The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-26
PLAIN MURDER" SAYS
MRS. HENRY B. HARRIS
Wife of Dead Theatrical Magnate
Will Tell Her Story.

were cruelty murdered That's the
story, the true story, of this awful
wreck | shall tell the world the
second | am able"
These are the words Of Mrs. Henry
b. Harris, widow of the millionaire
theater producer. Mrs. Harris
spoke them between sobs as she
lay on her bed of grief surrounded
by her relatives in her fiower-filled
apartments that look out over Central
park.
No one has begun to tell the
whole truth about the wreck of the
Titanic" Mrs. Harris sobbed. Il
shall appear before the senate in.
Vestigating committee in Washington
and tell what | know. | will wake
the world at last TO the real horror
of this disaster.
Il was the last woman to leave
the deck of that ship. | was put
into a collapsible boat along with
two other women and scores of the
crew. Women and husbands-and
our husbands were torn from us SO
the men of the crew might go along.
But | am glad that | waited.
had few extra minutes with my
husband-and | learned why that
boat went to her grave learned of
the carelessness with which she was
handled, which amounts to murder
plain, cold-blOoded murder. | want
TO tell the country my story. | want
blame to be fixed where it belongs.
The men who are responsible for
this crime must pay for it, And
l shall do all in my power to see
that they DO"
Woman in a Serious Condition.
But it will DE long time before
Mrs. Harris is able to testify, accord
ing to her attorney, Max d. Steuer,
who has charge of her affairs. She
is in a most serious condition, he
says, as result of her terrible
exposure and fall she received
while still on board the Titanic.
Il had watched the women get in
to the boats" Mrs. Harris said, land
finally | had to go, too. They said
| asked my husband the time and he
took out his watch. 1t was exactly
twenty minutes past two.
I'VE were standing alongside of
Major Butt. We had been helping
him put the people into the boats.
Major Butt was the real leader in
all that rescue work. He made the
men stand back and help the women
and children in. But he was never
rough, as had been said. He was
simply authoritative in the most
courteous manner | have ever seen.
He surely was one OF Gods noble
men.
Praise For Major Butt.
AS | was lowered in the boat
after | had kissed my husband that
last terrible goodbye, / watched the
major as he stood by Mr. Harris.
He was motionless without a trace
of fear i'm his eyes. Just ten min
utcs later, watched the waves
sweep ever them-my husband and
the maior-as they both stood at at
tention like the heroes that they
were
Major Butt never fired a shot as
had been said; he acted the part of
the greet est hero, the hero whose
heart is as tender as his soul is
brave"
Mrs. Harris declaration that she
knows the truth about the sinking
else knows it, comes as a complete
surprise.
Comes as Surprise.
1t had not been generally known
that she was the last woman to be
lifted from the death-ridden decks
until late Saturday, she had been too
i'll to talk. And now she can go
but little into detail.
1T was just plain murder-down-
right and terrible" she repeated
over and over again. And | will
prove it to the world the minute |
can gather the strength to tell it all.
1t is story that every one
must know SO that the 1000 poor
souls who are lying in those unfath-
omed caves shall not go unavenged.'
Crook a Titanic Victim.
New York, April 22.-Known to
the police of two continents as 1.-The
worlds greatest crook" Harry Sill
berberg-known also as Silverton
and Silverthorne and by a dozen
aliases-went down in the giant liner
Titanic when that vessel was sunk in
the greatest marine disaster the
world has ever seen. Prospective
rich prey among the millionaire
passengers apparently induced SLIDER
berg to make the trip, according to
the survivors 1t was the last vOy-
age of the famous transatlantic gam
bier, who on a score of occasions
had posed as J.. Coleman Drayton,
once the son-in-law of the late
William Astor. He was known
throughout two continents as one of
the cleverest of swindlers, forgers
and card sharps and gained fame in
Minneapolis nine years ago when,
while leading dual life, he mar
led the step-daughter of a million