The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-04
Miss of Seventeen Accused OF
Murder Admits She Secreted
Herself.
MIIRDERESS MAY BE PUT
ON STAND BY THE STATE
Youthful Defendants knOwl.
edge of English Language
Is Moot Question.
Ry Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
CAMBRIDGE. Mass, Dec. 5.-The
feature of the single session today OF
trial of Hattie lie Blanc, the French
Canadian girl of II years, who rs on
trial at the East Cambridge court house
for the murder Of Clarence +. Glover,
Waltham laundry proprietor, was an
animated legal controversy between Dis
trict Attorney John j. Higgins. the
chief prosecuting officer. and Melvin
NJ. Johnson, chief counsel for the ae-
cused girl
The contest was over the admission
Of evidence which is considered OF eN'
treme Importance to the prosecution.
This evidence concerns the statements
alleged to have been made by Hattie
lie Blanc in the Wal,ham police station
immediately after she was discovered
hiding under bed in the Glover home
on the night following Glover g funeral.
The argument between counsel WIS
precipitated when one Of the witnesses.
Samuel B. Elmore, Mrs. Glover s attor.
ney, was on the witness stand and was
questioned as to what Hattie said at
the police station,
Denies Shooting Glover.
It transpired that Hattie was asked
the direct question 'Did you shoot
Mr.. Glover7'
"No." replied the girl in English.
She also said, 81 had no revolver to
kill with. -
This was brought out during the ar.
guments before Judge Bond and the
Jury did not hear the evidence.
Mr. Johnson objected to the introduc-
tiou of the question and answers bear.
ing on these statements on the ground
that his client did not understand Eng
lish at that time and that whatever she
said WAS through an Interpreter. This
interpreter is now in Canada and has re
fused TO come to Massachusetts, TO tes-
tify.
The district attorney maintained that
the prisoner understood English at the
time of her arrest
Attorney Elmore told the story Of
tho discovery of Hattie LIE Blanc under
n bed in the Glover home on the night
after Glover's funeral. Soon after the
girl had been taken from under the
bed, Elmore asked her, he said:
Hattie, have you been under there
three days" to which she replied:
"Oui, three days.
ooh, no. Hattie you could not have
been there three days" aud she again
replied:
"Oui.
Wants Murderess Summoned.
In describing the defendant s ap-
pearance, Elmore said that her cloth.
ing was wrinkled and untidy, and that
her hands were black. He told of a
black mark on the index finger of tho
right hand.
DR.. Utlcy, the physician at the East
Cambridge Jail. was called to tell of
Hattie s knowledge of English.
He said she spoke English fairly well
and complied with any request in that
language.
The district attorney asked for a
writ of habeas corpus for the appear
ancc in court Of Mrs. Elizabeth Rich
mond. convicted murderess who is
serving life sentence. Mrs. Richmond
knew Hattie lie Blanc in the East
Cambridge Jail, and the district attor.
ney wishes to show through her testiI-
mony that the defendant could both
speak and understand the English Ian
guage Judge Bond said he could an
nounce his ruling on the evidence on
Monday. to which date he ordered court