph Drew. Hazers brother who had
1 hoon % x,lor
suddenly a short time after Hazers de-
parture. the uncle said. and when pressed
for the reason. explained that he and
Drew had spat. He could not recall
what induced the quarrel. Asked when
he first learned that Hazel was missing,
! Taylor said he heard Wednesday. July g.,
| that Hazel had started toward Teafs
pond Then he changed it and guessed
| 1t was the following Monday, when some
| one told him she was dead
| He remembered that Wednesday Frank
| Richmond. who succeeded Joe Drew at
his farm, asked him if Hazel had been
| at the farm the night before. He told
Richmond he had not seen her. Taylor
| admitted that he left the house Tuesday
night. but said it was only for fifteen
minutes or SO. when he went to the wood
| shed. Richmond and his wife were get
ting ready to go out when he entered the
house. He remained in the rest of the
night, he said, retiring about 10 o'clock.
Heard Hazel Had Been Found.
He met Smith in the village Sunday,
he said. and Frank told him he thought
Hazel's body had been found in the pond
Taylor admitted he made no move to go
to the undertaking establishment and
identify the body. The reason for this.
he explained was that he had no idea
Hazel was dead.
The district attorney remarked that it
seemed strange that Taylor showed so
little interest in his nieces fate, and
Taylor replied:
Il guess 1t was little slack in me-"
Frank Smith insisted that he could
not be mistaken about Hazels visit to
her uncle in April. He saw Abel drive
her and her girl COMPANION to Taylors
home Hazel visited Smiths home, he
said. during her stay at her uncles
farm. and his father and mother were
| there at the time.
Smith then accounted for his move
ments the night of the murder. He told
| of driving along the road past Tears
pond about Z pm. with Rudolph Gun
derman and seeing Hazel Drew, who
| addressed him with Hello, Frank" At
| Averill Park station. he said, he met
| Frank Richmond and said to him: II
see you've got company at the house to-
| night" He meant by this, he explained
| that he thought Hazel intended calling
| on her uncle.
On his way home he stopped at Grapes
Hotel and had two glasses of whisky and
two Of beer. He ran to a drug store on |
wager that he could get there buy |
| postal card and reach the hotel again in |
fifteen minutes. and lost by minute |
He had no distinct recollection of when
he started for home, but was sure he was |
in bed by midnight. He stoutly declared |
that he met no one on the way home.
Did Not See Hazel Drew.
Are you quite sure YOU did not see |
Hazel Drew after you left the hotel?" |
demanded Mr.. O'Brien |
II didn't see her." replied Smith.
The next day. Smith continued, he |
learned that Hazel had not gone to |
Taylor's house. He began wondering |
where she had gone and recalled that |
a brother of hers. Will Drew had been
stopping at the home of Mrs. Michael |
Sewalsky. who lives on the road lead |
ing past Teafs pond. Three days be- |
fore the body was found he saw Mrs. |
Sewalsky and asked If Hazel had called |
there. She said she had not seen Hazel
Despite his apparent eagerness to |
learn where Hazel had gone, Smith ad- |
mitted that when her body was found |
he was in no hurry to identify it. He |
thought he recognized the girls light |
hair and her dress when she was taken |
from the pond. but said he thought II |
best to keep his ideas to himself