| OCR Text |
Show StiieTIlinsane? The Weird Problem that Has Boon Launched Before tha Jury ia r4 the Olsen Homicide. . k THE DEFENSE 0PEN3 ITS CASE. Q CO The Parents of Djfendant Recite the Awful Legends of Their Daugh- ter's Misfortune. 0 Tho district court chamber was again crowded this morning by those who " have listened from lh first with int.cn- J? sifying interest in the Olson murder M case. The defense opened its evidence fA with Mrs. Ann Hart on the staud who testilied that Hall left the fity on Nov. 2l, IKH',1. and returned in September of 52 the present year. 1 was also absent some four months. He returned about the same time as I, of course. Patting 3-her 3-her feet. Hall become acquainted with Miss Olsen through my Introduo-tiou. Introduo-tiou. Cross-examination waived, and tho witness was excused from further testimony. testi-mony. John F. Olsen, father of the defendant, defend-ant, wi called to tho witness chair. He resided in the Twenty-sixth ward, and passed C street on his way home ward; the defendant is 22 years of age came from Sw eden direct to Salt Lake; witness hud an uncle in the old country; coun-try; he was crazy; ho died ipsane; I have known Mrs. Hart for eighteen years or more, also Frank Hall, whom met two years ago last June. I know of his keeping company with Amanda; I know he left town because I hunted for him; prior to that Amanda was cheerful as any girl; she rose early about 8:30, anil sought the company of her companions constantly; she had no sinking spells until Hall's departure; she iiad known him some time, and he appeared to bo the finest gentleman in conversation; when he visited tho homo witness generally shook hands with him and then retired. Tho parlor adjoined his room. After his departure the first change I noticed in Amanda, was when I picked her up in the hallway and packed her to her bed; this was about eight days after Hall had gone. She had been working for Mr. Pierson; after Hall left she did not go to work for three months; she housed herself in her room most of the time and all of Sunday-, sho lost her cheer and was all liie. time screaming; sbo then went back to woik irregularly; ir-regularly; mm id she was sick; she had do.eus of fainting spells, and frequently fre-quently complained of her head. I . know of Mrs. Hart going away; - ';'"' ' Amanda suspected sho had gone; I heard rumors of Hall and Mrs. Hart's return; they had great effect upon her; sho wrung her hands and. went into mourning; I did not see Amanda on Saturday morning before the tragedy; she was in h'l' bed; when I wont home she was in her bed; her oye.s were fixed on t ie ceiling; I spoke to her and shook her, but she did not speukj then I went for my wife, and whoa wo got there she had recovered; that night she slept with her mother; eat no breakfast dinner or supper but wrung her hands aud screaming said: "Oh that cruel man." She fainted twice that day. I said thank G od he has done nothing wrong, she then began screaming more than ever; I then asked her if that man had seduced her and she said he had; I told her to keep quiet and I would forgive her; she said life to her was not worth livin j; she talked of committing suicide and I told her mother to watch her; I did not seo Amanda on Monday, left work at 6 o'clock and got to First and G shortly before 7 o'clock; there was a crowd of people there and I learned that Hall had been removed. Cross-examined The insane uncle was very vigorous and chased me over the! fence; ho was 70 years of age; the remainder of the family were all sane; I knew Hall was a married man when ho came to see my daughter; she also knew it; said sho was engaged to ba married three months before Hall loft; came to sea me and I told him ho could not be engaged until ho was divorcedj we became alarmed about tho girl; C understood that lhe girl had got medicine medi-cine and that sho was taking pills to get sieep; Hall told me ho would be honest with her; Amanda sus-pieioned sus-pieioned that Mrs. Hart had gone to join Hall; this made Amanda worse; sho suffered groat distress but ruado no complaint; her impression was that ha was going away to get his divorce; I told her this to relieve her mind; she is of a very excitable disposition, quicktempered quick-tempered and easy to anger when any one wronged her; when I asked her if that man had seduced her she said "Yes, pa; and that man ought to die." Mrs. Charlotte C. Olsen, mother of the defendant was called and testified to having known Hall for two years; knew Mrs. Hart for eighteen years; have lived in Salt Lake twenty-six years; heard it reported Hall bad loft the city; Amanda had been made acquainted ac-quainted with him about a year before; he was a nice man, a good talker and came to see Amanda, whom he took out riding; prior to that Amanda nover had a lover; she was naturally of cheerful disposition and had no difficulty diffi-culty whatever in sleeping; there was a decided change in her when Hall went away; she became sorrowful and fainted faint-ed severat times; the first time I noticed no-ticed it was when we found her lying in the hallway, from which place her father moved her to her room; the knowledge of Hair a return almost caused her to faint; she went to work and came home saying she was sick; Saturday j preceding the shooting she saw Hall go j in Mrs. Hart's gate, which made her cry and wring her hands; she then went I without eating until Monday night; w S; came down town en Monda aaV : her mouth. She struggled and then fainted. When she. awoke ho was rubbing her h inds to restore, lie asked her to keep the secret and promised prom-ised he would marry her. The man never wont to see the girl again, lie made no mention of his intention to leave tho city. lie left and for ten months absented himself. From a cheerful girl situ became melancholy and despondent. The shock was so severe se-vere that it completely metamorphosed her mental as well as physical condition. condi-tion. She was taken ill, suffered from fainting spells and became at times a mental wreck. Her mother irequentiy found her in bed in a mental stupor. She brooded over the affair perpetually and the symptoms alluded to are all evidences of a type of insanity. When Hall returned this spirit was intensified. Saturday morning after she looked through the window ami saw her betrayer. be-trayer. At the Might of him the went all to pieces; she tainted in her room. She sent a note to Hall, who sent back au oral reply that he would meet her at the head of Commercial street. She went down accomp.iuie I by her mother and met Hall, and the mother waited while he and this defendant went down into a private room in the restaurant under Btoch's. She asked Hall when he proposed to many her and laid her heart bare. lie 1 ; slopped at Godbe's drug store; sent message- to Hall who said to meet him j at the head of Commercial street; wit-I ness waited till they went down stairs into tho dining room below; she returned re-turned after twenty minutes and was bo wild she could 'not see me; while going home she said; "O God, 0 (jod, what shall I do?". At home she wept and cried; she sat in a chair all night and remained in bed through Sunday. She. had two fainting spells. She said; "I can't stand it; either I must die or he." She was wild; tlidu't go to bod Sunday night; her condition Monday morning was unchanged; un-changed; it was decided to send her to California; she was to go on Tuesday; wc came down street Monday about noon on u car; 1 went to Diuwoodey's and she left to go down the street; I did not know she had bought a revolver; got homo before 2 o'clock; she was more quiet when we got home; she vent down town late in the afternoon; she did not come home that night. Cross-examined Mandy lirst told me she was engaged to Hall; I knew he was a ra irried man and undivorccd; he had promised to get adivoiee; her condition hist made its change; about a week after , a . . , wildly rushing in, ami to Marshal Young said: "I have killed my betrayer." be-trayer." lie then went with tho patrtd after the body. His testimony with referenco to the wild condition of the girl was borno out by Henry Lyons and Desk Sergeant MeCurdy. To the latter witness had said, 'T had to do it. I could not stand it any longer!" Witness saw the young man who brought her to the station, but has never seen him since that night. Judge Latiey. gave graphic description descrip-tion of the scene at tho station. He at first thought her a crazy woman. Marshal Young test 'died to being at police station on the night of the killing when Miss Olsen entered with a re volver in one hand and a letter in the other. Shu handed 4 he revolver to ollj-cer ollj-cer MeCurdy, saying, "1 have shot my betrayer, Frank Hall." After reading the letter, witness ascertained the particulars of tho shooting and causes leading to it. He had never been Hble to develop any trace whatever of the defendant's escort es-cort to the ball that night. Her condition con-dition was very much excited and she was taken to Mrs. Merrill's house, where she spent the night. The letter that appeared originally in these columns waj then introduced. Continuing his testimuny. Marshal Young said After I had read tho letter, let-ter, Miss ( )iseu said: "J killed Frank Hall because lie ruined me, and he did it in a room next to the one in which my father and mother were sleeping." Then sliu added that he had promised to marry her, but had gone away without with-out doing so. Shu said that on tho Saturday preceding the killing Hall met her iu the Co-op. and asked for an interview. This was granted, and lie took her to au eating house, where ho again assail ited her. To Judge i'owcrs I should say that when the defendant camu to tho police station, she was sullering from extreme agitation. Her face was pallid, and Ihcro was a wild, hunted look in her eyes. The next morning this nervousness nervous-ness had disappeared, and she seemed to be in a son of stupor. When the reporters re-porters came to the hall soon after Miss Olson arrived, I told her, at the request nf it friend nf flu, f'inulv (lint. uhn li:nl simply laughed at her, and said ho never intended to marry her. There he attempted improprieties, and wh"n shu freed herself she faid, "if you were man enough to bring mo in here, you should lit man enough to take me out." He showed her out, and the girl went home. She never cried after that. Shu did not eat for au interval of thirty-six hours, and finally told her parents the story. d'Tlie trouble had developed itself it-self into a suicidal impulse, and they were fearful she would destroy herself. It was decided to send her to California to get her beyond the awful influence of that man." On a trip down town the following day, t-lie. suddenly took it into her head to buy a gun She'll tell you that what impulse put it into her head she does not know. She went home that night and wrote the letter. I'p to that time she had no intention of killing this man. She was following some blind impulse, and, while snapping snap-ping the gun, the triirger was broken. That niirht she saw Mrs. Hart and the Hall had gone; we said ho had gone to get a divorce; this would quiet her for a couple of days, when she would get excited ex-cited again; 'don't think Mandy was on good terms with Mrs. Hart at that time; they had been good friends until Hall eaino to cur house; before that calls had been frequently exchanged; a girl neighbor neigh-bor t( Id Amanda she had seen Hall in Mrs. Hart's kitchen; she nearly fainted; she didn't seem glad that he had come back; not until Sunday did (till) tell 4110 what Hall had done; we trrcall homo on the occasion of Hall's tost visit; my husband was thero when Kail came; iho children were in bed and 1 camo in; my husband was in bed when Amanda left the parlor that night; Iwns in the kitchen; Hall and Mandy were there alone for about an hour; heard Hall go away and Amanda came iu to me; noticed nothing unusual in her appearance; when her feelings were outraged she would become very angry; she hail earned her living for some two years; when Mandy told mo they were engaged she said lie was going to be divorcod; when she came from t.no restaurant she told 1110 ho had tried to abuse her down thero and that ho never intended to marry her; it was when wo reached home she said "cither 1 or he ought to die;" I did ot know until the Saturday before the tragedy that she had been seduced by Hall. Fra.ier Mnckey, the messenger who carried the note to Hall testified to taking tak-ing a note to the mint saloon; it was two or three days before Frank Hall wns shot; It was handed me by a young lady in a black suit; he said to me to meet her at thn head of Commercial. She followed mo towards the telegraph olHce. Fritz' Kiepen who conducts man coming. She started to retrace her steps to avoid them, but w hen she reached the tree she stopped. She held the handkerchief and the letter in her hand. Why she stopped she did not know. A they passed she made one last appeal and said: '-Oh, Frank, how can you torture me so." Sho will tell you that she knew nothing noth-ing more until sho found herself looking look-ing at the man on the track. The defense de-fense will show that Mrs. Hart was so deaf that she could not hear this last remark re-mark "Oh, Frank, why do you torture me so?" She did not know shu had the gun in her hand till she got down to Brigham street. Then shu met two men whom she asked to take her to pn- lint hpndnniirtprs Kho wni nlficod in better not talk with them until she had seen au attorney. When the reporters endeavored to iuterview her, she made th(! answer I had suggested. While Miss Olson was walking up and down the police station, she would frequently lean against the railing and wall, as though physically unable to stand. She did not have the appearance of a sane person. In his redirect examination, Marshal Young sated that he had never seen a woman under similar mental paroxysms. par-oxysms. He had frequently witnessed violent ami insane conduct of men who were inflamed by liquor or in a tower of passion. This, he said, w as not an uncommon thing in the life of an ollicer, 'The defendant seemed t a grow calmer and her nerves seemed to give lice headquarters. Sho was placed in charge of Mrs. Merrill, where sho refused re-fused to eat, only taking a glass of brmdy. J.idgo Powers, concluding his statement state-ment to the jury, court adjourned until this morning at 10 o'clock. calmer and her nerves seemed to give way under the awful tax they had endured. en-dured. Mr. H. Evans, being sworn, testified that he was dealer in guns aud ammunition. ammu-nition. Saw the defendant on September Septem-ber IHh at his store between 11 and 12 o'clock; said she wished to look at some revolvers. I showed her several Smith & Wessons and others of light caliber, one of which I sold her. Sho said a '"ii" was too small, that she was going to travel and wanted something with which to protect herself. Witness finally sold her a 'Ai caliber. Sho also purchased cartridges. She asked if it was a goort pistol, and witness tld her it was the best cheap pistol ho had. Cross examiucil W itness remembered remember-ed that the defendant said she was going go-ing ou a ionrney; from her appearance he thought she was a school teacher; her appearance was cool and collected; she disclosed no more nervousness than a woman ordinarily would have done. Mrs. Ann llart, the celebrated witness, wit-ness, and the only eye witness, was then called. On the eve of Sept. '.U last she was on "C" street in company with F'rank Hall, moving towards ISrigham; saw the defendant by side of a tree located on the corner of "C" and First, west from the corner; it was not yet dark enough for the electric lights; she made some remark as we passed; Hall was on the outer side of the waik; he turned ami looked toward Miss Olsen; we moved ou our way, when I heard the shot and he fell by my side across tho railway; she passed around with a smoking pistol in her hand and said, "Yes, I'll serve you the same!" sho then ran down Brighara the restaurant under Islaek & C'o.'s, testified that shortly before Hall was shot he entered the restaurant with a young lady; he passed to a private room; heard the bell ring, and going to the place, Hall was standing with his foot 011 a chair and the young lady was sitting down. Cross-examined bp Mi. Critchlow part of the room was visible from the fridewalk; went to the room twice; on the lirst visit they were both seated; noticed nothing unusual; Hall said they were there for a private conversation; nothing unusual in their appearance on the second visit; the lady went out H1 and Hall followed. K. W. Wilson, book-keeper for the Utah National bauk, was going homo the night of the shooting; C. M. Stroup was with me; heard the shot and saw the flash; a large crowd had gathered; a lady ran out and between tis mid then down the street; she had a very wild appearance he face was almost distorted; dis-torted; she said "take mo to the police , or to the police headquarters"; she was talking incoherently when she approached; ap-proached; I tried to talk to her but could not engage her attention; went on to the corner ami saw the dead man; Mrs. Hart was talking at random. Cross-examined Tho girl was on the run when she passed us; her arms were uplifted and extended before her; her face was pale. P. X. Straup being sworn, testified 10 living at 117 "C" street; ho was going go-ing home in company with Mr. Wilson on the night of tho shooting; saw the man fall and a lady run arouud in a circlo to llrigham street. All witness could distinguish was tho word police. She looked very w ild, with a vacant stare and made Iier resemble a woman of 40; he saw her only a moment in a faltering way ; went on and saw the man lying 011 the track; Mrs. Hart said Mrs. Olsen had shot Hall and also shot at hr; I remarked that I had heard but one shot, when she said: "She shot at me and hit Hall." Cross-examined She had the appearance appear-ance of an insane person; an insane person is recognized by the strange appearance ap-pearance and look of the eye; the eye may indicate insanity as well as any other organ. Tho witness' experience with insane persons comprehended a trip through tho asylum at Indian-apolis Indian-apolis ard insane people who were not conlined iu any asylum. Court then took a recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon. THE EVIDENCE. The evidence began shortly after 2 o'clock yesterday.w ithan atmosphere of solcnt nity overhanging the court ch ronicler. All tho while this was being recited Mrs. Hart beat a nervous and rather emphatic tattoo upon the hollow pht-form pht-form that supported tho witness chair. Cross examined The Olsons formerly former-ly lived across the street from me; I have been tnariied but am tiot now. I have known Miss Olsen since shu was a girl 18 years; knew Hall two years last may; we started from Mr. Mather's house where we were living; ho had two children living there; he hail a wife; she was not living there; wo left about 6:15 that evening; at tho brow of the hill on "C" street we met a young girl named lieunett; I don't think it was getting dusk; I was going no place; I was simply walking with Hall; I passed the remark that would go as far as lirigham street just for a walk; saw Miss Olsen by the tree; I was attracted by her looks; there was a devilish look iu her eyes, something that I had never seen before; wo walked directly on without making a remark; saw tho smoke coming out of the pistol; Hall fell immediately: did noL sav Miss Ol- sen shot at me too; made no such remark; re-mark; I knew Amanda Olsen knew Prank Hall. I introduced them. Laughter and iniparativo orders for quiet. J Mr. Varian moved that the last clause be stricken out. Motion sustained. J. P. Olsen, employed at Kvans gun store, testilied lo the defendant's coming com-ing there anil having a trigger spring put in tho pistol; took the spring from another pistol. At this juncture the prosecution rested. Iu opening the defense. Judge Powers, Pow-ers, in his statement, said they would W. A. Stanton, chief of the fire department, de-partment, was the first witness introduced intro-duced by the prosecution. He testified to being ou tho scene of the tragedy on tho uight of its enactment. He was in his conveyance when a young man appeared ap-peared in the street. Ho advanced and found a young man lying with his head la the center of tho street car track, with a bul!et wound in his head. Witness Wit-ness hastened for Dr. Hamilton, and when he returned the wounded man was dead. He telephoned notice to headquarters and Captain Lango and make no contention over the fact that the pistol that was held in Amanda Olsen's hand killed Prank Hall. The defense would show, however, that when it was done she was not responsible. respon-sible. At the ago of 21 she was introduced intro-duced to Hall by Mrs. Hart. She had never seen anything of the wo-ld, but was timid, shy and virtuous. She never had a lover, but was working w hen she met Hall. Hall sought her toctety, and obtained permission from her father. He was a charming conversationalist and a thorough master of the arts that captivate woman. He detailed to this gires confidence, her sympathies until he was all tho world to this girl. He asked her to marry him, and sho put him otf a year before she would give an answer. Prior to this time she was cheerful, happy, and the light of that home. She had given him her heart and soul. The man. Ho gained the confidence of her parents, and lime ran on until one Saturday night. Ho had been decluring his love for her, and they sat down upon the sofa. He had his handkerchief in his hand, aud suddeuly clasped it over the patrol wagon arriving the body was removed, lie saw the defendant. Cross-examined Upon reaching the locality witness found four or five young men aud a woman whom ho believed was Mrs. Hart. At the motion of Judge Powers, w it-ness it-ness described ths points of the tragic ground tho historic tree, the hedge fence, etc. Mrs. Hart was there; she seemed to have all to say; she said Amanda Olsen had shot the man; asked who the uiaD was; she said it was Mr. Hali; jumped into my cart and drove away; 6aw Amanda Olson afterwards at the police station; made some remark re-mark to her. Witness described the condition of the defendant when he saw her as being be-ing extremely wild. She refused to talk to the reporters and didn't appear to be in possession of her own mind. Captain Lang testified to having been In police station on tho night of the (jtyjedj wkea, 'iho ' dufcntlau( ' cauie |
