The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-01-24
Harold SpieIberg and Wife
Swear She Confessed 0S-
borne Wasn't Oliver.
HER STAND LAID TO SPITE
Witnesses Say Girl Accused
Lawyer Because She Got
Mad" at Roger Wood.

NEW YORK. Jan. at-Former Assem-
blyman Harold spielberg. Rae Tanzer's
first lawyer, testified yesterday that
Miss Tanner had confessed to him 1t
was not James w. Osborne, the lawyer,
who made love to her. His wife. who
preceded him on the stand, gave prac-
ucally the same testimony.
Rae Tanners mistake in the first place
had been honest, Mr.. and Mrs. Spiel
burg said. but she admitted when she
saw James w. Osborne at hearing be-
fore Commissioner Houghton that he
was not her Oliver. But later, accord
Ing to the Spielbergs. Miss Tanner got
mad" at Assistant United States At
torney Roger B. Wood and blurted out
that it was James W. Osborne, Just to
spite Mr.. Wood. Then, when Franklin
ID. Sanford, defendant in the present
case, got into trouble. and when others
became involved in it, Miss Tanner had
to stick to her story.
Stafford Tried, for Perjury.
Stafford is being tried before Judge
Learned Hand in the Federal District
Court for perjury, because he testified
In a former case that the man who
registered with Miss Tanner at a
Plainfeld, N, J., hotel was James w.
Osborne.
The defense rested yesterday morn
ing, ana witnesses were brought on
by the Government. Joseph Marshall,
the witness who refused to tell of his
conversations with Charles H. Wax,
the self-confessed Oliver Osborne,
when they were both prisoners in the
} Tombs, was taken into custody on a
writ yesterday and lodged in Ludlow
street jail. His counsel, William c.
Bowers, I'd, said he would apply to
the Supreme Court of the United
states for a writ of habeas corpus to
get his client out He has authority
Tor this rather unusual move, Mr..
Bowers said.
Realized Mistake.
When James w. Osborne came into
Commissioner Houghton's office and
Rae Tanner saw an elderly man with
lines in his face, she realized Cor
the first time that she had made IN
honest mistake. Mr.. SpieIbefg testL
ned. Her first impulse, he continued,
was to turn to the commissioner and
tell him, but a Chinese smuggling
case came UP and she didn't have the
nerve to approach the commissioner
Spielberg was then her attorney, and
he testified that he advised her 70
tell the truth. acknowledge her mis-
take, and said that no harm could
come to her. He advised her, how
ever, to make sure that she was right
Nd - -
W. Osborne again.
But Miss Tanner insisted that they
60 to Mr.. Marshaus office and on
making the recantation statment
there without seeing Mr.. Osborne
again, Mr.. Spielberg said. He said
he saw Miss Tanner after the first
Stafford trial and that she told him
she had only blurted out that James
w. Osborne was the man after Mr.. |
Wood had exasperated her by his !
crossfire of questions, which at first
she had refused to answer. He also |
swore that Rae Tanner had declared |
IN his presence that she had insisted |
to her present attorney, Benjamin |
Slade, that he alone was to blame for |
accusing James w. Osborne.
Mrs. spieIberg's Testimony.
Mrs. Spielberg told OF a visit Miss
Tanner made to her home on March
26. 1915, during which Miss Tanner
told her she had made a terrible
mistake" and that James W. Osborne
was not the man who had trifled with
her affections.
On cross-examination Mr.. Slade
wanted to know why Mrs. Spielberg
had not gone to the district attorney
and told him when Miss Tanzier
admitted she had sworn falsely that
James w. was oliver
81 went to David SIade and told
him." Mrs. Spielberg snapped back.
She said Dora Tanner had told her
she and Rose Tanner had identified
James w. as the visitor at their
home. because they could not do
otherwise when their little sister
Rae" was in trouble.
The last witness for the defense
was Alfred J. Hamilton, i handwrit-
ing expert, who testified that certain
erasures had been made on a bill for
room engaged at the Bar Associa-
ton by James W. Osborne on the
date when Miss Tanner says he was