The evening world. Newspaper, June 2, 1904, Page 3

~ THE WORLD: THURSDAY EV: NG, JUNE 2, 1904. BUKANGCE L/h STORY “OF TANNAH ELIAS. HANNAH ELIAS, THE “LITTLE OCTOROON,” TWENTY YEARS AGO, WHEN MR. PLATT MET HER, AND AS SHE LOOKS TO-DAY. Negro Adventuress Who Is Sued for Black- mailing Aged John R. Platt Imagined that She Resembled Cleopatra and Took Delight in Humiliating White Servants. DECKED THEM IN JEWELS, THEN LAUGHED AT THEM. Former Housekeeper Tells of Her Erratic Personal Life, Love for Dime Novels and Murder Stories, and How She Sent to Negro District for Possum. An interesting revelation of the personality of Hannah Elias, the tegres:, who succeeded in wheedling John R. Platt out of nearly a million dollars in eight years, is given by ...rs. Belle Mer-hall, of No. 301 West One Hundred and Fiftieth street. For three years Mrs. Marshall was housekeeper for Mrs. Elias in the mansion at No. 236 Central Park West. She is a white woman, “Mrs. Elias,” said Mrs, Marshall to-day, “was a strange mixture of oman. With every luxury at her command, her favorite beverage was gin, which she used to buy down in the negro district around Fifty-third street. At times.a longing for the food she used to eat when she lived in the heart of the black district would come over her and she would send a servant out with a tin bucket to get a ‘possum stew or a mess of fried fish from a corner lunch stand. Living in her house was certainly exciting. “Tt was right after she moved into the Central Park West house that she employed the Japanese Kato as a butler. At that time she had a Japanese craze. There were thirty-five Japanese servants in the house, fall- ing all over each other. Out of these she finally picked Kato as the best, and let most of the others go. his Kato had a powerful influence over her, and it was not Jong before he droppe his butler's uniform and became a member of the household, She gave him the finest clothes and ce. She sent him to the Paris Exp wanted he got. UNIFORM FOR KATO AGAIN. “But sometimes she would get offended at him and her temper would get the best of her. She wasn’t a pleasant person in the house at those times, I can tell you. again and abuse him up and down. house and disappear “Her fits of temper would pass away quickly and she would send out for Kato again. He was wise and would stay away for days at a time, while she had servants out scouring New York for him. He would show up and be again restored to her favor. “She had a perfect horror of bi recognized negro wo: and for that reason never went to a theatre or any other public place, When she rode ont it was ina closed cab, I don’t think she has been in = New York store in years, Because she was @ negress she seemed to have » grudge against white women in general, and noth ve her more delight than to humiliate a white woman, “I have seen her hire white servants and after a few days call them to her and dress them up and hang jewelry all over them. The girls would be delighted, of course, and Mrs. Elias would tell them that she had de- cided to give them the clothes and the jewelry. Then she would order them to go out and show themselves to their people, but as soon as they got to the door her Japanese and negro servants would jump on them and ‘take away the clothes and jewelry. She would laugh for hours at memory of the screams and surprise of the white women she had fooled. “Mrs. Blias had no social friends. She never visited anybody. She used to give big dinner parties in her house to her servants, blacks and whites and Japanese. These dinners would be conducted with all the form and ceremony of the rea! affairs until the liquor got circulating around a few times and then they were not so nice. COMPARED HERSELF WITH CLEOPATRA. “She was always buying books of etiquette which she would have Kato or me read to her—although she could read herself, It was one of her delusions to imagine that she was something like Cleopatra, She made a study of Cleopatra and asked everyone she met about her. In her boudoir she had a scented fountain, and when a Cleopatra spasm got over her she would dress servauts in Egyptian costume and have them fan her and dance for her as she had heard that the servants of Cleopatra did. “Her Mbrary was full of the finest books, but she never read them. She read the Bible and dime novels and murder stories in the newspapers. ‘When there was a big murder mystery she used to send out and get every paper published and read the details for hours and hours. She tried to learn other languages, but made very little headway. When she lived down at Far Rockaway she had an Italian professor who proposed mar- riage to her, “She was full of romantic ideas gained from dime novels, and fmag :ed that it was his design to take her to Italy and murder her for her money. One day she got after him in the house. The last I saw of him he was jumping over a small tree on the lawn going toward the road. He never came back. “Mrs. Elias got many begging letters, and I don't think she ever fatled to answer them. As soon as she would get a letter from some person who sald he had a starving family she would run to the telephone and order one of the big grocery houses to send $100 worth of provisions. There was nothing small about her when she wanted to show her appreciaticn. She gave her doctor a carriage and horses and a plano and I don’t know what else. “One of her peculiarities was a horror of the law. She was always in feer of getting into a law suit, and would give up any amount of money rather than stand the chance. I imagine she must be clear out of her mind now about this big suit. COULDN’T STRAIGHTEN THE KINKS. She would order Kato to put on his butler’s uniforni Then Kato would sneak out of the padour hair aj that wig her It was her ambition to make her face white, “One time she got into the hands of a beauty doctor, who persuaded her that he could bleach her face. She paid him $100 a day for his treat- ment. For nearly two months he had her wear a mask. When she took the mask off the old color was there, but the beauty doctor had his money. When she found that she could not make herself white she sent out for a jug of gin and drowned her sortow. “When she was full of gin she used to buck and wing dance and jig something wonderful. She was one of the best negro dancera I ever. saw. A never. went out: to (From Photographs.) teeth attended to she sent for the dentist. that she thought might betray that she was a negress. In fact, she wouldn't go anywhere She posed as a Spaniard, and sbe really did try hard to become proficient in the Spanish language. were something terrible. She had the very best teachers and paid them wed. ‘I don't know whether she has any money left or not. Whenever she would run short of cash she would say to Kato, ‘Well. I guess wo will have to shake down the old man.’ Her expenses She always referred to Mr. Platt as ‘the old man.’ “Shaking down the cld man was quite an operation. All of the servants would be driven to a secluded part of the house and she and Kato would atend to getting the money. I never knew her to announce that she was going to ‘shake down’ My. Platt that she didn’t produce a big roll of bills afterward. “On the first occasion I knew of when she got Mr. Platt to her house and asked him for money he gave her $6,000. After that she never told me how much he gave her at a time, but she never seemed to have any fear that she couldn't get anything she wanted. “Every once in a while she would get sick of the rich food and send Studio, No, 34% SUICIDE MADE & GOOD JOB OF IT el eat J. H. Duffy, of Brooklyn, Plugs Up All Cracks in Room in the Hotel Studio and Turns on the Gas. When J. 1. Duffy, of No. 534 Fourth nue, Brooklyn, went to the Hotel Sixth avenue, to commit down to Fifty-third street or down to Sixth avenue to some negro restau-/ Sulckle he took no chances, rant for a regular negro meal. She used to always get these in a tin bucket and she would eat right out of the bucket, saying that it reminded her of old times. their mouths shut.” There were people who knew about Mr. Platt and I guess that 1 part of the money she got from him she had to give to others to keep ‘ HUNGER. DROVE HIM TO STEAL MEAT Edward Connors, to Get Food, Makes Raid on Butcher's Wagon—Purse Raised . for His Family in Police Court. 8, twenty-Reven years Sast One Hundred and old, of No, 10 Nineteenth street, until five weeks ago! was a porter at the Grand Central Sta- tion, He waa attacked with inflamrma- tory rheumatism at that time and has since been incapacitated for work, Con- nora went out of the house for the first time to-day. He war walking up Fifth avenue at One Hundred and Twen ninth street, when he saw a butcher's wagon standing by the curb, the wagon being ownel by f.con Jacobs, of No. 2088 Madison avenue. In the wagon was a roast of beef and some chops, and Connors seized them and started to run down One Hundred and Twenty-ninth street, Several passers-by saw him and put chase after him, and he was caught *| by @ policemen. Connors told a sad story of want and starvation, He said that his wife and two children were starving and he was also much in need of food. When arraigned vefore Magistmte Flammer Connors repeated the story. His appearance proved his statements. Jacobs, the owner of the meat, when he heard the story and saw the man's condition, refused to prosecute and made Connors a present of the meat. Patrolman Brennan was sent to the house to see If Connors's story was true, He found the family were nearly starved. When Magistrate Flammer was told of the condition of affairs he at once discharged Connors. The Magistrate donated $5 for the family and requested that others give what they couldy A purse of $25 was made up, MYER S. ISAACS’S WILL. His Sisters and ts Children Are Well Provided For. The will of Myer S. Isaaca was fled this afternoon, ‘The Inwyer, jurist and reformer provides for a $500 annuity for each of bis sisters, Merinm and Sarah Isaacs; daughters, Alice and Estelle, and $1,000 anhulty, for the other daughter, Minnie The Teeldiaa) of thd estate jo ng bia. aix hilaven, $00. annuity each for his) BIGAMIST READY TO REPEAT CRIME Therefore Judge McCall Sug- gests District-Attorney’s At- tention Be Called to Tom Coupe’s Letters to Wife No. 2. “In my judgment the Distriet-Attor- ney’s attention should be called to this defendant, whose only anxiety, finding pression through his letters, ix to ob: tain a chanee to repeat his crime.” The defentant referred to by Justice McCall, of the Supreme Court, In these words Is ‘Thomas Coupe, who was a photographer in a department store, but hax disappeared, Coupe's wife, Margaret, whom he married Aug. 12, 18M, sulng for an an- nulment of thelr marriage on the din- covery that he already had a wife In England when he married presented the depositions taken in England of Mary Coupe, the rector of St. Philip's Church, at St. Philip's GriMin, In Lan- cashire, and a brother of Thomas Coupe, that he was married to Mary Coupe In that church May 26, 1883 and that he afterward ran away. The letters referred to were written by Coupe to Mrs, Coupe's attorney, H. T. E. Beardsley, on Dec. 3 and Feb, 3 last, after his wife had sued him. 1y the first he said: “E wish a alight chance, and then you can go ahead with all speed for such other and further relief as, may be just, together with the costs of the action ‘The second was written after he dis- Appeared from tho city. It was dared at the Minto Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario, and sal “Dear Sir: You said in your last letter that the annulment of marriage would surely’ come aff this month, If same has not already been gone through with I would be pleased to hear from you the above address, and oblige. Yo TOM COUPE." If Tom Coupe would kindly return to New York Mr. Jerome might read the law on bigamy to him. — FELL AND BROKE SKULL. Unidentified Man Dies tn Long In}- A man who had been drinking excea- sively foll In front of No, 874 Court street, Brooklyn, yesterday and frac- vaied hie sicull, He was sent to the daland College Hospital, where ho was ny \y the yards of oheese-cloth aA t Is of rubber gas tubing with him, The cheesecloth was used to up the cracks in the door and win- “and tbe gas tubing was atta He was found to-day 4 three to the Jet. | with the end of the gas tube in his | mouth, Henry Lohling, proprietor of. the hotel, says that the man appeared to be cheerful when he registered. As he » save two smail bundles In advance and Kk to-day, had no bagga he pald for the room left a call for 7.9 o'el At that hour Bessie Siegel, a cham- ‘permaid, went to call him, Her knocks the door being unanswered she got ‘a pass key and called the proprietor When they opened the door a flood of gas rolled out and almost overwhelmed them, The carefulness of the suicide in closing all the avenues of escape had prevented the fumes of the gas from reaching the hallway. All of the clothing worn by the suicide was brand new. He had on a striped suit and white underwear, In kets were found a gold watch and chain and $13.56 In cash. ‘The nam of J. H. Duffy, of No. 534 Fourth av nue, Brooklyn, was on a com in qwns' in his vest pocket Duffy, who was employed by the Phoenix Insurance Company, at No. 47 street, imd been alck several weeks, but had continued to work until Monday. Since then his employers had made several inquiries for him at hls home, When Duffy went to the Ho- tel Studio he registered under the name of J. H. Walker, PUT OUT CHILDREN, THEN DRANK POISON Mrs. Mary Ruchert Clasped Her Youngest Girl in Her Arms and Lay Down at Home to Die. Mrs. Mary Ruchert, thirty- old, committed suicide at her home, 2 Leroy street, to-day, by drinking ©: bole acid, After drinking the acid she d her three-year-old girl, Gussie, 1 laid down to d nad locked the door to ” pushing ho: two years ay When Willinm Rushert went | sis dinner thi afternoon he foun two children crying in the hallway t into his flat and found his w ead on her bed, Sho had been d but a short time, and the litte girl Gus- ale was struggling to free herself from the atiffening arms, Only recently she ed from the State Hospital II's Taland. on Blackw: — + SHOT WHILE DESERTING, COLUMBUS, O., June 2—John W, Manning, & prisoner at the aver States Barnrcks, while trying to 4 eeees was hot and i yy Bios bey will bo Ss RN We Sat a See dented. re te ae 4 $e anriee, 28, Ol by the stockholders to preside as ol CHARRED VICTIM. SLAIN AT CARDS Detectives Trying to Solve Creek Mystery Say Murderers Car- tied the Body from a Boat- MOSLEMS IN FEAR APPEAL TO BANDIT Tribal Chiefsof Morocco, Dread- ing Foreign Invasion, Person- ally Seek the Release of Cap- House and Burned It. PHILADELPHIA, June 2—Deter- tlves of Delaware County and thix city are workl an endeavor te unravel t connected with the Anding of the charred body of a man in the marsh close to the banks Darby Creek, ten miles south of Nadelphia Detective Berry, of Delaware County, does not belleve the ma where yards of the spot where the body was found Js the farm-house of William Horne On the nf rope and two conclusion that the involved in a quarrel ful atively al from the Horne reside ly se the chutred trunk, which would seem to bear out this theory. Two suspender buck and the toe of a sho: by which the det e not been able to and any trace of the head of & woman which boys suid they had seen near the » the man's burned body was CONSOLIDATED GAS ADDS $20,000,000 ee Stockholders Vote to Raise the Capital to $100,000,000, the tering Company’s Property. g of the stockhold jus Company ™m s main the « 4 Irving place, to-day, It to Increase the company's ok from $50,009,000 to $10,000,000, The imerease was auth mously by those present per cent. of the tots Ison Cromwell was rented | Willis (man of the meeting. According to a resolution adopted, the proceeds of the debentures and so much of the increased stock as shall not be necessary for conversion 1s to be used | for improvements, betterments, the ac- quisition of additonal property, the payment of company — indebtedness. whether now existing or hereafter con- tracted, or in stich manner as the Board of, Eroeseen bay unr ‘The iasue of Is of par yalue convertible 5 ia Hi ene ; i a el hey uly ead the body wan f the opinion that he met a tn one of the boat- at line the creek during a and that the body was then carried tnto the marsh, b It is evident an attempt had been made destroy all evidences of tden- tifleation by burning the body, and the a murderer or murdercrs: pvered their ucks well, Within a few hurdred tives Held by Raisuli. TAD R. Morocco, June 2.—A dele- gat ehlets of the Angerra tribe has left here to make a personal appeal to Kalyull, the bandit chief. to rete Messrs, Verdicaris Varley order to. prpve per ‘ forvigne and the expulste tans: This and Moslem faith Mahome- of ive mission 1 conmidered At noon town. battery e visit at the fagship Olympla firing a ‘ salute in his honor. Admiral Jewell subsequently called on the British Minister. 247 Reduced Men's Suits—newest goods—our own careful make—not a thing the matter are determined to organize a great special sale and create the biggest kind of a clothing movement. ‘ Rich Blue Serges are amongst them So are Cassimeres, Cheviots HREMAN GERDES DIES OF INJURIES Member of Engine Company No, 3, Struck on Head by Nozzle When Making Test, Passes - Away in Hospital. Joseph W. Gerdes, appointed to the ¥ Fire Department April 27, died in the { New York Hospttal to-day from injd- ries he received by being struck on the head by # nozzle while Engine Company No .3 was making it# annual test of fire hose in front of its fire-house om | Fifteenth sireer, near Ninth avenue. (ests. were in charge of Lieut. Carlock, and while the pressure wan be Jox Abpiled a Norse attached to the eng ot one of the lines of hose few arouné ght Gerdes on the side of the cture of thé er brain. He di , but died several vai at the New ¥ recover conselou hours after his « Hospital a Warlike Street Posts, Four of the cunnons taken from tha <4 ; French off Finistere in Adi Boi roles of curb posts fr OF ar Hil. the lowidy Ae sera q A Busines ie Hit there ts nf poste on the curbstones every one of which Is cannon which has done service. oF dy to do it ainst England & CO. 6th Av., cor. 1 5th: Homes To Order The artistic come to Little’s because good taste is! aracteristic of every piece of Furniture in these ‘big ware rooms. 5 The practical come to Little’s because comparison: proves that, dollar for dollar, they can do very much better} here than elsewhere. Extra good | Values in Chiffoniers Solid Oak Chiffoniers; regular, 50, regular price Birch and Chiffonlers; Manito Tirice sista, at, 919.50 Quartered Oak ¢ shfronlers. Manes French te mirrors; $15.00 PORUIAR price $20.00, at.. Quartered ©: ue, Ba ple Birei and Mahogany cl onlers; ceeular price, $24.00, $17, 50) 1 H. Little & Co., Sixth Ave., Cor. 15th St. Suits ~ Mahegany with them—simply that we So are So is every choice plain and fancy fabric that your taste desires. All sizes as well as all styles and mixtures— our own regular close prices : Men’s ALSO Cassimeres, Worsteds, and Increase to Be Used in Bet- |and fancy, cut in the smartest of this season’s jstyles, extra well tailored, all sizes, at.. Great lot of Men’s $16, $18 Blue Serge Suits, fabrics; the best clothes that we seen at these prices; Beautiiully, gotten UP all sizes, at. FANCY VESTS, $1.50, Stes reduced to.......-++ 200 pairs of our own $2. $3.50 Trousers, reduced to.... Open Saturday Evenings Till 9. -and a good big block chopped off of Best $12 and $15 Blue Serge Suits; ALSO plain and fancy = oe Cheviots, plain $045 $2 and $250 © Bee 50, 83 and $1. 90 and $20 have ever