The star and Newark advertiser., 1908-06-11
Comedian Acquitted on Helen
Won Hagen's Charge, Wife
Sobs 'I'm SO Happy"
MAY ESCAPE TRIAL ON
FOUR OTHER INDICTMENTS
Second Sensational Accusation
to Fall-Tombs Prisoners
Rejoice with Actor.
Especial to the Evening start

NEW YORK, June 11.-Raymond
Hitchcock, the comedian, was today
found not guilty by the jury which
tried him on the charge made by Helen
Won Hagan, a young girl. Later he
was released on $500 bail.
When the jury annOunc ced its verdict
Hitchcock's beautiful wife, Flora Ia
belle, was standing at his side and she
clasped his hands, and as tears filed her
eyes she cried. "Oh, Pm so haDpy--sO
happy!"
1t was the second similar trial Hitch
cock stood, the first one being on
charges made by Elsie Voecks, another
young girl, at which time he was ac-
Quilted.
When the verdict was announced to-
day the actors counsel moved that
Hitchcock be admitted to the bail
which he had formerly given. When
This trial started Justice Goff ordered
that he be locked up in the Tombs, and
he has been a prisoner since. There
are four more indictments against him,
all on charges made by young girls.
Justice Golf said he would admit
Hitchcock to bail, but the hour was so
early that he was remanded to the
Tombs until his bondsmen could arrive
and furnish security
When Hitchcock reached the Tombs
prison, after his acquittal he was the
centre of another remarkable demon
stration. The hundreds of prisoners,
who were aware that the jury In his
case was out had remained awake all
night to hear the verdict. When he
announced that he had been freed a
small cheer started in the cells near
est to the entrance, which grew in vol
ume as it's import became known to
those locked in the upper tiers, until
the big building echoed with the din.
AS Hitchcock passed to his cell the
shouts continued and every prisoner
he passed on his way reached out
through the bars to shake his hand.
While the four other indictments
were mentioned by Assistant District
Attorney Garvan, it is not believed that
Hitchcock will be tried again, at least
not for some time The story the actor
and his witnesses told of the attempts
which had been made to blacl<mail him
had apparently carried much weight
with the jury. One of the most con-
vincing things in his behalf was the
arrest of Elsie Voecl1s's brother in the
act of taking $1,000 in marked bills
from Hitchcock, sum which he had
demanded under the threat to expose
the actor.
Much of the evidence in the recent
trial depended on the room in the house
in Forty-first street which Hitchcock
had rented He testified that he had
secreted his valet behind curtain
there when he had Elsie Voecks and
Helen Won Hagen there, and that the
valet heard his conversation with the
girls. The actor said that he had heard
that these girls had been circulating
stories about him and he wished to
make them stop it. In the room, he
said, he had threatened them with
prosecution unless they stopped it,
On the witness stand the two girls
declared that they saw no curtain in
the room behind which the valet could
hide. But their testimony was out
weighed by that of the actor, his valet
and the maid employed in the house,
all of whom testified that there was
curtain there.