Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-03-17
TaE mALTBY MURDER.
Preliminary Examination of the Parties
LICENSED

Preliminary Examination of the Parties
| accused
Yesterday at l o'clock was the hour set for
beginning the examination in Woodland of
exSherif Rahm and George Rahm, charged
with the murder of John E. Maltby, who
was UNDERESTIMATE Of Yo,o county at the
time Of his death. The details of the arrest
of ex Sheriff Rahm, his cousin George Rahm,
and John Appleby. the ex jsiler, were pub
! ego.
Yesterday morning Deputy Sheriff Law
son, of Yoio, came down from Folsom, hav-
ing in charge a convict known as ''Bodie y
Smith, who Is now serving q sentence of If
teen years for numbering man named Miner
Patterson. The convict was taken to Wood.
land TO testify ia the Rahm examination.
Some of the officers interested il the arrest
OF the men left for Woodland on the lI:30
train yesterday also z. B. Willis. who will
make s.eaogTaphie report of the testimony,
newspaper representatives. and several friends
OF the accused men and Of the late john
Msltby.
Early in the morning the town of Wood.
land was all excitement; many people had
arrived from all parts Of the county, and
others from various parts of the State. Never
before has there been such interest mani
tested by the people of Yolo county in a
criminal case. An hour before the time for
the examination the Courtroom of the SD
petior Court was crowded to OVERLOOKING.
Hundreds tried to gain admission, but could
not
A few minutes after l o'clock Justice Gro
min took his seat and ex-Sherif Rahm ap-
peared in Court, accompanied by his counsel,
q. A. Knight, Z. +. Baker, j. Lambert and
G. II. Gsroutte. The people were represented
by District Attorney Craig, who, when the
Court was called to order, moved that con-
tinnance be granted until this morning at
o'clock. as Charles I. Jones, who has been
engaged IS leading counsel in the case, was
detained in case il the Sacramento Court
and could not be present until that time.
This motion was argued by all the counsel for
the defense aud the District Attorney, and
was finally denied.
George P. Harding, attorney for Appleby,
asked for a separate examination for his
client, which was granted.
The witnesses were sworn and put under
the rule. The prosecution called forty-three
witnesses and the defendants fifty-one. The
calling and swearing of witnesses, and the
argument of the motion for continuance, &C.
cupied the time of the Court until 8 O'Clock
The first witness called was j. 81. Wright.
He testified in substance as follows: | am
bookkeeper for Gwinn & Co., butchers of
Woodland l know the location of the
stock coIrals, G urt-house yard and
the road leaii1g between the two.
diagram OF the corrals, Court house and
rosd was shown tbs witness, and he pre-
noznced it as correct He continued: 1t is
one and three-quarter miles from the Court.
house to the corrals. On March q, 1892
wagon could nave been driven from the
Courthouse TO the cOrrals by going through
the gates marked on the diagram. At that
time there was straw-stack at the corrals
surrounded by stout fence, portion being
six boards high and the remainder of it eight |
feet hign. This inclosure was about 10 by 20 |
feet in size. The stack had been con
torn down by stock; it was
about so feet from the barn. A corpse |
was found inside of this Enclosure, on the |
south side Of the stack, about the 1st Of |
April, on Sunday. do not know the ex-
act date. I was told that the body was that |
of John Maltby; the dead man was laying |
on his side, extending from east to west, with |
his hat over his head as if put there TO shield |
his head the body was in natural position;
there was no evidence of any struggle; a
bottle was near by witness was shown bot
tlal; this is like it F; it was corked and labeled
1" strychnine." When I arrived several people
were there. 1 had not been there within two
weeks prior to that time cattle had not been
in that corral the week previous, but had
been there about two weeks prior there
were no hogs in that part of the corral. and
none could get in there; J. 0. Connors, jesse
Walters and L. d. Stoutenburg were there
when I came the bottle was leaning against
the stack about four feet from the body.
Deceased had on q heavy chinchilla
coat aud dark pants ! started out to the
corral to look for cows. George Hollings
worth told me as I was on the road that a
dead man had been found at our slaughter
house several persons we're at the Slaughter
house before me. do not know whether the
body had been disturbed or not. The label
was on the bottle, but was very insecurity
fastened. Two men are employed at the
slaug hter- house. l had not been in the corral
where the body was found for three months
prior to this time. There were three good
wide gates between the road aud Beamers
slough. The easiest and most usual way
would be TO go through one gate and across
the field. The nearest corral to the road
contains about one acre the next one is
smaller, and the other is as before stated. To
be put in this one body would have to be
lifted over high fence. did not notice
any scars or abrasions on the body.
1t was much dec0mposed. l did not make a
careful examination of it. 1t had on heavy
every day coat and do not think it was in
tended as an oyerccat. The grain was grow
ing in the field, and was about inches high.
There was no regular routs from the road 10
Besmsr's field through these gates, but you
could get there through them. They are not
locked. but are usually closed,
William Moore testified to having found
the body while out walking with his mother
and Mrs. Lyford, and also to giving informa-
ton to the Coroner. He was corroborsted
by the two ladies mentioned. The Court
then adjourned until this morning.
Charles 7. Jones made his final argument
in the Lee Hung arson case last evening, and
will leave for Woodland this morning.