Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-11
MAYS IMPRISONMENT,
Five menths' Confinement Weak
ems His Body and Mind.

ems His Body and Mind.
The case of .Alphonse May, who was
found not guilty bv jury in Department
No. l, presents an instance of how the
natural operation of seemingly just laws
may work profound injustice to the indi.
vidual. This story is worth retelling in
full, although some Of the incidents con-
nected with the affair have already been
several times narrated in the daily
papers.
Alphonse May was junk dealer. He
had been an expert cook in frst-class res
taurants, but being out of work took up
the first lob he could find at which he
could make living. He was married to
q Mexican woman, and for a time they
lived happily together. Afterwards there
were quarrels and finally a separation.
His story and hers do not accommodate
themselves to one another any more than
did the narrators, but as jury has
passed on the matter it is safe to assume
that much of what May says about it was
true.
According to his account when they
separated he was to have certain amount
of money which had originally
been his. The woman had fierce tenn
per, and he tried to keep away from her.
They met one day when she was in
buggy and he on the sidewalk. Some
discussion took place about the money.
There was a struggle, in which the
woman's hand was cut with pen knife
which May had open in his hand-he
was whiting stick with it when the
buggy drove up. The woman declared
that May stabbed at her with it. He says
she tried to grab at it, and in that way
cut her hand. The jury, who heard
| the testimony of all the bystanders, de-
cided that the man was not guilty of an
assault with deadly weapon. 1t would,
therefore, seem to be the case that his
version of the story was correct. The
affair took place on the 9TH of last
October. May was arrested on a warrant
several days later. He could not secure
bail, and was accordingly sent to the
County Jail. In due course of time he
was examined by an inferior magistrate,
and held to answer. Owing to the
crowded condition OF the calendar in the
Superior Court, his case, when it came
on for trial, had to be continued from
time to time, until last week it was fin
ally brought to conclusion.
| During all this time, five months,
lAlphonse May, who jury has just de-
cided, WAS entirely innocent of the charge
which was entered against him, has been
imprisoned at the County Jail. For the
first two or three months he was locked
up in the one of the tanks or compart-
ments with number of other prisoners.
Later, when the Jailer discovered that
he was an experienced cook, he was made
a "trusty" and installed in the culinary
department of the concern. His keepers
say that his conduct has been excellent
during his stay. In the last few weeks.
however, he became addicted to long
fits of melancholy, and fears began to be
entertained as to his sanity. His health
gradually declined and at the time OF his
dismissal he was physical and almost
mental wreck. Freedom and the en-
dorsement of his innocence by jury
may have the effect of calling him back
to strength and vigor, but his fellow
prisoners, who claim to know him we'll,
say that it is more than likely that his
brain is permanently affected.
The case excited good deal of SYM
pathy among those who knew all the
circumstances. 1t is not particularly
unique. as similar cases on greater or
less scale occur frequently. Neverthe-
less, it is worthy of more than passing
notice.