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Show ftANSO:N;Wfi TRIAL FOR ARSON .Before Judge John A. Marshall-in 1 the United StateB district court Thurs-j day, the trial of Frank Hanson, for-, iner postmaster of Fillmore, Utah, on the charges of theft of the United States mall and stamps and the destruction de-struction of goernment property by the postofflce, wag begun. This case has become quite celebrated in the legal annals of Utah, because of the thanv peculiar circumstances and Incidents In-cidents surrounding It, and the fact that the defendant Is u brother of W 11- i lard Hanson, tormer county attorney, n:id Ccorge Hanson, secretary to United Unit-ed States Senator George Sutherland. H.iion appeared in court, accompanied accom-panied by his brother Wlllard. The first witness called was J. C. Kelly, present postmaster at Fillmore, who testified that Hanson came to the postolfice about i o'clock on the after-r.ocn after-r.ocn of the day of the fire. He waa abo'.t to rlcse the postcfTlcc when Hanson called and offered to put up (he shutters .n the outer window. This the postmaster refused. Then he look the postmaster to a room In the rear to show him where a lock had been broken by a burglar and he seemed to take a gsod deal of notice of the arrangement of the rooms. Miss Hazel Beauregard of Fillmore was the next witness aud she told of havlnc mailed a letter to her brother in Salt Lake City on the afternoon of j the day the postoftico wa3 burned. She was shown a letter and identified it as the one she mailed and said she thought it was "burned In the fire." In the opening statement it was announced that the Beauregard letter was found In Hanson's house. , Former Sheriff Black said on hear- 1 lng the alarm of fire he ran to tho j postoilice and tried to enter the building, build-ing, .ut the fire was too strong. He then' tried to get to the window so that he eou'd get records that were kept on a table near it. but the flames burst out and he was driven back. Sheriff Black, under cross-examination, said he met Hanson the day after af-ter the fire. He was IndUnant and Intimated that the sheriff had made a statement that "he had burned up the postoflice." This. the sheriff de- I nled. Some Damaging Testimony. Ira Warner, a young man about 20, was next called and he gave some damaging testimony. He stated that about 11:30 on the night of the fire, about half u block from the postofnee. he met Hanson. Hanson was not dressed up as usual. He wore a slouch hat j.ulled. down over his eyes, his cat collar was .ulled up, he woro no collar or tie. and witness had never seen him dressed that way before. Twice the witness said. "Good evening" even-ing" to Hanson and got no reply. Then he prabbed his hat and recognized recog-nized the former postmaster. Hanson Han-son told Warner to "mind bis own business." He walked with Hanson to the end of the block and the latter said be was going to lxn Huntsman's. Witness left Hanson and met a friend, Winnie Trimble, and he asked biru to go ocr and see If he knew Hanson, which he did. The defendant. Instead of going in the direction of Huntsman's Hunts-man's house, turned toward the postofflce. post-offlce. The witness followed htm and saw him go into the wagon shed between be-tween Stevens' store and the postof-flee. postof-flee. Witness went Into the shed, but could not find .Hanson. He thought, perhaps, he had gone to the park, so the witness climbed the fence and got into tho park, but he could not find Hanson there. Warner got home about 12 o'clock, went to bed. but had not fallen asleep when his sister came and told him. "Stevens' store is burning burn-ing down." About half an hour after he arrived at the fire. Hanson came. He was then attired In a stiff hat. with collar and tlo and a black suit." The night after tbe fire witness met the defendant. Hanson said rumors ru-mors were about that he had burned the postofnee 'You know when I went home." said Hanson. Witness replied. I know when 1 left you." Hanson continued: I was home In bed hours before the fire broke out." Again Hanson Han-son said: "I was lying in bed reading read-ing and heard the fire alarm." and his last statement was that he "smelt straw burning." Charles "Laver. ex-clty marshal ot Fillmore, was next called and his appearance ap-pearance on the stand was the occasion occas-ion of calling from the defense several sev-eral strenuous objections to his testimony testi-mony relative to searching the Hanson Han-son house and finding the ten letters. Attorney Booth asked the witness if he searched the Hanson house after the postofnee fire and he replied in the affirmative. Th" next, question asked was what bo found "iu the room occupied by Frank Hanson?" Tho witness replied that Sheriff Ro-ley Ro-ley found letters on the top of a cupboard cup-board Ihut were posted the night of the fire. There wt-n? ten letters in all He was shown the letters and identified them, one being addressed to Joe Beauregard. Salt Lake City. |
