St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-24
KING HELD TO GRAND JURY
TESTIMONY UPoN HIS ALLEGED AT
TEMPTS AT ARSON.
DETECTIVES ARE eRIrrcIsED.

Judge Twohy, in Holding King
to the Grand Jury, Remarked
That 1t Was Strange the De-
tectives Took Two Weeks for
the Commission of an Overt
Act.
The examination of Joseph King.
charged with arson, came up before
Judge Twohy yesterday afternoon. This
is the case which was worked up by
Patrolman Grnber and ex-Detective
George b. Leyde. and as Judge Twohy
remarked i'll holding King to the grand
| jury, it was strange proceeding.
David Simpson, living at 202 Genesee
street, testified that on the morning of
Jan. II he found pasteboard box partly
burned and a bottle of kerosene oil in
his barn. The bOXiwaS partly burned,
as was also some of the hay, and it
looked as though an attempt had-been
made to fire the barn.
John Horrish. shoe dealer at 3S1
| West SeYeeth street, identified the box
found i'll the barn as one he had given
TO man couple of weeks ago. He
could not identify King as the person
who obtained the box.
George B. Leyde testified to knowing
King for the last five or six years. He
was with him on the night of Jan. IL,
and left him shortly before midnight.
King at the time said he was going to
set barn on fire. and went toward
jackson street hill. He came back in
about an hour and said: 'She is off,"
King. he said, told him he had fixed the
box i'll little red barn abross the Mis-
sissippi street bridge. When King came
back he met him at the school house op-
poSite No. engine house according to
appointment. Kings scheme. according
to LeYde'S testimony, was that when the
members of the fire company left the
house he king was to enter and secure
the vaIuabieS belonging 10 the iiremen.
On The cross-eXamination Leyde said
he had been working about the market
house on and Off, but had done nothing
in particular since he left the city de-
tective force about year ago. He had
talk with King on Jan. IL. when the
scheme was proposed. He had as soon
as the talk was over notified Detective
Gruber. King, he said. had made two
attempts to set barns OH fire previous to
his arrest. which was made two days
after the Simpson attempt. He did not
tell King he was acting with the police
depar tmeut, as he was afraid he
wouldn't DO anything if he knew it.
Detective Gruber, who arrested King
two nights after the attempt was made
10 fire Simpsons barn, testified to
Leyde's telling him of Kings intentions
about TWO weeks ago. At the. time of
the larrest, King had bottle of oil
and candle in his possession. The
prisoner refused to talk when arrested.
On cross-eXamination, Gruber said he
had followed King and Leyde around
for several nights. He had not arrested
King before because he wanted to catch
him in the act himself. He followed
King and Leyde one night and saw King
go into barn and afterward come out,
but the fire. if one was started, did not
burn. This was night or two before
the attempt was made to fire Simpsons
barn. King had been connected with
the fire department for some time, and
left TWO years ago. #if .} @ 20
No7evidenct was put in for the de-
Tense, and Kings attorney asked that
the prisoner be discharged The evil
dence, the attorney said, was. to say the
least, hot at all satisfactory, the only
showing made being that the two men,
Leyde, an eX-detective, and Gruber, a
member of the detective force, had for
days entlced the prisoner TO commit Il
crime i'll order that an arrest might
follow. 1t was not violent preSump-
ton, he said, to think men who would
do such thing would stop at perjury.
The motive which led Leyde to take
part in such conspiracy, he said, could
be explained on the ground that he
wanted to again secure position on the
detective force and took this means of
securing reappointment.
Assistant County Attorney Donnellv
said the work done by Detective Gruber
and Leyde in the case was of the same
kind as done IN all the large cities, and
the work was to be commended instead
of condemned.
Judge Twohy though. it was strange
that two weeks should have been spent
by the detective and his confederate in
trying to have some overt act committed
by the prisoner. 1t was very strange
proceeding, but, as there was probable
cause, he would hold King to the grand
jury. Bail was fixed at $1,000, and in
default King was remanded to Jail.