The herald., 1894-04-19
VINETTE's TRIAL.
Details of tho Hearing on tho Charge to
DsfrRud.

Details of tho Hearing on tho Charge to
DsfrRud.
SAN BERNARDINo, April 18.-"Cap-
tain" Vinette, leader of the army Of the
unemployed, was taken out of the ooun-
ty Jail and conveyed to Cotton this
morning for trial upon the charge OF
attempting to deiraud the Southern Pa
ciic railroad of fare. W. A. Harris OF
Los Angeles, special attorney of the
Southern Pacific, and r. E. Bledsoe of
this city represented the state and the
defendant was represented by Attorney
Luckel of Los Angeles.
The morning session was occupied by
tina impanalin9 of a jury Nine were
secured, when the original venire of "a
was exhausted. The court ordered .
special venire of 10 to appear at 80 p.
N. In the afternoon the panel of II
/ jurors WAS completed.
Sheriff Booth was sworn as the first
witness for the prosecution. He testi-
fed that the army came to San Bernar-
dino and there attempted to negotiate
with the Southern Pacific for Transport
tation for the entire army to DeminR,
N. NJ, for $3.50. The offer being re-
fused by the railroad, the army walked
to Cotton on the 18th inst. and the next
morning the sheriff was called on to go
to Cotton, and there found a freight
train side tracked and 200 men on top Of
the cars. When asked to get off the
men refused to do so, and Captain
Vinette, with several other leaders, was
placed under arrest.
The city marshal of Cotton testified
that he saw Vinette and his army on
top of the cars. and that the men were
asked to get off the cars, and when they
refused he wet them down by attaching
hose to the city water works.
Fred Bright, local agent OF the rail-
road, testified that he saw the men come
to Cotton and he notified them not to
get on the cars. Three officers of the
road ordered the men to get off the cars,
but they refused. The train was then
run on a side track.
Captain Vinette was sworn on his
own behalf, and testified that when the
army left San Bernardino they took q
vote and decided to get ON Southern
Pacific train at Cotton and to stay there
until put off, that he was the leader of
the army, but the army decided its ac-
tions on important questions by vote.
The army had only $3.50, which they
had offered for transportation to Dem
cars, but was ready to be arrested, and
it was one of the principles of the army
not to resist arrest. The army is bound
for Washington to influence congress to
give employment to laborers and to
issue $50, 900, 900 greenbacks.
Vinette said he had served two terms
as Justice of the peace in Colorado and
had been postmaster at Granite, Colo,
and is a carpenter by trade. He said no
one demanded car fare, but if it had
been demanded he would have given
$3.50 to take the army aa far as it would
go. He thought when the railroad Off
ciaIs found the men on the cars they
would order the trainmen to take them
along.
Within an hour and q half after be-
ginning to take testimony the evidence
was all in on both sides. The court
room was crowded with spectators to
listen to the arguments of counsel. The
prosecution relied principally upon the
testimony of Captain Vinette himself,
and the arguments of Counsel Harris
and Bledsoe for the prosecution were
based principally upon his statements.
The jury was urged in an eloquent ap-
peal to vindicate the law Of the land,
and demonstrate to lRwless bands of
men tramping through the country tina.
they would be compelled to respect the
law.
Attorney Luckel consumed only about
Is minutes in presenting the other side
of the case to the jury, GLAZING no public
ofense mad been committed; that there
could be no attempt to deiraud the rail-
wav of fares when their agents had
made no demand.
At 6 80 O'Clock the jury retired and
later the jury brought in verdict OF
guilty as charged.
During the course OF the trial the
members of the army crowded the court
and were interested spectators. They
still number about 125 end declare they
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