Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-30
GOOt Cues Slayer Guilty of
First Degree Murder.
Imprisonment for Life Set as
the Penalty.
The Celebrated Chinese Murder Case
Concluded Yesterday.
TAs;Nnry Reach = Verdict Last Night
wong Ark Hears His Fate Stoi-
cally-The Evidence Given
Yesterday

equity OF murder in the first degree
with punishment fixed at confinement
in the states prison for life," was the
verdict which the jury in the Wong
Ark murder triai returned at Judge
McKinley's court in the Murrietta
building at 1915 O'Clock last night after
four hours deliberation.
Beside the court officers very few per-
aons we're present to witness the denoue-
ment of this celebrated case. The de-
fendant sat stoically beside his attorney,
jesse Hardesty, and gave no sign when
he heard the words which will make
him a prisoner till death. The state
was represented by the district attorney
and Deputy District Attorney Phibbs,
and look OF intense relief and satisfac-
ton became fixed on the faces OF these
gentlemen when they knew that their
labors had not been in vain. The scene
was Of short duration. The jury was
polled at the defe adant's request, time
for sentence fixed. the convicted MUIR
derer led back to Jail, the lights turned
out and the trial wsf over.
THE TESTIMONY YESTERDAY.
Contrary to expectation, the taking OF
testimony in the Ark trial was con-
cluded before noon yesterday, the prose-
cution having decided to introduce very
little evidence in rcbuttal. All Sin, the
proprietor of the wash house in which
= A~k ~, 10 k,~xskx
OF the day, and was put on by the de-
Tense to identity the larger Of the two
pistols in evidence, which he swore be-
longed to him.
Wong Yuen, the witness for the de-
fense who made such bad break Fri
day by testifying that he saw Ark in
Cues room shortly before the shooting,
was next called. He said that the
reason why he had testified as he did
was because his cousin died and he at
tended the funeral and was not in his
right mind. He had heard about some
men being arrested for perjury and was
afraid that he might be treated likewise.
Chan Kue Sing, the interpreter who
was present when Officer Waller, Deputy
District Attorney Diehl and DIR. Morri-
SON called on Goot Cue the day after
the shooting, was put on the stand by
the defense to prove that the dying
woman made statement to the effect
that it was not Ark who shot her, but
another man. The witness testified
that Cue said on that occasion that she
did not know who shot her.
On cross-examination Chong admitted
that Cue also said that Ark shot her.
The prosecution then offered in evidence
the dying. statement made by Cue to
Wallin, which she dictated and signed
to the effect that Wong Ark was her
murderer. This was the most import
ant piece Of evidence yet introduced and
was allowed to 20 in over the objections
of the defense, that it was not properly
. dying statement for the reason that
Goot Cue thought she was going to re-
cover. The court ruled that the defense
themselves had "opened the door" for
such testimony by their questions to
Ch6ng, and the statement went to the
jury.
srbe defendant, Wong Ark, was recalled
and testified as to the manner in which
he paid Bevan the bribe money. He had
never taken any money from Goot Cue,
but ON the contrary had paid her vari-
ous sums. He testified that she was
not mis- wife, but that he had wife who
is at present in Napa. i
Court Stenographer I. R. Dering took
the stand to testify to statements made
by Witness Roper at the examination of
All Tet, for perjury, which did not ap-
pear to agree with his testimony on the
trial of Ark.
Chief of Police Glass was called and
testified to making the statement in the
police court at Ark's examination, that
the e. of b--h ought to be taken
out and hanged. After the chief left
the stand the defendant rested his case.
Officers w. HI. Auble, A. G.. Vignes
and s. Bevan were then called by the
prosecution to rebut the testimony of
All Tet, Low Fon and Lem You.
Wong Cow was new witness. He
testified that on the night of the shoot
ing he was sitting in domino game,
over Lee Wah's store, with Lem You,
All Tet, All Fung and All Yot. Lem
You was holding the money and dis
tributing the dominoes when some one
said: ssListen-a pistol shot," The
game continued without anyone leaving
the room, however. When the patrol
wagon came back with Goot Cue from
the station, Lem You rushed out and
yelled out to the woman in Chinese not
to say who shot her.
Wong Ying, snother Chinaman, who
was in the gambling room, corroborated
this testimony, which was offered in re-
buttal to that given by Tet and You,
who swore they were standing on the
corner OF Alameda and Apablasa streets,
heard the shot and saw the "big China
mar" run away. Wong Ying was the
last witness to testify in the trial.
When all the evidence was in, District
Attorney McLachlan offered to submit
the case without argument, but the de.
fense were not willing, ard Deputy Dis
trict Attorney Phibbs commenced his
address. An adjournment was taken
till o'clock, when Attorney Hardesty
began his speech. Judge Guthrie fol
lowed speaking till nearly 4 O'Clock
when District Attorney McLachlan be
gan the closing address. ".
The Instructions of the court, which
Judge Mckinley began reading. at
O'Clock, were rather lengthy, and wer'
listened to attentively by the jury. Th'
question of reasonable doubt wa
dwelt upon in those instructions giveI
in behalf OF the defendant at grea
length, and was advanced in all it
phases. Blank verdicts were then givel
the jury as follows: Guilty OF murde
in the first degree, with the death sen
tence the same with life imprisonment
guilty of granddaughter, and not guilty