The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-27
Especial to The rimcs-pispatch.I !

II.
Albany, y. Y. February 26-John
! Nicholson .Anhut, twcnty-ninc years
old, lawyer, with less than FIVE months
practice in this State. confirmed tho
Thaw bribery expose under oath before
the Carlisle committee to-day. Hc
swore:
That lie was handed a contingent
retainer OF $4,000 TO bring about the
liberation of Harry I< Thaw from the
asylum at Matteawan by II. y. Hcn-
mat superintendent John r. Rus
sell of Matteawan. sought to secure
from him 100000 Of the fec for his
influence in procuring Thaw's release,
ihat he refused TO negotiate will,
Russell.
That in accordance with contract
with Hoffman lie paid back $4,000, bc
cause he was unable TO get Thaw freed
| by last New Years DAY.
That unless Thaw is out OF Mattea
wan by July he will have to return
10 HOFFMAN the balance of SlO.70o"
Gus {. Rocder. reporter for a New
York newspaper. told the committee
now he got the tip from Thaw person :
any AT Matteawan. of the plan to make
him free. Ffe swore he heard Or. Rus
sen cnarse Secretary William F. Clark,
oil the carlisle committee, at Mattea-
wan with having used Governor Sui
zer's name 10 secure Thaw's release.
Clash OF NitneSscs.
Clark ana Roedcr. newspaper friends
OF long standing, clashed on every ma :
tcrial point except the misuse of Gov
ernor Suffers name Clark had CHARGED
Eoedcr with being the publicity agent
for the so-callcd prison ring" Roedcr.
entering emphatic denial said he had
seen Joseph i. Scott, alleged head OF
the ring, six times in his life Further
n S,,I
told him bluntly to his face that he
was making a mistake in at
tacking the political head of the
prison department. Roeder lodged no
questions. His memory Was good and
his statements clear.
Anhut. on the stand to-day, and Rus
sell and Clark. examined earlier in the
week, had declined to answer questions
that would have heightened their
stories.
Anhut, dapper little man with a
tiny moustache, and ludicrous in
comparison with Littlcton Delmas.
Shearn and other lawyers who have
sought unsucccssfully TO bring about
Thaw,s freedom, took refuge in the
fact that his relations with Thaw were
those of attorney and client
From any standpoint, it was a
tangled mess of evidence the commit
teemen bundled up and took along
with them as they caught an early
afternoon train for Matteawan to see
how much Thaw himself could or
would tell tRem
Talked With Ihau.
Anhuts story of being retained In
the Thaw case dated from a pcriod
last June or July when the Thaw
habeas corpus proceedings were on. He
was introduced 10 DR.. Russell at a
White Plains hotel at that time. lie
talked with Thaw in the latter part of
october regarding the plans to secure
his liberation on certificate of
sanity. The matter of the retainer
was arranged later by Hoffman, acting
for Thaw. The retainer was in the
form of $4,000 cash and the balance
in Consolidated Gas Company's stock,
valued at 100000.
Telling how DR.. Russell sought to
declare himself in on the Thaw re-
tainer Anhuts testimony ran as fol-
lows:
II was in a auandary just as to
what way I wanted to proceed What
really wanted was jury trial. but
knew the man wanted to talk to.
who ] had heard often discuss Thaw
and Thaws sanity. was DR. Russell
and DIR. Russell had recommended
me. l thought had best get in touch
with him
Russell came TO New York at Anhut's
invitation, and at the Plaza Hotel. ac-
cording to Anhut. they talked about
Thaw and the retainer Russell advised
delay in reopcning the case, wing, ac-
cording to Anhut:
"aty boy. YOU don't want to do that.
What you want to do is wait This
is altogether too soon; YOU are going
to start something too sc on after the
other hearing. Wait until t dies down:
wait ~ while"
With the prospect of 10 ding sl2.50O
jf Fhaw was still in the hospital in
January. advice of this bind was not
to Anhut's liking. but he waited.
October 1G came. however: time was
getting short, and he had made no pro-
gress toward Thaw's release. He sent
again for Russell, and Russell again
came to New York. This time they met
at the Astor House.
"Good as Half a Doxen.v
I'VE talked about the Thaw case
said Anhut. and ] asked him IL he
had had time to get the list OF alien
- a 4.