Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-21
HETHER|NGTON JUSTIFIED
He Had Good Cause to Slay
Cover Robinson.
The PrOvOcatiOn Was Of Mos
Flagrant Character.
The Englishman Acknowledged That
He Deserved to Be Shot.
But He Needed Not the Injured Hus
bands Repeated Warnings-Cap-
tain Bartlett's Efforts to Pre-
vent the Tragedy.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
| VANCOUVER, B. G., April 2O.-The
mail, by the steamer Empress OF japan.
brings details Of the defense submitted
in the trial of Lieutenant Hetherington,
U. S. N, for killing Cover Robinson,
before the United States consular court
in Yokohama. The case had not been
concluded at the date of the steamers
sailing, on March 3lst.
Mr.. Tison, for the accused, made a
presentation of facts and produced nu-
merous witnesses. He said he had
found great trouble in procuring mate
rial witnesses, as most persons he
wished to produce were travellers and
could not be brought before the court.
Mr.. Tison said he would produce testi-
mony to show the relations between
Cover Robinson and Mrs. Hether-
ington; the formers dishonorable
conduct, and the justification which
Lieutenant Hetherington had in taking
stringent measures to protect the honor
OF his family, and also that the feelings
OF the accused we're 30 wrought upon by
the conduct of the deceased that the act
was unpremeditated.
Evidence was then introduced to chow
that notes had passed from Mrs. Hether-
ington to Robinson in November last !;
that they were carried by a regular
messenger of the Grand hotel, where
Mrs. Hetherington stopped, and that
there was no secrecy about them.
Hetherington returned from a cruise in
December, and owing to what he had
learned of Robiuson's conduct towards
his wife in his absence, he went to Mrs.
Bartlett, the wife of Commander Bart
lett of the United States steamship
Marion, and asked her to take charge of
his child, as he considered that his wife
was not proper person for that pur-
pose.
The accused later in the day told Mrs.
Bartlett that he had agreed to live with
his wife the same as ever, on account
of his child.
At ball on January 23rd, Robinson
took up Mrs. Hetherington's dance card
and wrote on it. and shortly afterwards
left the ball room alone. 1t was also
shown that he entered the hotel by the
back door that night, and went to Mrs.
Hetherington's room.
The evidence of Captain Bartlett
showed that Hetherington made conf
dant of him, and that on the same day
that he asked Mrs. Bartlett to take
charge of his child, he told Bartlett that
he wanted to horsewhip Robinson.
Bartlett told him that he would not
allow such scandal, and Hetherington
agreed that if Robinson left Yokohama
he would be satisfied, but that if he did
not 60 he would have to take the conse-
quences.
Bartlett went to see Robinson, and
asked him to leave Yokohama. The in
terview was an animated one. Robinson
said he was going to leave on January
9th, and had made arrangements to sell
out, on Mrs. Hetherington's account.
and had even refused to attend ball
because Mrs. Hetherington was to be
there.
Captain Bartlett gave the following
account OF the ensuing conversation
81 asked Robinson to explain his at
tentions to and his prosecutions of a
married woman, and why he followed
her when he knew that Hetherington was
away. l said Robinson, Hetherington
wrote you early in December in an honor
able and gentlemanly way. You wrote
b lotb0I al du6WOI dlbO Ill I'LL IOuOIdUlC
and gentlemanly manner. in which you
said you would give him no more cause
for anxiety, and yet after giving your
would leave Mrs. Hetherington alone,
no sooner is her husbands ship out Of
harbor, that you 60 to the Grand hotel.'
ITO this Robinson replied: But she
wrote me letter that morning asking
mo 70 oon md GOO hor Gbo ;c o1 1uyo
setting her cap at me every day she per-
secutes me she has followed me, trying
to get me to pay her attention.
"I said: Would it not have been easy
for you to have sent some of these notes
to tho husband, and then things could
have been settled at once. You blame
this woman; you, a man who knows
that a woman can never be blamed
since the days of Eve.'
''For the first time lost my temper;
l called him damned coward to try to
fix the blame on the woman. 1t was
very trying, and I continued: Damn
you, damn you, you scoundrel and vii
lain. If had been in Hetherington's
place | would have put bullet through
you at sight
Robinson turned to me and said Il
believe Lieutenant Hetherington is JUS
titled in his conduct; 1 deserve shoot
ing; deserve anything; 1 have been
expecting Lieutenant Hetherington to
shoot me-
II said would not allow any shoot
ing here, and 1 continued: Nor will
allow any horsewhipping if you behave
yourself, but if you misbehave again,
then I shall be present and see you
horsewhipped.'
II said that it was my belief now,
that instead of the woman setting her
cap at him, he had deliberately laid
seiRe to her from the first day that she
landed"
Robinson promised not to attend any
ball or dinner to which Mrs. Hethering-
ton was invited, and if by chance he
should meet her, to feign illness and
leave. but at that time Bartlett learned
that Robinson had made arrangements
to follow Mrs. Hetherington should her
husband take her away with him.
Captain Bartlett's evidence further
showed that Robinson had expected
that Hetherington, accompanied by
Bartlett, was going to horsewhip him,
and that his friends assembled to pro-