Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-01
THE COURTS.
THE DYER CASE COMES TO AN
END.
The Defendant Pleads Guilty to a Lesser
Offense = Notes About Other Cases
Acted Upon Yesterday.


lain in Jail for about four months await
ing trial, and the jury evidently consid-
cred him sufficiently punished.
Judge Ross yesterday sustained the
demurrers in the case of Max Roth and
Max Harris, charged with forwarding
through the United States mails circu-
lars and literature pertaining to draw
ings of the Louisiana state lottery. The
indictments, of which there were two
against Harris and one against
Roth, failed to charge either de-
fendant with being knowing" party
to the offense charged, and upon this
ground the demurrer was sustained, and
Roth and Harris discharged.
THE DYER CASE.
In department one the Dyer shooting
case was in course of trial, the prosecu-
tion having closed on Wednesday. Up
on the case being called yesterday
morning, however, it was announced
that the opposing counsel had entered
into an agreement, whereby Dyer would
withdraw his plea of not guilty, as
charged, if allowed, and enter plea of
guilty of assault with deadly weapon.
This was allowed by the court, and the
defendant entered his plea OF guilty on
the MINOR charge. Time for sentence
was set for Saturday next at 10 o'clock.
This action on the part OF Dyer and
his attorneys was a matter of no little
surprise and disappointment to great
many people who had been expecting
sensational developments in the case.
The jury, particularly, were "highly in
dignant," as one of the twelve ex-
pressed it, "at not having an opportunity
to vindicate the man who in the minds of
the jury at least was acquitted upon the
testimony of the complaining witness
alone" This favorable feeling flor the
defendant, was, SO far as could be
learned, very nearly if not unanimous
among the jurymen, and many surmises
were made as to the cause of the de-
fendant's action. 1t is generally be-
lieved that it was chiefly in order to pro-
tect his wife from the comments OF the
newspapers that Dyer became willing to
accept sentence for the lesser crime OF
assault with a deadly weapon. After
the manner in which the complaining
witness, Taylor, fdgeted about and
finally nearly broke down on the stand,
upon Wednesday, it was but natural
that the prosecuting attorneys should
be willing to compromise.
1t is said that Dyer expects to get off
with fine.
PROBATE PROCEEDINGS.
Annie Hepp was granted letters testa-
mentary by Judge Clark yesterday
on the will of her deceased husband,
Charles Hepp, who died in this city
last April. The estate is valued at about
$1,000.
The first annual account OF the estate
of A. w. Hatcher, deceased, was ap-
proved and the family allowance Of 500
per month was extended for six months.
An order was passed in the estate of
G. III. Kilgore, deceased, setting aside
house and lot at Lamanda Park for the
widow.
Addie d. Wilcox's petition for letters
testamentary on the estate of Harvey
Wilcox, late of Topeka, Kan. The de-
ceased left will naming the applicant
as executrix. The petition was granted.
The estate is valued at $4,000.
COURT NOTES.
Judge Clark is also occupied upon an
interesting will case, the testament,
which is being contested, purporting to
be the last will OF Mrs. Matilda B.
Yount, who died in this city in 1889,
and LETT an estate valued at $50 900.
Girdon o. Williams is named trustee in
the instrument which is contested by
the heirs, on the grounds that Mrs.
Yount was .insane at the time it was
drawn.
In department three the already we'll
known Richards case is now going on.
Mrs. M. +. Richards is now seeking
divorce from her husband on the several
grounds of abuse, drunkenness, adultery
and failure to provide. The case has
been before the public in many forms
already, both the city and township
courts having passed upon its merits in
various stages. 1t seems to be case of
Greek meeting Greek, and the swearing
on both sides is something hard to rec
oncile when taken as whole. The
case continues today.
The case OF Mrs. Bland r. Davis and
her minor child VS.. the Southern Pacific
company, which has been on trial in
department five, was given to the jury
last night, and an early verdict was
then expected. The plaintiff asks for
$25, 900 damages, her husband having
Deeu kllltu III al dCClueuC JHT6e years
ago at Pomona.
E. Roberts was on trial before a Jury
in department six yesterday, on charge
Of assault with a deadly weapon, the
complaining witness being Peter Gott-
lebb. The offense is supposed to have
been committed with pistol on the 23d
of December. The trial will proceed to-
day.
The habeas corpus proceedings in the
case OF AL. j. Crosse, charged with assault
to murder, came up again before Judge
Smith last evening, and alter examining
the depositions taken in the lower courts,
his honor ruled that the commitment
was faulty, and ordered the discharge OF
the defendant.
The matter of the application of John
Finn for divorce from his wife, Rose
Finn, Judge Smith took under advise
ment until 10 a. m. today. The parties
have been separated since 1884, and the
defendant is now residing in Massachu-
setts.
The cause entitled Fox VS.. the South
ern Pacific company, which has been
pending in department two, was yester-
day continued until Saturday, May I'd.
THE JUSTICES coURTs.sA
Joe Anthony was fined $50 in Justice
Austin's court yesterday, for the theft
OF coat and vest, the case having been
pending for more than month, two