New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-01
RAE tanner TURNS
ON J. ". OSBORNE
Is Now Convinced, Her
Lawyer Says, That He
Is Oliver.
SLIP IN COURT
REVEALS SECRET
Was Overweight and Nervous
When She Admitted Hon
est Mistake"

Miss Rae Tanner tripped In her tes-
timony yesterday afternoon and made
statement which revealed the amaz-
ing fact that she still believes James
W. Osborne to be her missing OnFer.
A month ago she withdrew her SUIT
against him for breach Of promise, on
the ground that she had been mis-
taken.
She was witness at the trial o.
Franklin u. Stafford for perjury. SAT
ford was the clerk at the hotel IN
Plainfield who identified James w. Os-
borne as the man who accompanied
Miss Tanner there last October.
BENJAMIN Slade, counsel for Stafford,
produced a letter and photograph,
"Who wrote Answer soon or this
envelope ," he asked Miss Tanner.
"The gentleman who was with me
that evening
as that the gentleman who is rep
resented in this picture
yes
The photograph was that OF James
". Osborne.
Few in the courtroom realized the
significance Of this statement, as II
was buried under a mass Of evidence
which was all in accord with MISS
Tanzer's position that James W. Us
borne was not the man.
To Harold Spielberg. her lawyer
however, it was no surprise.
"It's what I've been afraid of for
two weeks" he admitted last night,
miss Tanner is convinced now that
James w. Osborne is the man she
knew last fall. Shall | drop the
case, No, III stand by her as long as
she tells the truth That is what |
counselled her in the beginning, to
tell the truth at any cost" d,
II was evident TO those who talked
to her two weeks ago that Miss Tan
ger was confused about James W;
Osborne. In one sentence she would
say he was not the man. In the next
she accused him directly. She haunted
the building where he has his office;
she went to the Sherman Square
Hotel where he lives; she stood
around the doors of clubs where she
thought she might catch a glimpse OF
himGall IN the hope. of settling
definitely her own doubt
James W. Osborne did not give her
a chance to see him. The first time
she has seen him since the day she re-
canted her original statement was in
the courtroom on Wednesday. When
she recanted, it was because she saw
James W. Osborne, a STOPPING, tired
faced man. Her Oliver never stopped
It was that more than anything else,
she said, in her moments Of doubt al
terward, that made her doubt him.
She was overweight nervously and
frightened at the machinery of the
Federal Court which she had started
whirling about her. After she went to
Atlantic City and recovered her health
she began to realize that STOPPING po-
sition was only a little thing to de-
termine the identity of man.
One night, st the home of friend,
several prominent lawyers and psychol-
ogists, who are familiar with the per-
sonal appearance and habits of James
w. Osborne, questioned the girl. I'm
der their adroit lead il soon became
apparent that the picture she was har-
boring in her mind was extraordinarily
like the James w. Osborne they knew
professionally.
Last night Miss Tanser refused to
discuss the turn affairs have taken.
She maintained that when she identi-
fed the photograph of James w. Us
borne as that of the man who was with
her, il was a slip OF the tongue; all
she really meant was tnat IL lookeu
very much like him. She only con-
scented to testify st all, she said, be
cause she was so sorry for poor Mr..
Stafford, whom she had involved in so
much trouble. She was allowed the
privilege of answering only such ques-
tions as she believed would not in
criminate her.
al want to tell the truth" she said.
"but ! cannot answer on advice OF
counsel"
James W. Osborne stood up in court,
leaning forward and listening intently.
The court listened breathlIssly as the
tiny witness looked straight at him
and gave the following description Of
the man who was with her in Plainfield:
"He was tall. He was well built.
He had blue eyes. His hair was gray.
He had large cheekbones and very
quick manner"