The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-05
Woman Tells of Her Relations
With Henry Hamilton.
Filtration at Revival Meeting
Was the First Step.
HE CAME TO HER HOME
Husband Was Not There-Chil-
dren Were in Bed.
TeStifies to Meeting in a Barn
Near Topeka.

Filtration and revival meetings are
curiously mixed in the Hamilton
Azlein white slave" case on trial in
the first division of the district court
Henry Hamilton, retired farmer living
in Oakland. is charged by Mrs. Stella
Azlein, a young married woman. with
having enticed her into improper re-
lations with him, and she testified to-
day that it all began with a filtration
at a revival meeting.
The courtroom is crowded today.
Many Oakland people are attending.
A dozen or more women are listening
to the more or less sensational tes-
timony, but Mrs. Azlein's testimony,
more sensational than that of any 9TH
er witness, was a disappointment to
the crowd. She kept her hand to her
mouth and directed her answers in a
low tone to the jury. Frequently her
words failed to reach even the attor-
neys.
Mrs. AzIein is a small. black haired,
black k-eyed woman, slender almost to
girlishness When not on the stand,
her broad black hat hid her face from
the courtroom audience and even
when on the stand she seldom lifted
her eyes from the floor. off the stand
she sat behind the county attorney
and his assistants with her husband,
a young, blonde-haired man. They
chatted together frequently and the
husband gave only a casual ear to the
testimony.
on the other side of the long table
m i1fOn with ttOr-
neys. He listened to every scrap of
testimony and consulted with his
counsel at frequent intervals. He is
an ordinary looking middle-aged man,
smooth-shaven and plainly dressed.
He was widower at the time of his
alleged relations with Mrs. Azlein, but
has since married. He has two chill
dren in their teens and is reputed to
be the owner of considerable property.
Re-Told Her Story.
Mrs. Azlein was on the stand most
of the morning session. She retold
the story related by her ut the pre-
limInary hearing held N the court of
Topeka last summer. Most of her
story was brought out by questions.
She stated that she first met Hamil-
ton at a revival meeting in Oakland
last December while her husband was
in Iowa. He left about the middle of
the month and most of the acts COM
planned of by Mrs. Azlein occurred be-
tween that time and Christmas eve
when the husband returned. In an
swer to questions by the county at
torney Mrs Azlein stated that ut the
revival meeting Hamilton slipped her
a note asking that she allow him to
call at her mouse that night. She stated
that she shook her head. indicating
mo" but that the next day she wrote
a note telling him to come There
she hesitated.
Go on said Robert Carver.
met him on the porch" she con-
tlnued, "and told him our relations
must cease; that I had a good hus-
What did he say?"
He told me to let him come in:
that he would never let anyone know
Children Were in Bed.
She told the jury that the children
were in bed at the time and that there
was neighbor child sleeping with
them She didn't tell how Hamilton
persuaded her to let him in but she
did say he went in, then she broIx o
into tears. She repeated tn. story of
ner experience with Hamilton in the
mouse that night that she told at the
preliminary.
Then Mrs. Azl,in came to the point
IN her story upon which tn. state
bases its white slave charge
"One Sunday night" she said. Il
was on my way to the Christian
church when 1 met Hamilton at the
corner of Chester and Thomas on his
way to the Methodist church. He
stopped me and suggest d that we go
to his house did not want to go.
After while we went to a vacant
house across the street from where he
now lives. but his keys wouldn't fiji
the door and we couldn't get in
'Well,' he said to me, I've got q
mighty good barn and we went ia
the barn. I didn't want to go with
him at all but he said to me. If Won
don't go I'll tell what we have done
so your old man will find it out
The vacant house and the barn de-
scrlbed by Mrs. Azlein are three
blocks from the corner at which she
states she met Hamilton. And the
state IS charging that Hamilton on
uced, persuaded and procured Mrs
Azle1n from the street corner three
blocks away to the barn thereby yio-
latlng the Kansas white slave law
Cross-Examination.
on cross-examination Ed Rooney
attorney for Hamilton, attempted 10
show by Mrs. Azlein that this case i
preliminary to a damage suit against
the wealthy Oakland man nv mn.
merous question he brought ont tha,
Mr.. and Mrs. Azlein visited the office
OF an attorney today before they
reached the court house and discussed
a damage suit with the attorney.
Mrs; Aziein admitted having visited
the office of NJ. o. Loci. but stated
that her husband carried on the con-
versation and that she knew nothing
of its purpose.
Haven't you ard your husband