The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1909-07-30
Clifford Hartndge Is
Gioing Damaging
estimony
BIG MONEY PAID
Lawyer Was Paid More Than Hundred
Thousand and Is Suing For Ninety.
three Thousand More Susan Merrill
Says She Got $4,000 to Square
Thaw With Abused Girls.
VAlWHITE PLAINS, N. Y.
wv July 29.-Pale and some


July 29.-Pale and some
what haggard although
still confident of his ability to
prove himself sane and to secure
his final release from the asylum
Harry X. Thaw appeared in the
supreme court room today for
the second days examination by
District Attorney Jerome. The
examination was delayed a few
moments while his attorney call
ed Clifford w. Hartridge, Thaw's
former counsel. 1t was from
Hartridge that Susan Merrill said
she received $4,000 to be hand
ed women alleged to have been
abused by Thaw in her New York
lodging house. The money she
testified came from the Thaw
family.
This morning Mr.. Morschauser
tried to get possession Of the books
containing the accounts of these pay
ments, which Mrs Merrill said she
had turned over to Hartridge. He
failed because the witness said the
account books had been destroyed and
other memorandum books lost.
ThaW's attorney brought out the fact
that Hartridge was suing Mrs. William
Thaw for a balance claimed for his
legal services which he alleges con-
sisted largely in suppressing revela-
tions damaging to Thaw and his
family.
Replying to questions by Jerome,
Mr.. Hartridge said he paid out con-
siderable sums of money and that his
instructions were general and did not
come from Mr.. Thaw. Mr.. Hartridge
was not instructed as to whom he
should pay the money. He added that
Thaw gave him small amounts Of
money for Mrs. Merrill and sent word
to her that "Mr. Reid says to say
nothing. s 4
Mr. Hartridge was also to tell Mrs.
Merrill to keep quiet about what hap
pened In her house and to keep every
body else quiet and to obtain her let
ters to "Mr. Reid.
Mr.. Hartridge said he received a
mysterious telegram from Thaw ad-
dressed to Roger O'Meara, ex-chief of
detectives of Pittsburg directing him
to get three tin boxes kept by GER
tain Miss Bell in "the Highlands"
exchange in that city. Let nobody
else have them" said the message to
Mr.. O'Meara. Another message con-
tained in this telegram told Miss
Bell" to deliver the boxes to Mr.. o.
Meara and cautioned her also to "let
nobody else have them.
Were you ever sent to anybody by
Thaw to get whip?" asked Jerome.
NO, said Hartridge.
Mr.. Hartridge produced the official
manuscript of several statements
which Thaw gave to the newspapers
in 1906. Thaw's counsel objected to
the reading of some of these state
ments but in one case requested that
Mr.. Jerome be allowed to read the
paper to the court.
On scross examination Mr.. Nor
schauser reverted to Hartridge's suit
against Mrs. VIM. c. Thaw. "It in
wolves about $4,000 now" remarked
the witness, "but it may involve
more"
Hartridge admitted that he had. al
ready received 100000 from Mrs.
Thaw but said it was for various pur-
poses.
Susan Merrill was recalled and Mr..
Jerome examined her along the lines
Of her previous testimony alleging<
that Thaw f1ogged young women at
her lodging house. She described the
case of one young girl in particular
whom she said she saw treated in this
when Mr.. Thaw went
away" she said, che left money for
this girl and for others. I saw three
girls whipped in all" she asserted