The herald., 1894-04-20
A SUDDEN CHANGE OF BASE
The Grand Jury Now Holds
the Roscoe Suspects.
Indictments Are Expected 20 Be
Returned This Morning,
The ProtscutIon Claims TO Havs strong
Evidsncs fhts shpiter, Thorne,
Fiiz MN ma and C1mItook
ara the Men.

A decided change in the tactics OF the
prosecution in tho case of the alleged
Roscoe train robbers took place yester.
day.
The district attorneys OFF GO switched
the case from preliminary examination
before Justice Granger at San Fernando
to the grand jury, now in session.
There were two reasons for this. By
means OF indictment thsy will bs GU
ahlod to seep from presenting certain
testimony until the trial in tho superior
court, and incidentally save the county
the cost oi the preliminary examinations
in both caaea.
GREAT SURPRISE.
The change of base was great sur
prise ali around. as preparations had
for the examination st San Fernando,
set for today.
Many witnesses. both for the prosecu-
tion and defense, have bson summoned
to appear there from The surrounding
country and the neighboyhood OF the
| Little Tejungs, where three of the sus-
poets live, aud they will no doubt re-
ceive the first information OF this change
OF plan from reading these lines this
morning.
IN THE DISTRICT ATr0RNEY's OFFICE.
On account OF the larg9 number of
witnesses summoned before the grand
Jury Yesterday and their presence ia the
district attorneys offics, whore they
wero staked out IN odd corners thick as
blackbrds in pokeberry time, it was
easy enough to gather the general out
line of the testimony that WAS being
presented.
BUT, in addition to this. Marshal Geo.
E Gard, Deputy Sheriff A. w. Marsh
and Detective Ian Harris seemed to
consider further concsalment unnecs5-
sary and spoke quite freely OF the chain
Of circumstances which has connected
the four deiendants.-Shulter Thorne,
Fitzsimmons' sud Comstock-wlth the
two Roscoe robbeles. Tney would not,
however, give out the names Of some of
their witnesses, and come details which
they seem to think are very strong
proofs of the guilt Of the men.
DETAILS OF TESTIMONY COLLECTED.
The general idea, as stated in the
HERALD a. the time OF the arrest OF the
men, is that Thorne, Fitzsimmons and
Comstock. who reside in the Little Te.
iungs, and Shutter, committed the frat
robbery last December, and that ths
Il rst three named did ths job of last
February, Shutter being then in Jail.
1t is claimed that Thorne has been
positively identified by trainmen as be-
ing the man who went over the engine
in the first robbery, and Shutter as be-
ing the man who came over the train
from behind. That Thorne bought u
ticket from this CITY to Burbank that
night. The identification OF the two
other men ie not 50 positive. bat it is
| claimed that the evidence is sufficient 20
! CONNECT them Win TINS us wuf, 1r vfio
other robbery.
The frat intimation that Marshal
Gard had that gave him a clue to Shul-
ter was bsfore the first Roscoe robbery.
At that time j. V. Brighton was in
Chris Evens' family and confidence.
Shutter HAD COME SOUTH.
He wrote letter to Gard telling him
Shutter had come south and to look out
for him. In compliance with this hint
Deputy Sheriff Marsh kept sharp
outlook for him and found him recoiy-
ing letters st the postotiice under the
name OF Shutter. These letters, it ia
said, were from Mrs. Evans, and tbs
.I |
L. ID claimed that they have some bear
ing upon the plans for holding up
train in pursuance OF plan for the re-
lief of Evans.
The prosecution alleges that after the
first robbery they have evidence that
Shater went to Yisalia and sAw Mrs,
Evans, and that he gave the details OF
the robbery before Brighton ard de-
scribed how it all took place, saying also
that be made the dynamite bomb which
was used.
Then Shutter came back south and
committed tho Bigslow burglary. Marsh
secured information that he WAS about
to leave January 18Th to join Evans and
arrested him, cstensiply upon the
Bigelow burglary charge, which WAS a
dead ciuch, bu. III reality to begin gath
ering up tho men now III jail. He had
been held out OF arrest in order to get a
clue to the whereabouts OF Thorne.
Since Shutters arrest the officers have
been following up their clues aud gath
erng the evidence upon which thsy now
hope to clear up the mystery Of the two
rob0erlee.
HAD MANY NAMES.
One OF the statemen.s made by tha
officers is that Shutters real mans is
James J. SHREDDER, under which name he
was once sailor, bat that Evans knew
him under the name of K Llewelyn,
They say that he is an anarchist and
has bsen heard 70 boastof the righteous
ness Of blowing up the property OF cor
poratlons.
Thorne. they say, went under the
name of Decker when III Evans neigh.
borhood.
Comatock. Tnorns and F.tzsimmons
are brothera-n-law Their claims in
the Little TejungaGre poor affairs. Some
time ago they lived in San Bernardino
county, and their reputations there were
bad. Several crimes OF burglary are laid
at their doors in the nsighborhood where
they lived.
THE DRFEN jE STILL LAUGHS.
Ol the other hand their attorney still
insists that he will be able to prove q
complete aiiDi when it comes to the trial.
He GAYS he has nothing TO do with
Shutter, whom hia clients do not know,
and what he may have done is no affair
of his. He waa very much excited yea
terday afternoon, asserting that the dis
trict attorneys Office was examining
the witnesses for the defense before the
grand jury. He claims that this wac
sharp practice or the part OF the district
attorneys Office, who were not entitled
to see his list Of witnesses. Deputy Con
l.. i 4