The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-24
CONNOLLY HITS BACK
AT HALLERAN TRIAL
Borough President Of Queens
Denies All Divorce
Case Charges.
PROMINENT MEN AID HIM
Justice Kelby Warns Filan,
Plaintiffs Witness, of Penalty
for Perjury.

Maurice r. Connolly. Borough Presi-
dent Of Queens. who Is the correspondent
In Aloysius q. Halleran's counter sui. for
divorce, testified yesterday at the trial
before Justice Kelby In Long Island City
and produced witnesses who contradlcted
the charges made by Haileran. whose
wife Is a sister OF Mrs. Connolly.
Mr.. Connolly denied that he had
visited the Halieran home on March l..
1913. leaving the house by one door as
Halleran entered by another. as Halieran
charged. and that he went there on the
following night to get coat that In his
hurried departure on the previous night
he had left behind.
To account for his movements on
March I Mr.. Connolly produced John w.
Mcdonald. an examiner for the Board OF
Estimate and Apportionment Charles II
Hyde. former City Chamberlain: George
NJ. Curtis. Jr.. Assistant Corporation
Counsel. and others who were with him
at the Amen Corner dinner on the night
In question.
As for the second night. Martin w.
Littieton. Surrogate Daniel Noble OF
Cuec ms and others testified that thew
were with Mr.. Connolly on train bound
for Washington to attend the Inaugural
ton OF President Wilson The register
of the New Willard Hotel In Washington
was produced to show that Mr.. Connolly
had registered there on the following
morning.
The attorneys for Mrs Halleran and
for Mr.. Connolly were siated over the
cross-exan,inat!on of william Filan of
326 Am!ty street Flushing. who earlier
in the day testified that he had seen the
Borough President leave the H9lleran
home one night. The moment he began
the cross -examination Stephen Baldwin.
attorney for Mr.. Connolly, asked Filan
to write several sentences with pen and
ink. The witness did so.
Baldwin then produced letter alleged
to be in Filan's handwriting and ad-
dressed to Gertrude Hatc,S referred to in
the case ps "Phyro." and a correspondent
in Mrs. Halleran's suit for divorce. This
letter contained many EXPIRE ssions OF re-
gard. II also asked Miss Hatch to send
her letters In care Of William A. Fiian
S.s Locust street. Flushing. adding
send your reply TO particular friend of
mine and he will promptly hand me your
letter. do this. Gertrude. for fear that
letters might involve me in serious
trouble. With heaps of love-
Filan admitted that the girl addressed
was Miss Hatch. The questioning that
followed indicated that Baldwin wished to
show Filan wrote the letter at the dic.a-
ton Of Hslleran and that the initial "A"
stood for Aloysius Haileran.
Filan further admitted that the a."
stood for al" and his testimony became
so contradictory that Justice Kelly said !:
'F!lan, do you know the penalty for
ttstlfying falsely
Il never gave II a thought" the witness
replied.
You had better stop and think seri-
ously now" the Justice exclaimed. Then,
addressing the lawyers. he said:
II must say that my sense Of creduiity
II being sorely taxed by the answers this
man Is making. II Is an insult to my
intelligence to listen 10 this drivei"
Turning to the witness. he went on:
Il want you to take time and think II
over and tell us the facts about writing
this letter. How did you come TO sign
your friends initial to a letter OF this
kind? Did you not think that II was
likely to cause trouble for him.?
The witness said he did not recall the
circumstances under which the letter was
written He was excused from the stand
but Justice kelby directed him to remain
In the court room.
The trial will be ended to-day