Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-12
FOR HIS LIFE.
Wong Ark's Trial for Killing
His Slave.
The Defense Outlines What 1t
Hopes to Prove.
Fan Tan Games and the Police Mixed
Up Again.
The Evidence Given--Chief Glass Admits
Endorsing Lynch Law-Chinese
Witnesses who Seem to
tftt, be Adroit.

The Chinese witnesses put upon the
stand in the Wong Ark murder trial,
yesterday, knew as little and had for
gotten as much as those examined the
day before.
Charley All Him, one of the leaders
in the Hop Bing Tung society of high
binders, who sat next to the defendant
and watched the proceedings carefully,
left the room every few moments and
communicated with his trusty lieuten-
ants All Loon and Irish in the halls,
who in turn kept the waiting witnesses
informed of the progress OF the case and
of any testimony that might affect what
they were expected to swear to. An in
stance which demonstrates how bold
Wong Ark's friends have become oc-
Cured at noon, when Officer Rohn had
brief talk with Leu Took, one of the
witnesses for the prosecution, who had
been frightened out of telling what he
knew. Took said to the officer on that
occasion: "You have God ne got no
god. Ii | no say what they (Ark's
friends) tell me, they kill me-"
The case was called at 10 O'Clock in
the morning. Captain OF Police Rob-
erts, Detectives Bowler and Wallin and
Officer Bevan were put upon the stand
and each testified briefly as to the events
Immediately succeeding the murder and
the part they took in the search for and
arrest of Ark. Chief Glass was then
called and examined at length. He
identified Ark's pistol and photograph,
and said that they had been brought to
him by Bevan on April 9th. Bevan
told him that Goot Cue had identified
the picture as that of the man who had
shot her, and also the pistol as the one
used by Wong Ark. The chief then re-
lated how he had detailed all the men
he could spare to run down the MUIR
derer and apprehend him.
On cross-examination, Attorney Hard
esty, in order to show Chief Glass's
animosity against the defendant and
himself, asked the witness if he did not
say in the courtroom, at the time OF
Ark's examination The Cd id
g. of b-h, he ought to be taken out
and hanged"
The chief admitted that he did.
District Attorney McLachlan-And
did not Mr.. Hardesty say to you on that
occasion that if he had you out in Ari-
zona he would shoot you?
but l don't think he would do it.
This little episode created breeze OF
mirth in the court room, and Attorney
Hardesty was preparing to continue the
controversy, when he was stopped by
the court.
Officer Rohn was recalled, answered a
few unimportant questions and the
prosecution closed its case.
Shortly after IL O'Clock Attorney Har-
desty rose to outline the case which the
defense proposed to make out. 1t was
their intention to prove, he said, that
the woman Goot Cue had had trouble
with Chinaman, other than Wong Ark,
about month before the homicide. The
man in question got into a quar-
rel with ber over game of dominoes
and struck her on the shoulder and
breast with the butt end of a revolver.
He threatened to kill her and would
have done SO probably had not Officer
Rohn been summoned to protect the
woman. The policeman took the China
man in custody. but he was soon re-
leased because the woman did not wish
to prosecute. About three days before
the murder, while Goot Cue was stand
ing in front of her house, a shot was
fired at her from the roof of house
at her feet. The defense also proposed
to show that Officers Bevan and Rohn
were enemies of the defendant and had
sworn to get even with him. They had
proof that Bevan had entered into q con-
tract with Wong Ark to let the latter's
tan games run at the rate of $40 per
game per week, half of which was to go
to Rohn. Wong Ark had paid this
money over to Bevan regularly, placing it
in paper and slipping it, by agree
ment, into Bevan's pocket as they met
in certain alley way. They proposed
to show that on January 80, when an
article appeared in the HERALD, stating
that fan tan was running without inter
ruption in Chinatown, Bevan went to
Wong Ark and showed him copy OF
the paper, telling him at the same time
that he must close his games for few
days, until the thing blew over. They
would also show that the games did
close during the agitation carried on at
that time by this paper, but that they
afterwards reopened and Ark continued
to pay tribute to the officers. One day
Rohn came to Ark and said that he was
afraid Bevan was holding out on him
that he was not getting his share of the
swag, and wanted to know how much
Ark was paying Bevan, but this Ark re-
fused to tell him.. Finally Ark found
that the officers were getting all of the
profits of the games and that he
could not make any money with such
heavy drain. He therefore told Bevan
that he was going to close up. About
this time Bevan got wind of a trap
which was being laid to catch him, and
accused Ark of being in it. The men
had quarrel, and Bevan threatened to
get even. Mr.. Hardesty also stated that
he would show that Immediately after
the shooting of Goot Cue, man who
answered the description of the China
man who had threatened to kill the
woman, was seen running away from
the spot toward Alameda street. They
would prove also that Rohn had
not been in the restaurant where
he claimed to be at the time of the
shooting for month prior to that event;
that he had tried to beat the proprietor
down in the price of his meals, and had
been warned to keep away.
when Mr.. Hardesty had finished Civ
ing the jury synopsis of what he in
tended to prove, Officer Wallin was re-
called. 1t was attempted to prove by
him that Goot Cue was not in imme-
date fear Of death when she made her
alleged dying statement, but the court
would not allow questions on that point