Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-05-16
AMUSING ANSWERS
IN HANSEN TRIAL
Willie HuntSman Proves a YER
bose and Entertaining Wit
ness for Defense.
NET RESULTS OF TESTIMONY
Half Dozen Witnesses Examined
With But Little Light Thrown
On PostOnice Arson Case.

The case Of the United states against
Frank Hansen. charged with burning
the Fillmore postohice on Sept. 6. 1908.
is still dragging along in the federal
court, the net results OF this morning S
session being apparently very little In
! favor Of either side. Half dozen
witnesses were examined on behalf Of
the defense, Hansen having concluded
his testimony Saturday afternoon The
| main witness this morning was Willie
Huntsman. nephew OF the defendant.
who gave his age as Il. Willie said lac
had been attending school for IL years,
the last few of which being at the b.
Y. university at Provo. The witness
was extremely loquacious In his replies
10 counsel. both for the defense and
during cross examination by the dis
trict attorney; so much SO, in fact. that
he was instructed by the court To mere
ly answer the questions propounded.
without the profuse illumination OF eX-
cessiVe verbosty one Of Willie's
amusing answers To District Attorney
Booths questions as to his whereabouts
with relation TO the scene Of the fire
on the night of Sept 8. was TO the eff
feet that he was standing about 40
feet perpendicular TO the fire"
Frank Rasmussen was the first Wit
ness called by the defense. He told
Of a conversation he had with some
girls In the park on the night Of the
fire, but nothing Of any consequence
was ELECTED from the witness.
John Kelly postmaster at Fillmore.
was recalled. Mr. Kelly said that tie
morning after the fire temporary
headquarters for the postofIice was cs-
tablished In the room adjoining tho
drug store. Immediately across the
street from the burned building Tho
letter deposit box I'm the new quar-
tcrs consisted only OF a plain box with
no slot arranged through which the
letters were TO be dropped. Witness
said In response 10 questions by Judge
MarioneauX that Il was possible for
anybody 10 reach into the box and eX
tract letters with the hand
DEWITT RAYS TESTIMONY.
Clinton Dewitt Ray. formerly a
school teacher at Fillmore, now resid-
ing I'm Salt Lake City. testified as to the
contour Of the land up and down the
street on which the postonice was l1-
Gated. He said that 1t would have
been impossible for n person standing
150 feet down the street to have seen
anything coming out from near the
postoffice. On account OF the rise i'm the
foliage OF the limbs Of trees interver-
ing on the sidewalk Ray admitted that
he had not been "a resident OF FIJI
more since 1906 but said he had been
there off and on since that time.
Peter Beauregard was recalled. In
reply 70 questions by Judge MarioneauN
he said that Frank Hansen had taken
him into the postohice building 20
show him a broken lock. but not on
the day preceding the fire. Witness
said he remained at home all that sun
day, and ara not see Hansen until the
afternoon OF the next day.
Joe wade was recalled. but nothing
or Importance was ELECTED from this
witness but the fact that he attended
the races on the Sunday before the
fire
VERBOSE WITNESS
Willard Huntsman, II years Old and
nephew OF Frank Hansen, was the neat
witness. lie said he had attended |
school since he was 6 years old. the
last few years at Provo. He described |
infinitely his dongs on the night Of tho
FIRE having attended a party that eve
ming He left the party at about l2;to |
in the morning, and proceeded toward |
the postofflce which he perceived TO he |
on fire. he ran around the building,
and saw the flames emerging from the |
side Of the postoffiCe under the shed. |
He ran around 10 the back, looking in !
the window Of the sample room as he |
passed and saw a htckering In tn |
room which looked ike cloth burning /
The sample room, he said, was lined !
with cloth lie saw no one about the |
building Saw a stack OF cement sacks |
uudcr the shed. near where the flames |
came out Left the building and after /
telling the young lady who accom- |
panied him % run one way shouting |
FIRE. he ran the other way and shouted |
FIRE.
reference 20 the postofiic;' asked Dist.
Atty. Booth.
II was standing about 40 feet
perpendicular to the building replied /
the witness.
Witness said he could have put the
fire out az the time he first saw 1t with
his hat
"You did not try it?" said Col Booth.
mo, / didn't want to spoil my hat
said the witness
willard Huntsman was the next wit
ness He said ne had beon in the mer-
chandising business all his life, and
conducted store at Fillmore. His |
store was located just across from tho
postoffice. He was awakened on the night
of the fire by hearing shouts ~ fire, |
and he arose and ran to the postofiice IN |
his Undertaking He went into the
public room Of the postofico and pass
ed through the door leading 20 the
sample room In the rear. The door
from the passage 10 the postofice was
locked and he could not effect en-
trance. When ne found he could not |
get into the postoffice, he ran back 10
his room whore he finished dressing
and returned 20 the fire He went 20
his barn afterward. where he found
Duncan sleeping on some hay.
this nuiUf Judge Marshall