Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-25
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE BOUNCED REPORTER.
Trial of Prentiss Maslin for Ejectine
Careon.

Trial of Prentiss Maslin for Eiectine
Carson.
The whole day was consumed in the Po-
lice Court yesterday in the partial hearing
of the case of Prentiss Maslin, charged
with battery, in having elected from Gov
ernor Waterman's private Office one Will.
Carson, 3 correspondent of the San Fran
CISCO Examiner. Besides the numerous wit
nesses present, there was quite a crowd of
curious spectators who expected to hear
something spicy. In this they were disap-
pointed and soon departed, as the case was
dull and tedious in the extreme, most of
the time being taken up in prnsy and unin-
teresting arguments by counsel
J. 81. McKune appeared to assist City
Attorney Church in the prosecution. Robt.
T. Devlin appeared for Mr.. Maslin, and
when the case was called announced to the
Court that Messrs. David Mcclure and Jos.
D. Redding, of San Francisco. and Grove
L. Johnson, were engaged as counsel for
the defense, but were not able to be pres
ent. On this ground he would like to have
the case continued. City Attorney Church
opposed continuance, and Judge Buckley
ordered the case to proceed.
Judge Buckley said he had been re-
quested by number of witnesses TO hold
Court at the Capitol Building, as the prose-
cutting witness had caused almost every
person at the Capitol to be subpenaed in
the case. If all of them were required to
come to the Police Court business would
have to be suspended at the Capitol
Mr.. McKune said that it was not the in
tention of the prosecution to call any wit
nesses except those who were present at
the time of the alleged assault, namely,
Carson, John Shelton and ]. c. German.
Carson arose and announced to the Court
that he had subpenaed all the rest for the
benefit OF the defense. Judge Buckley
gave him severe rebuke, and informed
him that he did not want any such trifling
with the Court.
The complaining witness then took the
stand and testified to the fact OF his being
forcibly put out of the Governors Office by
the defendant. He said that Mr.. Maslin
first limited TO him that he was not wanted
there, then requested him to go out ana
upon his repeated refusals to go, put HIM
out by force.
There were long arguments by counsel as
TO the admissibility of evidence. The pros
ecution claimed that the Office was public
one, and that Carson had a right there
while the defense held that the office from
which Carson was elected was a private
office, in charge of Mr.. Maslin, who had a
right TOD ~ out upon his refusal to go
when he uested to-
J. G. German, of the Controllers Office,
corroborated the statement of the COM
planning witness as to the manner in which
he was put out.
The prosecution rested their case, and
Mr.. Devlin moved the Court to dismiss the
case on the ground that there was no evil
dence to convict Mr.. Maslin of battery
The evidence had simply shown that the
defendant had removed Carson from the
office and used no more force than was
necessary to accomplish that end.
Judge Buckley said that all the evidence
before him so far waste the effect that Car
son had gone into the office and, upon re-
fusing to go out, had been put out with
such force as was necessary. There might
be perfect defense to this action, but it
had not yet been shown, and he overruled
the motion.
Andrew Walton, porter at the Gov
errors office, was then called for the
defense, and described the rooms and how
Carson had been elected. There was
public room and two private rooms. Mas
lin had RTst carried Carson out of a private
room into public one, but he ran back
in, and then Maslin picked him up and
carried him out into the hall and locked
the door.
AT the conclusion of Walton's testimony
the case was continued until this morning.