The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-09
Father and William Furnish
Testify for State Against
Frank Hall.
CONTRADICTIONS
SHOWN BY DEFENSE
Child, However, Coolly Ad-.
n1its She Was Lying in
Previous Statement.

Testimony corroborating the damn
Ing story told Wednesday by Lutte
Pruyn, the 14-year-old complaining
witness. was presented yesterday at
the trial Of Frank G. Hall, merchant
and former city treasurer. on a charge
Of statutory rape. II. ]. Pruyn, the
childs fatheH; William Furnish, and
Wilfred Trudeau. a street-car motor
man. furnished evidence tending to
support the states charge that Hall
had criminal relations with the Pruyn
girl.
Not all of the evidence helped the
state, however Early in the morning
the defense produced q transcript of
an examination In which the child
told County Attorney Angevine story
differing greatly from that related in
court. The testimony Of Furnish, too.
though it showed Hall in an evil light,
contradicted the girls story Of trip
she took with Hall and Mrs, Nellie
Matheson to Grass Valley last summer.
Girl Back on Stand.
The proceedings opened yesterday
afternoon with the Pruyn girl on the
stand for further ross-examination.
She was confronted with a record of
her replies to questions asked her by
the county attorney shortly after Halls
arrest. The record was furnished by
Lynde Catlin, q court stenographer. In
this examination the child told a story
but family resembling that which she
related In court Wednesday.
The records contradictions disturbed
the child not at all. II wasn't telling
the truth then" she coolly said. De-
claring that in court. under oath, she
had spoken truly she denied most of
her earlier testimony. Il wasn't under
oath then," she explained, land I was
still trying to protect Mr.. Hall and
Mrs. Thompson"
Father Suspected.
H. j. Pruyn followed his daughter
on the stand. He told a story hurtful
to himself and Hall in support Of the
states charges. He knew his daugh-
ters age and was able to tell fully of
her early life, but he wasn't sure
when the child first left her grand
mothers home to live with Mrs. Nellie
Matheson, the woman said to have in
fluenced the girl wrongly. It might
have been In the spring of 1915 or the
fall, he said. He thought it was in
the fall; anyhow, the weather was cold.
You didn't see much of Lutte after
she went to live with Mrs. Matheson,
did you?" he was asked.
No" he replied. "Only when she
came to see U.S.
Pruyn's first suspicion that Hall
might be treating the child evilly was
reused by Hall himself, the witness
said. Hall told him one night that
he had done wrong" and that he
didn't know what they could do with
him, but he thought they could send
him to the penitentiary."
"Extsnuating circumstances"
Pruyn paid little attention to this,
he said, because Hall was drunk and
he thought there might be extenuat-
ing circumstances" He left matters
alone. at any rate, and did nothing
until Hall suggested to him that Lutte
be taken from the Matheson home. He
took the girl to her grandmother's. he
said. One day Mrs. Thompson called
him up and asked him IL his daughter
wanted to help her with her children.
Lutte wanted to and went to live with
the Thompsons.
Shortly after this Pruyn sent lne
child to the state orphans home. She
had told him, he said, that she was be-
ing prosecuted by Hall.
Despite this Pruyn let Hall give Mrs.
Thompson $50 to cover expenses of a
trip to. Twin Bridges to get the girl
and bring her back. Mrs. Thompson
didn't go, but Pruyn. the witness adj
mitted. did go after borrowing SO
from Mrs. Thompson.
Furnish centradiets.
William Furnish told of seeing Hall
and the Pruyn girl under suspicious
circumstances in Grass Valley in June,
1915. The incident had previously been
described by the girl, but her story
and Furnish's did not agree in many
particulars. The girl had said that
Furnish got out of his car. came to-
ward them and spoke to Hail. Furnish
said he spoke to no one but Mrs
Matheson. who was beside the soad
and that he did not leave the road
Furnish declared. however that he
warned Hall the next day that he
ought not to trifle with n young girl
lIall. said the witness, replied in words
tCOutjuued on Page Three.,