Evening star., 1919-12-30
PULLMAN ON STAND
IN SUNG WAN TRIAL
Denies Chinese Student Was
Coerced Into Making
Confession.

Maj. Pullman. superintendent of po-
lice. testified today for the prosecu
tion at the trial of Ziang Sung Wan
the young Chinese student, charged
with the murder Of Ben Sen WI, an
undersecretary of the Chinese educa
tional mission, 2o23 Kalorama road
last January. He emphatically denied
MAT the accused was i'll treated or
coerced in any manner to secure a
confession" and insisted that Wan
was looked on as Chinese gentle
man, who came from New York to as
sist the police" in unraveling a mys-
terry.
Policeman at VANS Door.
Being our guest, we housed him as
well as we could at the Dewey Hotel
said Maj. Pullman. The witness. how
ever, admitted that he kept police
man at the door Of VANS room al
the Dewey Hotel throughout the
twenty-four hours OF the day. chang
ing the guard at the end of each
eight hours.
Maj. Pullman. on cross examination
by Attorney O'Shea for the defense
denied that the taking of the accused
to the scene of the tragedy after a
weeks Incarceration was staged for
effect by the police. The witness in
sisted that the visit was made only
at the request of Wan, who had ex-
pressed a desire to be taken there
but admitted the accused had been
told he would meet his brother Van
there. The brothers had been housed
in different rooms at the Dewey Hotel
and Attorney OShea inquired why the
brothers had not been allowed to see
each other there.
Maj. Pullman responded that the po'
gether at the hotel, but denied thai
the opportunity to see the brother
was held out as an inducement to gel
Wan to consent to go to the mission
house.
Maj. Pullman's direct examination
occupied only fifteen MINUTES tWe dgbins tbrss
times by Attorney O'Shea, who in
terrupted to call the answers Of thu
witness "argumentative" and mot re
sponsive." The lawyer asked the cour
to instruct the witness to answer
more directly.
Says Statements Were Fake.
"In his direct examination Maj. Pull
man told of his first visit to Wan. al
409 18th street. There he thanked
Wan for coming to aid the police and
inquired of his presence in Washing
ton and his departure for New York
Wan said he had taken dinner with
WI and had left on the S:15 pm
train to New York. Both these state
mentB were shown to be false, the
witness said, and his suspicious were
then aroused as to the sincerity oi
Wan.
The accused admitted to him, the
witness said. that he had written the
check after he had been shown exam.
plies of his writing and asked to com.
pare them with the writing on the
stub of the check book.
When the witness was turned over
fo the defanae the first question DrO.
pounded by Attorney O'Shea was
Had you any experience as a police
man before you became chief of po
lice"
United States Attorney Laskey OBJ
jected and Justice Gould ruled ou
the question.
Had you not been a newspaper
man?" inquired the lawyer.
Il Suppose you are asking him tina
to discredit him." said the court
Nothing that the witness has state'
calls for expert knowledge, either a.
a policeman or as newspaper man
He need not answer"
Denies Using Profanity.
Attorney O'Shea inquired If witness
had ever called Wan a damned liar
or used any other profanity during
| the examination of the accused. Maj
Pullman denied that he had used pro
| family to Wan, but said Wan had com
planned that some one had called lin
"a damned liar"
witness said he never asked Wan 4
he believed in God as testified by In
speetor Grant. but said Wan had toIt
him that he had attended an Episcopa
college at Shanghai and he surmiset
the Chinese to be q Christian and dit
not think it necessary to ask of hi
belief in God.