Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-22
HUGHES CONVICTED.
His Wife Tries TO Testify I'm His
Favor.

| nhS WIZ 1IloS 10 VoStlfy In HI!
Favor.
Patrick Hughes, the Boyle Heightl
wife beater, who was arrested last nigh
while in the act of choking and striking
the partner of his joys and sorrows
was tried yesterday before Justice Austir
and found guilty Of battery. The tria
was an interesting one, alternately
amusing and pathetic.
Hughes is hod-carrier, and according
to his own story has done no work fol
three weeks, and before his last Job
which was short one, came to sudden
end through his drunkenness, he had done
nothing for five or six months. In some
mysterious manner, however, he appears
to have plenty of money. Yesterday he
had an attorney to defend him and did
his best to establish some sort of claim
to an acquittal.
The chief witness was Officer Stephen
son, who testified that he saw Hughes
holding his wife down upon the floor
his hand upon her throat, and that she
was screaming murder" and "help."
Officer Auble testified that Hughes
had offered to give the arresting officer
$40 to square the thing, but this testi-
mony was thrown out as irrelevant.
The name of Mrs. Hughes was then
called by the officer of the court, and
miserable looking woman considerably
advanced in years, dressed in dirty and
draggled clothes, shuffled along toward
the witness stand and gazed about her
with frightened, almost desperate look.
Hughes is young man, apparently not
more than 80. The woman he married
presumably for the reason that she hap
pened to have a little property and
whom he is now ill-treating, is about so
years of age, wrinkled and grey-headed.
Their examination on the stand was a
wretched and melancholy farce. She
declared in a weak, quivering voice that
she had no complaint to make against
her husband and that he never ill-treated
her.
"Well, what we're you yelling 'help'
and murder for?" asked the District
Attorney.
"I was just nervous and a little
scared"
Scared at what?"
"At nothing at all. Not at my hus-
band"
"Had you been drinking that night ?'
The witness began to say that she had
not. when she caught the eye of her
husband who was seated near and was
watching her intently. As she remarked,
"No. didn't" he nodded his head, and
then she changed her reply quickly to
"Yes, meant to say that 1 had been
drinking"
"Stop that" shouted his honor indig-
nantly to Hughes. "What do you mean
by trying to intipidate her right here in
court? At another demonstration of this
sort will have you punished for con-
Tempt"
Hughes subsided and on little more
questioning the fact was brought
out that the unfortunate creature had
been in the habit Of running to the
houses of the neighbors for help and pro.
lection at all hours of the night.
One of the neighbors was put upon the
stand and testified that Mrs. Hughes had
said before the trial that she dared not
testify against Patrick for fear he would
kill her.
Hughes testified in his own defense
that he had been too drunk the night be-
fore to known what he WAS doing and
that the "old woman" was half crazy
and got scared very easily
The Court after few words reviewing
the testimony said that the defendant
might appear for sentence to-day ut l
O'Clock, and in the meantime that he
might stay in the City Jail Hughes be-
fore leaving to go back to Jail asked to
speak to his wife in the witness room,
and after asking solicitously about her
health, he kissed her with pretense at
affection and hada hor farauall