Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-01
Either Kandelar or KarmOs
the Murderer.
Testimony Yesterday at the
Coroner's Inquest.
Each of the suspects Makes a State
ment.
Each Says the other Did the Shooting.
The Wounded Man Not Likely to
Recoverable Theories
Now Advanced.

lors of Orr & Sutch yesterday morning
to get a glimpse of the dead night
watchman, Samuel s. Leffler, who was
SO foully murdered at an early hour
Sunday morning.
Coroner Weldon was occupied all day
yesterday and last evening in holding
the inquest. Considerable difficulty
was experienced in getting an inter
prefer who could talk the language oi
Kandelar and Karmos. Last evening
one was secured, and Kandelar made a
statement. Deputy District Attorney
Marble was present during the inquest.
Will Smith, the detective of the South
ern Pacific company, also watched the
case. Kandelar's story is substantially
as follows: Karmos and myself left
New Jersey together and came to Cali
fornia by steamer, arriving in San Fran
cisco on July 18th. Three months ago
we went to Gila City. We arrived
in Los Angeles from Gila City, Ariz., on
Friday afternoon. We rode in the ca
boose and squared the ride with the
brakeman for $S. My partner had trou-
he got in from Arizona. My partner
l.
watched TO. train to 60 out to San
Francisco. The brakeman bad prom
ised to take me for 30 cents. Early Sun
day morning the watchman came to
where / was sitting on the timber and
began to kick and cuff me. My part
ner grabbed the watchman from behind
and knocked him down on the timber.
The watchman reached for his gun and
shot Karmos. He cried out lam shot,"
Ny partner then reached over and
grabbed the watchman's revolver and
shot him in the head. My partner
said: "He's got enough; L have
killed him." l took no part in
the scuffie. l afterwards picked
up the gun and put it in my pocket.
We then went to the river and washed
the blood off my partner. We went over
to saloon, but it was closed. We saw
woman getting breakfast. She fixed
up something for the wounded man.
After the saloon opened up, we went in
there and stayed until the police came
and put us in the patrol wagon. The
night we arrived the watchman threw
rock at us, striking my partner. We
did not ask him whether he wanted to
fight. Neither myself nor partner can
talk English; but my partner under
stands it little.
DIR. Bryant testified that he and Cor
oner Weldon made post mortem ex-
animation, and that the bullet entered
the left parietal bone near the junction
of the occipital bone, and that the bullet
was found in the inner side OF the right
orbit
w. F. Poor testified that the deceased,
Samuel Leffier. was his brother-in-law;
that he was 38 wears of age.
Harry Botsworth told about finding
the body on the road to his work.
r. Mullally testified that he had as
sisted LETTER to put out two tramps who
proved to be Kandelar and Karmos.
Leffler kicked one and he asked whether
we wanted to fight.
w. j. johnson was a very reluctant
witness. He was near the box car and
saw the two men standing near the car.
They started towards the car with
their blankets. Before this | saw the
watchman order them away from the
car. also saw him knock down the
first man that got out of the car.
Sergeant Fletcher testified as to the
arrest of the men and the finding of the
pistol on Kandelar.
Will Smith testified to visiting the
place of the shooting, and explained to
bu6 July tl6 pObltiOu Vi tlC blCss
The Jury found that Leffier came to
his death from wound from pistol in
the hands of andre Kandelar or Gahan
Karmos while the two were engaged in
a fight with the deceased In the South
ern Pacific yards ON San Fernando
street.
Coroner Weldon had just been ap-
prised OF the verdict when. a message
reached him from police headquarters
informing him that Karmos, the wound
ed man, desired to make statement of
the affair. The interpreter had gone
home, but the entire jury adjourned to
the police station to hear Karmoe's
story, it being understood that he could
converse in the German language.
Several OF the jurymen who speak
German addressed the wounded man,
who lay on his cot in the small room
that serves the city as receiving hos
pital, but they did not succeed in
getting any information of Importance.
He understands about as much
English as German, and between
the two languages and by dint of con-
siderable gesticulating he made the jury
understand that the watchman shot
him and his comrade got the pistol and
ehot the watchman.
Coroner weldon was very anxious 10
have his evidence but did not know
where to find an interpreter, it being
about IL O'Clock, and the jurymen
signed the verdict and went home.
Karmos is in very precarious con-
dition, and his recovery is extremely
doubtful. The ball severed some organs
in such a manner as to prevent him
taking nourisbment, the liquid food
given him yesterday finding it's way
through the channel cut'by the ball and
discharging through the hole in his
shoulder where the bullet was extracted,
instead OF passing down into the
stomach.
The surgical fever which invariably
sets in in such cases had not manifested
itself last night, but the physicians be-
lieve it will be upon him today.
If his condition will permit and he
still desires to make statement an in
terpreter will be- secured today and his
story taken down.