Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-02
She Is Likely to Get a Share
of Cohn's Dollars.
Strong Evidence That a Mar
riage Took Place.
Yesterdays Proceedings in the Cele-
brated Case.
Jose Mascarel Tells What He Knows
About Deifna's Relations with
Cohn-Strong Evidence About
the Contract.

If the repeated statements OF the wit
nesses in the Cohn case are to be be
lieved, and as yet there is no reason fol
disbelieving them, the late Bernard
Cohn did wed Del6na Varelas ON the
goth OF December, 1885, short time aft
er the death OF his former wife.
When the marriage contract was first
mentioned in the case, there were {
number of people who would give nc
credence to the contestants statement
of its existence, but as the case goes on,
witness after witness testifies that they
not only thought the couple husband
and wife, but that they had heard oil
the contract. First of all Mike Stack
tells how he stole the paper at the re-
quest OF Cohn, Miss Meyers knew OF
the contract, Delina's mother saw it,
and j. A. Domingo was present when it
was signed by the principals and attached
his signature as with ess. The con-
testant has so far made an exceedingly
strong case, and her attorneys claim
there is stronger evidence to come.
Only three witnesses were on the
stand yesterday, and the cross-examina-
ton of the last was still in progress
when court adjourned.
Jose Mascarel, the first witness, testi-
fed that he rented the Sainsevain street
house to Cohn, who always referred to
Delfina as his wife. He told witness
that should his wife want money at any
time he might be absent from the city
to let her have it. Mr.. Mascarel did let
her have money several times, and
Cohn always returned it.
F. A. Mcneil was in the real estate
business in 1889, and had client who
wanted to purchase property near the
plaza. He went to Cohn and tried to
buy the property where Cohn and Del
fna lived. Cohn told him that the
property belonged to his wife, and that
she could do as she pleased
about selling it. He gave the witness
a note to Delphina, who told him what
ever Mr.. Cohn thought about selling it
was all right. He went back to Cohn
who said he would sell the property for
his wife for $4,000.
The property referred to faces the
plaza. Cohn and Delphina lived there
until 1885. In 1880 he decided the lot to
her.
]. A. Domingo, who witnessed the
marriage contract, was called to the wit
ness stand shortly before 3 O'Clock. He
testified that he was intimately &C.
quainted with Cohn for twenty years.
On the Goth of December, 1885, Cohn
met him on the street and requested
him to go to his house on Sainsevain
street and witness paper for him.
They went to the house and Cohn pro-
duced paper which he proceeded to
read to Delphina and the witness. Del
phina called her mother into the room
and she remained during the reading.
Cohn read the paper, which was a mar
riage contract, several times, both
in Spanish and English, and
then he and Delfna signed it. The wit
ness also affixed his signature to the
instrument, which Cohn handed to Del
fina.
The witness stated that the contract
set forth that they, Cohn and Delfina,
had lived together for good many years,
that six children had been born to them,
and that he took her for his wife and
she took him for her husband.
Mr.. Domingo further testified that he
had lived on Also street for ten wears,
and that he invariably passed Cohn's
house on Sainsevain street on his way
ID and from his business. During that
sllGe the couple lived in that house he
saw Cohn there day after day. The
children frequently ran to meet Cobn
and called him papa" and Cohn al
ways referred to Delfna as his wife.
Mr.. Domingo has been an undertaken
for many years, and when Rosalie, one
of the children born to Delfna,
died, Cohn told witness that his
little daughter Rosalie died, and told
him to take charge of the funeral; to go
down to his house and make all arrange
ments and furnish everything that was
wanted. That was about week after
the marriage contract was signed.
The witness took charge of the funeral,
and Cohn paid the firm for which wit
ness was manager for the services rem
dered.
Witness next heard OF the contract in
1887, when Delfna informed him that it
had been stolen from her. The contract
was written on sheet of legal cap, and
covered about two-thirds of the page.
The witness was undergoing cross
examination by Mr.. White when court
adjourned