The record-union., 1891-11-07
Rngnl gukt.ts 31nanner.

OF wrecking the train, and after he had
made the statement. When Al told them
about the clawbar, he took them to where
he said he had found it, but it was not
there. Al described the clawbar as being
a crude affair, about eighteen inches in
length. One of the claws had broken OFT
of it. After arresting them the officers
took the brothers to ColfaX. Here they
were turned over TO Ben True, who took
! them to Sacramento.
why didn't you take them to Au
burn?' asked Attorney Jones.
Il had to go to Iowa Hill"
"What for ?''
ITO get two more prisoners"
"WhO?D
John Roberts and Joe Campbell"
"What had they done?"
''Al Roberts had accused them of being
| connected with the wrecking, too. They
| proved an alibi though. Several people
there assured me that John and Joe were
there at II O'Clock the night before the
wreck. They were taken to Sacramento,
however, and we intended to have them
face Al Roberts, to see If he would stick
to his story. They satisfied us, however,
that they were innocent. / told Al that
they had nothing to do with the crime.
NJ then said that it was jeff and two In
! dians who did the job.
CONSUMING TIME.
The Sheriff was kept under a rapid fire
OF questions regarding the most minute
details of the arrest and the trip Of the
prisoners to Sacramento. Finally District
| Attorney Robinson interfered and said
| that the examination would consume a
month if tho attorneys for the defense
| were allowed to continue in this line of
! questioning. Mr.. Jones also put in an
objection. Attorney Tuttle for the de-
Tense, said he desired to go fully into the
case and wanted all the details he could
get hold of. The court instructed the de-
tense to proceed.
Mr.. Conroy said that since he had had
the prisoners in Jail they were in seperate
| cells, so that they could not communicate
with each other. Mr. Conroy said he ar
rested John Roberts and Joe Campbell
on Al Roberts accusation. 1t was the
same with the two Indians. The witness
denied that he had treated Al Roberts
better in the jail than jeff. He was not
trying to force JEFF to make a confession.
He acknowledged that Al had made two
statements to him. One was taken at the
County Jail at Sacramento. In this state
ment Al Roberts said he saw jeff and
the two Indians consulting in whispers
and plotting for several days. On Satur-
day jeff had a small bar with him, which
he told me he was going to make into
something. He also had q crowbar. He
took them both to the blacksmith shop.
On the night Of the wreck Al said he was
going home and saw three men on the
railroad track. He was quite sure they
were jeff and the two Indians; watched
them and saw jeff turn off to the right
and 60 up the road. Il went home then"
continued Al in the statement, ''and went
to bed. jeff did not come home that
night. He got home the next morning
after the wreck, and his hands were black
and greasy. He threw the wrench he
did If with updar the hnad of Camnba1l;c
bed"
ANOTHER CONFESSION.
Another statement of Al Roberts to the
Sheriff was as follows: II saw my
brother jeff take the long bar. I saw
him have the long bar Wednesday before
the wreck. l saw him take the little bar
out Of the tool-houSe by the wood-shed.
1t was drill. He took it away Thurs
day before the wreck. / went home at
10 o'clock that night and jeff was not
there. JEFF done it himself. Mrs. Brees
told me that John and Joe left Iowa Hill
Sunday. l know that jeff done it be-
cause his hands was all greasy and dirt.
JEFF came in sometime between the
wreck and 6 o'clock
On redirect examination Mr.. Conroy
said he had only been Sheriff since Jan
uary last He had never held an office be-
fore Since he had been in office he had
never until the present time had two
accused
OF a capital offenSe. The jail he kept the
Roberts brothers in was the only jail the
people of Placer County had furnished
him with. 1t was the best he had and if
the accommodations We're bad it was not
his fault. While Al Roberts had accused
several persons of being implicated in
| the crime, he had never waYered from
the statement that jeff was one of them.
On one occasion Al reached the conclu-
sion that jeff must have done the work
alone.
Sheriff Conroy had been on the witness
stand just four hours when he was ex-
cused.
DETECTIVE TRUE.
Railroad Detective Ben True of Sacra-
mento was the next witness. He testi-
fled that he went to the scene of the wreck
from Sacramento few hours after it hap
pened. He examined the track and was
satisfied that it was case of train-wreck-
ing. He went to work Immediately to
find out all he could. The brush was
searched and the crowbar found. jeff
Roberts was following the witness about
at the time, and was near him when the
bar was picked up. jeff said he recog-
nized the bar, but witness told him not to
say anything just then, as there were
several people there whom he did not
wish TO hear. Going some distance away,
jeff hesitated about telling, but finally
SdIu IL Adu DSlOHStu 10 Ildn named
Dawson. Mr.. True then detailed the
confession of Al that his brother had
been implicated. After the arrest wit
ness took the Roberts brothers to Sacra-
mento. They were taken into Superin-
tendent Wrights office, and one at
time gave statements. These statements
were taken down in shorthand by Robert
Montgomery, Superintendent Wright's
private secretary.
The defense made vigorous protest
against admitting any of these state
ments into evidence, but the prosecution
worked them in by asking Mr.. True to
| refer to them in order to refresh his