The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-09-02
POISONED PEN"
Woman Gets Hearing in
Bad letter Case.
tPISIlES LEFT UNREAD
Harriet De Witt Denies She Wrote
Them and Easton Residents
Await Developments With
Trepidation

Easton, Pa, Sept Every inch OF
the way in the hearing before United
States Commissioner Turner OF Miss
Harriet Dewitt, OF Easton. charged
with sending slanderous and scurrilous
letters through the mails to scores Of
people IN Easton, is being bitterly con.
tested by counsel for the defense.
When The hearing was begun for
mer Judge w. S kirkpatrick, one OF
the leading lawyers at the Nolthamp
ton county bar. appeared with Mar
shall Miller, of Phillipsburg, n. j., for
Miss Dewitt.
Only three witnesses were heard
They were Rev. Elmer L. Snyder. pas
tor OF Christ Lutheran church. who had
received many OF the anonymous let
tiers. Mrs. David White. a neighbor of
Miss Dewitt. and Valentine Sheen
berger. a postal Inspector
'.uCh time was consumed by Judge
Kirlpatricks DISCRIMINATION Of tie
Witnesses. Several of the letters which
the defendant is accused OF having
w,i,tcn were produced and Identified
by the Witnesses who received them,
but they were not read aloud.
Many OF the most prominent resi-
dents Of Easton are awaiting with
treudal.on tbs 9velopments in the
Poisoned Pen" case.
So lar the authorities have jealousy
guarded She worst of the letters, which
il is asserted were sent by Miss De
Wit. ST.. is the daughter of wealthy
Ceos.e levitt. and which have
Threatened 10 wreck score OF homes.
TIE great question disturbing many
minds N Easton is what will be dis
closed. For ihe Poisoned Pen" made
nay a iauily skeleton dance.
rcxt to IN alleged similarity be-
i..,l ACr handwriting and that Of the
.crrrlous letters. which have been
,...,n~ ir .gr ,eds OF people In the
i.-t ten s~ais. the chief evidence
..lr.t A.-s rcWilt is said to be CON
..fe.l g. s j. Jog 20 member Of thu
Il.S 90 N,t Elncr L. Snyder, accus-
u.. the PASTORS vile Of hanging out
l.a.- a;a so.led. although supposed
icy a,sA. ! 49, the washtub.
Ca, Yard Gave Clue.
Il is coa.cndel that the back yard
ol tie parsonage where the clothes
arc hung caa he seen only from bay
window Of the Dewitt home. a high
board fence hides the back yard from
the street II is admitted that 1t was
this letter which first directed suspi-
oion toward Miss Dewitt.
Sentiment Is strongly divided as to
the guilt Of Miss Dewitt. But. after
years of suspicion cast on several 9TH
er women. there is a determination TO
get to the bottom of the mystery now
If possible and end forever the heart
burnings that have upset so many
households.
The writer OF the anonymous letters
boasted in one of her latest that she
had written fully 1900 missives TO
members of the Evangelical Lutheran
church. telling what she described as
UNPLEASANT truths not only about the
pastor. but about his beautiful young
bride of a year The writer went so
far IS to suggest that Mrs Snyder had
danced in inadequate attire and had
been far from cOnyentionally clothed
when she swept off the front porch.
Several times half hearted attempts
have been made TO trace the writer
since the letters began ten years ago.
Two other women have been informal
ly arraigned before the United States
commissioner. One If them died two
years ago, her death fastened, her
friends assert. by the humiliation Of
the unjust suspicious.
The chief difficulty In the present
case is the absolute lack Of motive on
Miss DeWitt's part. The only explana-
ton Of her luminosity toward the min
lster If any exists, goes back almost
to the time when Mr.. Snyder, just out
Of Lafayette college. took charge OF
the old church ten years ago.
At that time, the neighbOrs say,
Miss Dewitt was "as good as engag-
ed" to 4 young man from Martins
Creek, who was a college and frater-
nifty mate of the young minister When
this man came to Easton he stopped at
the parsonage. After several such Wis
its he ceased to visit Easton, and
whatever attachment there was be.
tween him and Miss Dewitt was
broken or
1t may be that Miss Dewitt blamed
the estrangement on the minister. If
so, he declares he was innocent Of any
desire to come between the couple.
although he admits that he never was
attracted to Miss Dewitt.
As evidence of her innocence. Miss
Dewitt will produce several anony-
nous letters which she SAYS she has
herself received II will be asserted by
the prosecution that they were al.o
written by Miss Dewitt to be produced
in such time Of need as has now ar
rived