| Show HANSON TRIES TO PROVE AN ALIBI Former Postmaster Testifies sin in Own Behalf Admitting He Was Disguised GIRL IMPORTANT WITNESS SAYS SHE SAW SA W DEFENDANT DURING FIRE PIPE In the trial of Frank Hanson former postmaster of Fillmore FUlmore on tho the charge of ot having burned and looted the postoffice post postoffice postoffIce office there the prosecution conducted by Colonel H E Booth United States announced yesterday that the governments case was finished After a brief statement of what the defense expected to prove Attorney Marioneaux chief counsel for the da d put Frank Hanson on the wit witness witness witness ness stand Hanson endeavored to ac account account account count for his whereabouts from early I Sunday morning September 6 1908 to the following night including the time when the postoffice was burned and robbed Defendant contradicted every statement made by half halt halfa a dozen witnesses for the government When the morning session opened John Kelly Kell postmaster at Fillmore was recalled re recalled called caned to testify Postmaster Kelly Keny ad admitted admitted admitted that anyone could project a pair of tweezers Into the letter box in the postoffice and extract letters there from Lee Baker of Fillmore testified that he was at the fire when the postoffice was burned He admitted on that he had been convicted in the Fillmore FUlmore courts of selling liquor to Indians for which offense he was fined tined 50 Peter Beauregard testified that the room In which the letters stolen from the Fillmore postoffice were found was that of ot Frank Hanson Ira Warner was recalled by b the pros prosecution prosecution n and repeated repeat d the conversation which he lIe said occurred between himself him himself self and defendant the night of the fire fir Warner arner said that while the fire was blazing Hanson came up to him apparently very excited and said Ive been In bed for hours you know when I went home The Th next night the witness said Hanson met him again md nd he lie made the same remark without t any tny tn solicitation on the part of Warner Girl Saw Defendant Miss Alma Greenwood testified that I she he had seen Hanson emerge from a n lane between the buildings across the street from the postoffice while wIllie the fire Ire was burning She said Hanson came over to her She added that Hanson told her he was in bed when he heard the bell ringing and he smelt smoke so he arose and dressed and went down to the fire Hans Hansen assistant cashier of the State Bank of ot Millard lIllIard county and Rufus Hufus Day cashier of the same bank identified letters produced by the pros prosecution prosecution prosecution as having been found in Frank Hansons Hanson s room as bank statements sent to persons In Holden and Scipio United States Attorney Hooth then asked permission to introduce as us evi dence the letter from Miss Hazel Beauregard mailed the afternoon be fore the fire and the letters sent out by the bank It was evident from the exceptions by b the Khe defense that I that side hoped to make a strong point of the fact that the letters were found in Hansons room and not in his pock itS ts ts Judge Marshall announced that while the jury should not convict upon the single circumstance that the tho letters letter were were found in Hansons room the jury I should give due weight to the circum stance The government then rested i j Its side of the tho case and Frank Hanson i iwas I was called to take the th stand by the defense He said he was 37 years Jears old I and had been a resident of Fillmore all his life His father was living al I though he was decrepit with age His mother was dead On September 6 i i 1908 Hanson said he attended the i races near Fillmore in the afternoon i and returned to town along toward dusk It had been cloudy that after atter noon and It 11 had sprinkled a little and i witness light suit and straw hat had become wet He went straight home j i I and prepared his fathers supper and I changing his clothes had put on a I black suit and a soft hat and went I downtown He said he went to the Huntsman I hotel where he got some soine mall mail he had left there Then he went Into a cigar store purchased a cigar talked to a I few f V people and went out on the street This was about 10 30 p m As he I emerged from the drug store he spoke to two young men and a moment afterwards after afterwards wards Ira Warner followed him and said he would walk down the street with him The Warner boy said it was wasa a good night for eavesdropping In the park saying saIng that one might see seo some funny things Hanson said he did not care for that kind of business where whereupon wh whereupon re upon Warner asked him to go and see some of ot his chums to which the de demurred Warner Insisted and Hanson said Well Ill pull up my coat collar and Full ull down my hat and walk past and see if the boys bos know me Witness said he did this which ac accounted accounted accounted counted for the alleged disguise charged against him Warner after afterward afterward afterward ward said according to the testimony of ot the defendant that the young peo pea people people pie In the crowd recognized Hanson as he passed notwithstanding his attempt at disguise Why hy did you disguise yourself atall at atall atall all asked Attorney Marioneaux Just for tor amusement just for the fun tun of ot the thing replied Hanson Attempts Attempt to Prove Alibi Hanson further testified in support of ot his attempt to build up an alibi that he went home about 1040 He described in detail the tho route taken be between between I tween town and his residence which I was about six blocks distant As he approached his home he met his broth brother I er John and the two entered the house I together He said he sat on the bed I talking to his brother for lor an hour and I after atter his brother left he read a maga magazine magazine magazine zine Pretty soon Ife Ee heard the fire bell ringing and he went uptown to see where the fire Ire was Hanson denied having any conversation with Miss Greenwood or with Winnie Trimble and denied that he saw Ira Warner Varner aft att after atter after er the fire About a month after atter the fire Hanson Ranson came to Salt Lake where I he stayed until the conclusion of the political campaign which was then go going going going I ing on After ter the noon recess recess Hanson was again placed on the stand He was put under a rigid by I United States Attorney H E Booth The defendant spoke in a loud voice all through his quizzing and at times became very excitable He was inclined In Inclined to repeat matters that Colonel Booths questions did not call can for and Judge Marshall had to caution him to answer the questions and nothing more Colonel Booth took Hanson over the events of the day of the fire in the postoffice The majority of the ques questions questions questions were answered with a readiness that was most astonishing and In some cases the defendant gave his answer before the prosecuting attorney had finished the question At other times the defendants replies were long drawn out and evasive When 1 hen he was asked if it was not a fact that he wore a mustache I before the day of the fire and that he had it i shaved off at shortly after atter Hanson re replied replied plied that he did not know |
