The record-union., 1891-03-05
CYRUS MEYERS.
Judge Cravens Holds That He Acct
dentaIly Shot the Sesma Boy.
The spaniard's Reputation for Honesty
and Integrity-The DEFENDANTS
Story About the Affair.

have done several days ago. namely, TO
ascertain how little Ylopa Sesina came to
his death-and the court didn't expert
ence any difficulty in reaching that con-
clusion, either.
The case of Cyrus Meyers, charged with
the murder of young Sesma, was called
for examination in the forenoon in the
Police Court. The brothers and sisters of
the defendant were in attendance, and he
was represented by Lincoln White. City
Attorney Hart conducted the prosecu-
ton and Assistant District Attorney
Buckley was present to familiarize him
self with the testimony given at the ex-
animation.
The prosecution first introduced the
certificates of Drs. Nichols and White,
showing that the bullet had entered the
Sesma boys forehead and lodged in the
base of the brain. The wound was nee
essariiy fatal.
Coroner George Clark testified that he
had held an inquest on the remains and
ordered them buried Tuesday afternoon.
Francisco Reyes, the Spaniard who
claimed 20 have been witness to the
shooting, was then called to the stand by
the prosecution, and told story which
III substance was as follows:
About o'clock on Friday afternoon,
the 9th day of February, he was stand
ing near the edge of the water in a low
block bounded by Fourteenth and Fif-
teenth, and V streets. He noticed
YIopa SeSma coming out of his fathers S
house, and also saw Cyrus Myers APP
proachlng from another direction. The
Sesma boy had gone some distance from
the house when Cyrus Meyers
FIRED THE FIRST SHOT.
When the weapon was discharged, the
Seslna boy stopped and stood still. The
defendant, who was by this time about
twenty steps from young Sesma, again
pointed the pistol at him and fired a sec
ond time. The Sesma boy commenced
TO dodge, and two more shots were fired
The fourth struck him III the head, and
he fell to the ground on his back. The
Meyers boy then took the cartridges
from the pistol and dropped them in the
street at his own feet. Then, putting up
MS weapon, he ran away. The shots
We're fired in quick succession, about
seconds time eiapsing between the dis
charge OF each of the four shots.
On croSS-eXamination the witness said
he saw Cyrus Meyers about noon-time on
the same day hunting with a shotgun
He fired one of the shots in the direction
OF the house in which he (the witness)
vas stopping. A woman who was in the
house at the time went out and admon-
ished the boy. About three hours after
wards, when the Meyers boy shot and
killed 1lopa Sesma, the witness was
about seventy PAGES away, but could see
the pistol. After the Meyers boy ran
away the witness went up to the place
where the Scsma boy was lying, and, to-
gether with the boys father, picked him
up and carried him into the house.
The defendants attorney told Louis
t1.,V-r l.,.,N \
stand up, and the witness was asked if he
was the boy who killed Ylopa Sesma.
Reyes replied that it was not the 10y, but
his brother.
THE WHOLE FAMILY LOOKED ALIKE.
The brother who killed the Sesma boy
was the same one who was hunting with
shotgun about l o'clock in the after
noon.
Reyes was then asked to stand up and
tell whether or not Cyrus Meyers, the
boy who did the shooting, was in the
room. After scanning the countenances
of those inside the rail of the courtroom,
he pointed TO the defendant, who was sit
ting on bench near the dock. He would
not say positively that he was the Meyers
boy, but thought he was. He would not
swear to 1t as fact, however because he
was afraid he might make Il mistake, and
he did not want to be sent to prison for
perjury. The reason he was unable to
point out the Meyers boy at tho Coroner's
inquest was because he was confused and
afraid he might swear falsely.
Further cross-examination Of the wit
ness developed the facts that his true
name was Bernabe Soto de Sarsa, and
that ne came to California on Mexican
man-of-War about ten years ago. He de-
serted when the ship anchored, and
changed his name to Francisco Reyes.
lie admitted that he had been sent to iail
.r,N N-..r, lH.,f. 1
Counties, but stated that he was never
convicted of felony.
Ramon Sesma, the! step-father of the
deceased boy, was next called to the wit
ness stand. He said he heard consdera-
bic shooting that afternoon, but could not
say that he heard the four shots fired by
the Meyers boy. lie was notified that
his son had been shot. and he ran out to
where he was lying III the street. The
witness picked up four cartridges. which
he found on the ground near his boys
feet. Cyrus Meyers and Ylopa Sesma
We're friends, and frequently played with
each other.
Chief of Police Drew swore that CYRUS
Meyers confessed to him ON the evening
of the shooting that he had accidentally
shot the Sesma boy
WHILE HUNTING MUDHENs.
The defendant said he was standing close
to \ lopa, and was about to hand him the
pistol TO allow him to shoot at a mudhen,
when the weapon was discharged and the
ball struck him i'll the forehead. Meyers
then became alarmed and ran away.
The CHIEF stated III addition, that he
went to where the shooting took place the
next day, and had the Movers boy ex-
plain how the affair happened. The boy
then said he did not know exactly how
tie weapon was discharged. He was not
positive, but thought the Sesma boy was
az i
was in STOPPING position when the pistol
''went off,"
At the Coroner'S inquest, the Chief
stated that the Meyers boy had told him
be accidentally shot young Sesma, but he
did not give full account of the confess
sion, and the jury overlooked this testi-
mony when they brought in the verdict.
The prosecution rested its case and Pat
rick Burns was called by the defense.
lie swore that he was walking along
near Fourteenth and Y streets, on the
afternoon of the shooting, when he heard
pistol-shot 4 couple of blocks north of
him. He walked slowly down towards
w street, and had gotten within block
OF II when he heard a second shot and
saw some smoke, which he thought was
caused by the discharge of the weapon.
Ihe next instant he saw Cyrus Meyers
running away fast, and knew that some
thlng had happened. When the witness
arrived at the place where he noticed the
smoke, he saw Ylopa. Sesma
LYING ON HIS BACK
On the ground, about fifteen feet away.
The Meyers boy had run away
George Bronner swore that he saw two
boys playing on V street, between Four
teenth and Fifteenth, in the afternoon of
the day on which the shooting took place.
He could not say, however, whether or
not they were the Sesma and Meyers
bows.