The Trial of Judge Wickersham: A Tacoma Scandal Over Land, Lies, and 'Delirium'

THE WICKERSHAM CASE.

Protracted Trial of the Fourth Day of the Trial. The Prosecution Builds Its Case—Several Witnesses for the Defense Continue.

The fourth day of the Wickersham trial presented the same court scene as the day previous. The same witnesses were there and they sat in their former positions. The same gaping crowd hung expectant and open-mouthed to receive every detail. The defendant did not stir from his position during the sessions, and his wife sat close behind him, taking in every word of the evidence but not giving any signs of emotion, even when the testimony was of the most damaging character.

Miss Brantner was accompanied by her protector, Mrs. Handsaker, and in the afternoon by a feeble old lady whose features so closely resembled those of the prosecutrix as to suggest that she might be her mother. It was the mother, and she sat for several hours, listening with painful intentness to the story of her daughter's shame. It is said that she has lost her mental balance through grief at her daughter's dishonor. She did not display any idiosyncrasies in the court room, however. About half a dozen members of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union were present in response to the appeal published yesterday morning.

Mrs. Handsaker was called to the stand at 9 o'clock to continue the testimony interrupted by adjournment of court the evening before. Her testimony was as follows:

"I am a stenographer and an expert on writing. I can tell if writing is one year old or seven. The writing on the marriage certificate may have been a year old; but not much more. It was dated seven years back. The writing in the body of the certificate was the same in every respect as that of the alleged signature of Mr. Waterman. There were no witnesses to the certificate. The signature of Sadie Brantner was not in her hand, and was not the same as in the body."

The cross-examination was then taken up. "Are you a member of the W. C. T. U.?" "I am." "Is there a press committee?" "There is." "Was there not an appeal published to the W. C. T. U. ladies to attend court to-day?" "I won't swear to it. I didn't read it." "Don't you believe in the Bible, Mrs. Handsaker?" "I do." "Do you believe in the ninth commandment?" "I believe in all the commandments." "What is this ninth commandment?" "I can't state." "It is about bearing false witness." The Court: "This is not material."

Talk to Obriet's. "You say Miss Brantner was delirious while at the Brunswick?" "I did." "What is your profession?" "A stenographer." "Did that fit you to judge of delirium?" "No; but I have been a member of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and have been called in to attend a great many cases of illness." "What do you call delirium?" "It is a state of unconsciousness." "Can unconscious people respond to inquiries?" "I have known them to reply to questions." "Did she call for Bulger?" "She called for her uncle. (She always addressed Bulger as uncle, even to me.)" "What did she call Mr. Wickersham?" "She called him Wickersham, and sometimes Mr. Wickersham." "Did she apply terms of endearment to the name of Wickersham?" "Yes, she did." "Did she say 'Dear Wickersham'?" "Yes, sir." "Is that the way women generally address their husbands when they wish to apply terms of endearment?" "They do." "Did she never exclaim 'Dear Charley,' or 'Charley,' while in her delirium?" "No, sir."

The cross-examination then reverted to the question of Miss Brantner's physical condition. The examining counsel then made a diagram of the room in the Brunswick hotel on the floor with a number of law books. In this improvised model the witness was asked to place wads of paper to illustrate the relative positions of Judge Wickersham, Miss Brantner and Dr. Brown on the night that she had testified she had overheard and seen a part of the relinquishment transaction through the partially opened door. The counsel attempted to show by this means that the witness could not see what had gone on in the room.

"Why did you go so privately to the Brunswick if you were on an errand of mercy?" "Because Mr. Bulger imposed secrecy on me. I told him, however, that if I ever was called upon I would tell the whole truth."

The next witness Rev. J. F. DeVore, the venerable Methodist clergyman of Tacoma. He testified: "I have been acquainted with Miss Brantner for about five years. She has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and very highly respected. I have had the means of knowing her character for chastity in Tacoma where she lived and I know her character was good."

J. Y. Ostrander, late register of the United States land office at Seattle, testified: "I know Miss Brantner; met her along in 1886 in Wahkiakum, W.T. She came to the land office with James Wickersham. It was a rule of the land office that applicants should be identified to the register. Mr. Wickersham introduced her as Mrs. Waterman, requested me to give him some application blanks. He filled one out and she signed two or three to it. She did not get this piece of land. They came... I have no distinct recollection of the second visit, but I am quite positive they were there to get her [land]."

B. W. Conner, prosecuting attorney for Pierce County, testified: "I know defendant and plaintiff. I had a conversation with defendant in hall of courthouse at Tacoma one evening in October, 1887... He said he could not go back to attend to my business because he had an engagement with a young lady for a taxi[ride]. I told him he ought to know better... He said that he thought the girl was a good girl and that he met her a good talking to. I told him he had better quit with her."

After court convened in the afternoon an hour was consumed by the attorneys in discussing the question of admissibility of evidence concerning Miss Brantner's chastity and character before October, 1887. It was decided that the prosecution should offer its substantial evidence first.

Dr. Brown, of Miller & Brown, the Tacoma surgeons, charged by Miss Brantner with performing a criminal operation on her, was then called to the stand. The story told by him is substantially as follows: "I met the prosecuting witness about the middle of March, 1888, in my office... At that time we considered her sickness to be general prostration caused by heart trouble and neural complaints... We treated her for heart and gave tonics to tone up her general tone... During this time she never informed me that she was in a delicate condition. My opinion was that there was nothing wrong, as I did not talk with her during the month of March. I did not at any time perform an operation, nor did my partner. I did not take her to a room at Fashion Lake House... I visited her two or three times... and I never stayed with her all night, nor administered chloroform to try to keep her from screaming."

George Bettman, clerk at Young's hotel, Olympia, testified to Mr. Wickersham and Miss Brantner being at the hotel on October 19, 1887. He identified a page on the register on which the following entry was found: "October 29, 1887; Miss Sadie Brantner, rooms one and two."