Los Angeles herald., 1890-07-12
AROUND TOWN.
The Trial of T. A. Brooks on
a Serious Charge.
He is Found Guilty by the
Jury.
A Marriage that Was Not Performed
by Preacher.
The Second Street Gable Road-An Eff
fort to Start it Running Over
the Hills.

Monica, on April 1st last, was resumed
yesterday morning before Judge McKin-
ley and jury in department 6 of the
superior court.
The first witness called was A. B.
Whitney, the deputy county clerk who
had charge of the register in which all
marriage licenses are recorded at the
time of their issuance. He testified that
no license was issued for the marriage
of the defendant to the girl, Anna Cas-
key, nor had any one applied for one, as
far as he knew. Walter S. Marchant, a
deputy county recorder, corroborated
the testimony of the preceding witness
by stating that no license for the mar
riage of the parties named was on the
records.
Mrs. Frank Shafer, the wife of the
proprietor of a lodging house on New
High street, testified that the defend
ants brother had room at her house,
and that during his absence, on the
night of April 1st last, Brooks and the
girl Anna came there and remained in
the room together all night. Next
morning they went away early with the
elder Brooks, who came to his room and
called them.
u. b. Dexter, constable of Justice
Twichell's court at Santa Monica, testi-
fed to having arrested Brooks at Santa
Barbara. While on the return to this
city Brooks acknowledged having occu-
pied the same room with the girl, but
assured his captor that he had not been
intimate with her. He wanted to know
what was likely to be done with him;
and the witness told him that if he and
the girl had been doing nothing wrong
they could not do anything with him.
The prosecution rested its case at
this juncture, and the defense called
upon DR.. J. J. Place, of Santa
Monica to take the stand. The ply
sician, after the usual preliminary ques-
tons had been asked and answered,
testified that two months after the de-
fendant and Anna Caskey had been to-
gether as man and wife, he had, at the
request of the district attorney, ex-
amined the girl in the presence Of her
mother and questioned her as to her
physical condition. AS the result of
that examination he was confident that
the girl was still a maiden.
Mrs. Lizzie Lowe stated that on the
evening of June Sd last Mrs. Caskey and
Anna came to her house after they had
packed. up their belongings preparatory
to leaving Santa Monica, and met Mrs.
mother, by appointment. The girls
she was satisfied that Brooks had
told the truth, and that although he
and her daughter had been together,
nothing wrong had transpired. She
then asked Mrs. Knowlton's forgive
ness for the part she mad taken in the
matter, and next morning she and her
daughter left Santa Monica.
Mrs. Boehme testified that the girl
Anna Caskey had told her that she had
been dragged into prosecuting Tom
Brooks by her mother, but that she was
determined not to testify as they wanted
her to do, should she be taken into
court.
Mrs. G. E. Knowlton testified that
she was the mother of the defendant,
and that he was 16 years of age, having
been born on September 2, 1873.
DR.. Place was recalled and examined
on several points as a medical expert,
and M. X. Barretto, city marshal of
Santa Monica, testified to having made
an examination of the room occupied by
defendant and the complainant in Mrs.
Shafer's lodging house, the day follow
ing the elopement.
The defendant, Thos. A. Brooks, then
took the stand in his own behalf, and
testified in effect that he first met Anna
Caskey in October last, at Santa Monica,
and renewed his acquaintance with her
in January last, when he went to live
there. They were together good deal
on the beach and the bluff, and
became engaged Sin a kind of
way" On March 3Oth last he came
up to town and told his elder brother
that he wanted to get married, and
asked him to get license, but was told
that he was too young yet. After talk
ing the matter over his brother told him
that if he was determined to get mar
ried he would take him to preacher
with whom he was acquainted, and they
subsequently met the man referred to-,
and arranged with him to meet the par
ties who were going to be married at q
small summer house on the corner of
Figueroa and Washington streets.
Brooks then drove down to Santa Mon
lea, met the girl and returned to this
city on the night of April 1st, when they
were married by the preacher, who said
that he would bring his certificate round
next morning, when they could pay him
his fee. The defendant and Anna then
went to his brothers. room and left for
Santa Barbara early next morning.
On cross-examination the defendant
testified that he came to Los Angeles
from Denver, and after going to school
in this city and Santa Monica, became q
waiter in his mothers restaurant at the
latter place three years ago. His
brother, who was 23 years of age, hac
left Los Angeles, and he did not know
where he was now. The defendant was
then questioned closely, and repeated
his story Of the elopement in detail
He described the clergyman who per
formed the marriage ceremony as Mr.
Rockford, man about 80 years of age
of slim build, and so tall that he "coulc
not look him straight in the face." He
stated that he did not know anything
about license being required before
marriage, and when confronted with his
testimony on direct examination to the
effect that his brother said that he was
too young to procure one, attempted te
explain the variance by saying that his
brother spoke about the license after
the marriage, in Santa Barbara. He as
serted that he believed the marriage
was a genuine one at the time. There
ware a numhar Of diacrapancies in thf