The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-13
FRANK HANSON
NOW On TRIAL
Ex-Postmaster Charged With
Theft and Destruction Of
United States Mail.
SOME STRONG TESTIMONY
AT THURSDAYS SESSION
No Difficulty i'll Securing Jury
and Case Is Progressing
Rapidly.

postmastcr of Fillmore, Utah, on the
charges of theft of the United States
mail and stamps and the destruction
of government property by setting on
fire tho building occupied by the post
Office. was begun. This case has be-
came quite celebrated in the legal an
mails Of Utah because of the many Pc
culiar circumstances and incidents sur
rounding III and the fact that the de-
fendnnt is brother OF Willard Hanson,
former county attorney and George
Hanson. secretary TO United states
Senator George Sutherland
panied by his brother, Willard, Judge
Powers, Thomas Marioncaux and M
M Warner, his counsel. The govern
ment was represented by United States
District Attorney H. r. Booth and his
assistant William NJ McCrea. The Sc
curing of a jury was accomplished IN
about thirty minutes and after the
opening statement by Attorney Booth,
who said the prosecution expected TO
prove concluslveIy by circumstantial
evidence tho guilt Of Hanson, tho tax"
ing of testimony began.
First Witness Called,
Tho first witness called was y. G..
Kelly, present postmaster at Fillmore,
who testified that Hanson came to the
postoflice about clock on the after
noon OF the day of the FIRE. He was
about TO close the postof1ice when Han
son called and offered to put up the
shutters on the outer window. THIS
tho postmaster refused. Then he took
the postmaster TO room IN the rear to
show him where 4 lock had been broken
hy "A burglar and he seemed to take a
good deal of notice of the arrange
ment Of tho rooms.
Miss Hazel Beauregard of Fillmore
was the next witness and she told of
having mailed letter to her brother
in Salt Lake City on the afternoon Of
the day the postoffice was burned, She
was shown letter and identified it as
the one she mailed and said she
thought it was burned IN the fire.
IN the opening statement IT was an
nouDccd that the Beauregard letter was
found in Hauson's house.
Former Sheriff Black said on hearing
the alarm of fire he ran 10 the post
Office and tried 10 enter The building
but The fire was too strong. He then
tried to get to the window so that he
could get records that were kept on q
table near it. but the flames burst out
and he was driven back.
III this point recess was taken un-
III p. IN,
Upon resuming, Sheriff Black. under
discrimination. said he met Hanson
the day after The fire. He was indig
uant and ntimated that the sheriff
had made a statement that she had
burned up tho postofice." This the
sheriff denied
Some Damaging Testimony.
ira Warner, young man about 20,
was next called and he gave some dam
aging testimony He stated that about
] 30 on the night of the fire. about
half Il block from the postoffice, he
met Hanson. Hanson was not dressed
pulled down over his eyes, his coat col
lar was pulled up, he wore no collar
or tie. and witness had never seen him
dressed that way before Twice the
witness said, "Good evening" TO Han
son. and got no reply Then he
grabbed his hat and recognized the
former postmaster. Hanson told War
ncr TO ''mind his own business He
walked with Hanson to the end of
the block and the latter said he was
going to Lon Huntsman IS. Witness left
Hanson and met friend. Winnie
Trimble, and he asked him to 20 over
and see if he knew Hanson, which he
did. The defendant, instead Of going
in tho direction of Huntsman's house
turned toward tho postoffjce The wit.
ness followed him and saw him go into
the wagon shed between Stevensss store
and tho postoffice Witness went into
the shed, but could not find Hanson,
He thought perhaps he had gone TO the
park, so the witness climbed the fence
and got into the park, but he could
not md Hanson there. Warner got
but had not fallen asleep when his sis,
ter came and told him, "Stevens s
store is burning down. Abont half
an hour after he arrived at the FIRE
Hanson came. He was then attired
in a stiff hat, with collar and tie and
a black suit.
Long Cross ss-Examination.
The cross examination of the witness
conducted by Judge Marioueaux was
protracted but did not particularly az
feet the material facts Of tho direct
examination. There was much @ u,rese ones
tlonlng as to the light that night of
the IRE; as to distances and at what dis
tance witness could recognize apy one
and AS TO time. Witness said he was
suspicious of Hanson because he had
never seen him dressed that way be-
fore; but lots of us fellows dress up
peculiarly and 90 and have fun with
the boys and the girls IN the park he
added. After the fire broke out he was
suspicious that Hanson was responsible
Tor it.
The night after the fire witness met
iuS uelSHuanJ. Hanson said rumOrS
were about that he had burned the post
Office. You know when went home, -
said Hanson Witness replied, 'T know
when ] left you.' Hanson continued:
IS was, home in bed hours before the
fire broke ont. - Again Hanson said:
., was lying in bed reading and heard
the tre alarm, and his last statement
was that nc 'fsmelt straw burning"
Winnie Trimble, the friend that the
previous witness met when ne left Han
son, told story similar in detail to
that of Warner, except that when he
went over to see Hanson in his disguise
he did not know who he was until War
ner informed him on his return He
did not see Hanson enter the wagon
shed at the postoffice.
Joe Wade. the next witness, said he
sas at the fire but found that nothing
,ould be done to snvo the postofice and
he worked to saye the adjoining build
ing. He saw nothing taken from tho
postoffcc building.
Charles 1.aver, ex-city marshal of Fill.
more, was next called and his appear