Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-04

Judge Shaw's branch Of the superior
court was occupied again yesterday with
the trial of Lyman Ayers, who is
charged with obtaining money under
false pretenses in connection with
land deal. j. NJ. Voss was placed on
the stand for the defense, after G. l.
Cochran, E. L. Baker, John Milmer and
E. S. Galbraith' had testified for the
prosecution.
The testimony of Mr.. Voss was mainly
confined to developments subsequent to
the land deal.
Charles L. Eager testified to having
met a man named j. w. Dunn last
spring, the prosecutions purpose being
to prove that no such man existed.
The next witness was w. II. Shinn,
who told of having met H. s. Baldwin,
the victim, in his Office in company
Ayers. Baldwin said he had not met
with Ayers before that date. He inquired
about the quality of the land near Ana
helm and the title thereto. Mr.. Shinn
said he told Baldwin all he knew about
it. Shinn had owned it atone time, and
that 80 far as he knew the title was good
80 long as it remained in his (Shinn's)
hands.
H. E. Cornwall testified to having
met Dunn, who had several times exc
cuted deeds before him as a notary.
N. Sherman, notary, also testified to
having met j. W. Dunn several times
and had executed legal documents for
him in notarial capacity. One occa-
sion Dunn was accompanied to his Office
by Mr.. Gilbert.
A. H. Boyd, who is included in the in
dictment for false pretense with Ayres,
testified that he had only known Ly-
man Ayres for three months, and had
no business transactions with him of
any kind.
Assistant District Attorney McComas
We're you party to this transaction :?
Mr.. Boyd-I am under indictment
here and refuse to answer that question.
Several interrogations of similar
character were propounded, but the wit
ness refused to give an answer. A. e..
Norton, also indicted, testified that he
had been in Los Angeles for four and
half years and had met Ayres two
years ago. He had met him In
his Office in the Bryson -Bonebrake
block, when the witness was en-
gagged in deal with Baldwin !;
be dropped in casually and had nothing
to do with the deal. There was no di-
vision OF $4,000 between the witness and
Ayers. Dunn received the money arising
from the deal. Several pointed questions
were asked by the prosecution, but the
witness declined to answer, saying that
he was under indictment.
Lyman Ayers, the defendant, was
placed on the stand late in the after
noon. He testified that he had lived in
Los Angeles twelve years, and in Cali
fornia thirty years. he was acquainted
with.A. H. Boyd, and met him for the
first time in Sacramento, three months
ago. He met H. s. Baldwin last May
in Norton's Office, and Baldwin said he
had been anxious to meet him, as he
understood he had formerly owned some
land in the Kraemer tract and wanted
to know something about the character
of the land in that section. He said he
had bought or traded for this land.
drew him a map OF the land had
worth 500 an acre and the wash
him the title was good as per
information which had received from
Messrs. Cadman and Shinn, to whom !
referred him. next met Baldwin at
the corner of First and Main streets,
and he told me that he had been
robbed, as the land was good for moth
ing; he had no conversation with Bald.
win since that time, and had only met
him once in Norton's Office; witness
could not say whether Baldwin men
toned to him that he had traded 9
house and lot on Bunker Hill avenue
for the land in Orange county. After
some denials in the same line the case
went over until this morning.