New-York tribune., 1922-02-04
Child Accuser
OF Rickartl ON
Grill 5 Hours
Anna Hess. Ii. Corroboraies
Testimony of Alice Ruck {:
Tells Of Visits TO the
Promoters. Apartments
Admits Previous UntrutEls
Justice Refuses to Dismiss
Case and Defense Will
Submit Memoranda Late,

nosed little girl who is classcd as -
backward pupil in school was on tho
witness stand III night court in the
hands cf one Of the most adroit cross
examiners at the bar She is eleven
vear-o,d Anna Hess upon whose story
I'd that of fifteen year old Alice Ruck.
who already has testified in the case.
depends the serious charge brought by
the Society for the Prevention Of Cru
city to Children against Tex Richard,
fight promoter.
Max d. Steucr, Richards attorney.
sought for FIVE hours to prove the child
Liar or to confuse her to such an
e~tcnt that her testimony would be
deemed unreliable. When he mad
finished at last, after midnight. he
asked Magistrat, Simpson to dismiss
the charge against Kickard for lack OF
corroboration
Refuses to Dismiss Charge
Magistrate Simpson denied the re-
quest The quality Of evidence re-
quircd at preliminary hearing in a
magistrates court, he explained was
not so finely sifted as that which later
had to pass the tests of the grand Jury
to think, he said, that the stories told
by the two girls were sufficient evi-
dence upon which TO hold defendant
for tho grand jury.
RicNard was not held for the grand
jury, however. Mr.. Steuer. while ac-
quiescing in tho magistrates opinion
of the evidence necessary in prelm-
mary hearing, said that he still felt
that corroboration was necessary and
would like TO submit memoranoa to the
/ court on the subject. To enable him to
do so, the case was adjourned until
next Saturday.
The courtroom was crowded long be
fore the hour set for the Richard case.
Anthony j. Drexel Biddle, Of Philadel-
phia. sat on one side of Rickard. AZ
the other side sat Frank r. Flournoy.
who was associated with Rickard IN
the promotion Of the Dempsey Willard
fight. Frederick s. Blackwell. a grand
Jury foreman. sat beside Magistrate
Simpson.
Child Hcsitates Before Crowd
The cxpcctant audience vas disap-
pointed. however Alice Ruck had rat
tied or her sordid story without the
slightest embarra ssment in the pres
cnce of an audience. but when Anru
Hess in her coat of worn plush and her
black tam o'shanter came to the es-
sential part Of her testimony her eyes
fell and her voice died away.
II cant tell that" she said, with
all these people here
Magistrate Simpson adjourned tho
bcoriDr IN his on, a W, ErrS and ord % Il
the courtroom cleared. Only witnesses
and reporters We're admitted to The
chamb bcrs.
In spite of her youth and acknowl-
edged backwardness in the classroom
Anna vas sworn. She satisfied Magis-
trate Simpson by her answer to his
question as to whether she understood
the nature Of the oath that she was
competent to take it. She said that if
she told lie she would go to hel and
ii sac told the truth she would go to
heaven.
Her direct testimony was a repeti-
tion of that given by Alice Rucl She
said they had met Rickard at the Madi-
son Square Garden swimming pool last
summer and he had invited them to his
apartments in the tower. Rickard ran
the elevator himself when they went
up. she said.
Her story Of the subsequent visits
to apartments Oh West Forty-scvent
Street likewise followed that Of the
Ruck girl Annals faded blue eyes
sparhled AS she referred to one of
those apartments as "the place where
they had the oh boy STUFF" Mags-
trate Simpson looked somewhat bewil-
dercd and wanted to know what that
might be-
"Oh." said Anna curtly. "wine," and
went on with her relation.
In her direct testimony she mon
toned no dates except December Is,
which. she said. was the last day that
she saw Richard in tho West Forty
seventh Street apa rtment. She had
gone back into his room. she said to
look for comb she had lost. Alice
Ruck was there, she said and Eicka rd
, seemed vexed at her appearance.
"Fe told nc you're too nosey ]"
said Anna, "and I went out. AfterwarG
Alice told me he had told her to come
alone next time
Neither she nor Alice went back
again, she said She SAID that once
after Alice had come from Richards :
room she became faint and she had
gone to the bathroom to get her some
water The door was locked. she said,
and she mad TO wait for some time be
fore Rickard came out and permitted
her to enter and get the water.
Like the Ruc}s GIRL Anna described
the plan and furni shings Of each of the
/ two apartments she said they visited
in great detail.
In all her lengthy cross-examination
she was not to be shaken on this point.
nor, indeed, upon any essential point n
her testimony. She admitted readily
/ hat the only date she could rcmembe r
was December Is. She didn't know
much about dates. she said. When Mr..
>,teuer asked her what was the date cf
the discovery Of land by Columbus
+ Anna did not know.
Doesn't Know Date of Christmas
Neither did she know when Wash
ington's Birthday was. nor Lncon's.
Christmas came in the winter. she
! knew, but that was as close as she
! could come to the date of it, nor could
/ she tell whether New Years came be-
fore or after Christmas.
She acknowledged that she had fab
ricated many startling stories and that
several times she had been witness
against men accused of offenses SINH
/ lar to that with which Rckard is
charged 1t was brought out that at
least one Of these men was discharged.
Again and again Mr.. Steuer returned
to this line of questioning.
/ why do You keep asking about
! those eases" demanded Anna on the