Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-06-12
Los Angeles Letter.


 city. The Major was tried on two in- formations, but in both cases the jury
 failed to agree. The proceedings were
 characterized by display of bitter per
 soma! feeling, and ct times the atmOs- phere of the court room WAS decidedly
 sulty. Judge Fitzgerald appeared on | behalf of the prosecution and in his ar
 gumen:s to the jury displayed his we'll
 known eloquenoe and ability. These
 two libel cases were an outgrowth of the
 celebrated breach -of-promise case of
 LouIsa Perkins versus Lucky Bald win.
 In this case as your readers will remem- Der the fair plaintiff obtained a verdict | Of SlJ,'OO against ih millionaire, and | the popni.r verdict Tas, "soTyvd hIm l n-At-' la IIs papcr G.IILg the tr.al Oi | il- case, MH!sT Bel to. s.Iss aga usi D"'uW n eIu commented rather srv rely ! upon Mr. Wells, Whn was one Of Bsll- l NIus attorneys. Baldwin brOugiJ | eIEll action E,saln t Bell f5i hbcl, claim ] log that hIs character had been damaged | to tPe extent of SSJ,pO0, while NIT. Wells went into the criminal courts for re | dress. While Bell utterly failed to | prove inc truth of his charges against | V si!s that he had visited. Bsldwln's | apartments ID San Frsucirco with u
 woman not has wife, snd that Senator ' John Sherman had called him | "Oily Wells when the Senator
 was visiting here last year, still the jury failed to convict, their action rejecting | popular opinion here that Baldwin was | the moving power In the prosecution | and that his wealth was being usei to
 crush out the freedom of the press. S Los Angeles county jury has already ex- | pressed its opinion of Baldwin, and the
 feelings and animosities resulting from
 the famous breach of promise case have
 not yet died out n this community.
 out on the contrary have become more
 intensified.
 Judge Fitzgerald's speech in the last
 libel case tried WAS one of the most in- teresting aud able arguments l ever lis tened to in a court of justice. and it has | added new laurels to his wOll-estabiish-
 ed fame Rs a well read lawy CT and elo- | quent advocate. It WAS enlivened by | flashes of wit and humor that brought
 8 smile to the features of every one present, including even the pugnacious
 defendant himself In speaking of the | dimunitlve size of Major Bells paper he
 sad:
 In that respect feel myself somewhat m the position that the old man did,
 who was asked upon one occasion by | his wife, who was in an adjoining room,
 to ''Slap that child, and make it stop
 crying" The old lady insisted, and the old gentleman WAS as persistent in re- fusing to obey her command. Finally
 she came into the room and, in an en- l ragged voice, says: "Why don't you slap it?' The old gentleman lifted up the lit-
 tle child clothes and says: "Old woman,
 l don't see anything to slap"
 Again, referring 10 the name "Porcu-
 pine" of the paper, he said:
 This article Is published in a paper called the Porcupine. The "Porcu- pine" Why, that very name itself IS a threat. ltls menace against the peace and harmony of society. If it was a legitimate journal, If its missIon in life was such as they would have you to be- heve that 1t is, why would they name it the POrcupines After a poor little bit Oi an animal which belongs to the hog specIes, gentlemen; after poor little bIt Of an animal that will use it's Quills sometimes when 1t Is struck. with which IL Is provided by nature for the purpose of defending itself. But it is an animal which IS chiefly noted for its ofsenslve- ness.
 Judge Fitzgersld's speech is published | m the Evening Express of May 27th and It Is well worth reading.
 There was a lively racket in the l County Clerks office here last month. | Move Wicks the well known lawyer, for | merly resident of your city. was en- gagged m examining some papers when | be was approached by man named | L-verlng and accused of conceRling car- tam documents pertaining to q case ID l ~alcn L vrTIng was concerned. This | serious charge aroused Wicks' Ire and | he commanded Lowering to leave the room, and ,n order to iacilita'e his | movements Nicks fired two shots into tlc ar. L verinC went out Ike streak ot greased lightning; young lady | cop let wEs terribly frightened and var loa- iiepgty clerks vanished through con- yeul, ItswIncows and doors with en ngil- lty aud Ecrobatic grace that the Han Ions tlen4seives would have enviad. yaCgIsh member Of the nEr has written g hrse lines about the affair.
 V
 nhi- ,iaules ari-as, Ul p'-tol hs ptczs
 nd .e u.ar-s avI Iy th"slh laIIcs are rear hiu l md coy, T dId shoot, bUL tvas only to scare ,.o-y $ ,rue of these .ys 1t Is to be f-s-ci
 Some man J shoot back, who bIut a Int scaIei''
 Last winter l witnessed H most anus ing scene Bt Fresno. An old veteran of the war had come into town to prove up aIs homestead claim, and Ill honor Of the event had got generously full. He irifted about town "permIskus like" and finally brought mp in front of the Grand Opera House, wherels lively Tennessee Coon about IS years old and as black | as the ace of spade was engineering a 5oot-black stand. The darkey noticed The condition of the old soldier and with he characteristic impudence of the ."col- red man and brother" began to josh" Jim and make sport of him. The veter- , ID stood the boot blacks badiuRge very ! .ood naturedly for few minutes but 'etilng tired of 1t finally said 10 him Tn tone of remonstrsnce. Look here, ,oy, you Oughtn't to talk to me that yay. l helped to make you people free. or four years and here inspired by he cargo of good Fresno wine he had . aken aboard, the old warrior rose to & train of genuine eloquence' for four J Dng and weary years boy, barred my l reast to the deadly sleet of battle ID rder to place the shining crown of free on on the dusky brows of your op- V ressed and down trodden race" To U of which the darky replied "Gway a rom here white man; gway from st ere; you didn't fight for ne; cause I D -as borned after de war; The veteran 0l cid bis breath for a minute in as;op- cl hmcnt, and then said. you d-d st lack. blubber tipped - - sC . | would just like 10 hsul you oi own or that chair and stamp on ycu T hall Ian hour.' But be didn't put il is threat into execution aud drifted nj T rejecting on the IGgratitute of the p, American citizen from Ten cl sssee. of Judging from the following advertise ent which l find in recent issue of tr e DaIly Times of thIs city: tv one copy cr San Bernar,iino tO ' Index of any date curing September. lS-2. pl STEWART & HEREIN. 3I0 Pine street. San si anclsco- Mlil gay s5 for first copy received. HA IL looks as if the sttorneys whose ,. mes gre mentioned in it are moving : a:
 the Dick Ciird case again. and ara VI