The herald., 1895-06-11

heard before Justice Nish of Azusa
township and by him dismissed, as no
evidence that Kennett had used or even
carried deadly weapon was produced:
Constable Crawford of AZusa said last
night that Kennett while living there
had good reputation and nothing was
seen in him to indicate that he was
either insane or dangerously vindictive.
The Etzier Case
Etzler was a friend of Kid Thompson
and was with him at Phoenix when Alva
johnson forwarded to him a box con-
tanning 600 Mexican dollars. part OF the
Later Etzler returned to Los Angeles and
peached upon the train Iobber to the
Lawson detective agency. He was en-
titled to part of the reward offered by
the state, the Southern Pacific and Wells,
Fargo & Co. Etzler being a drunken
fellow, it is said that Lawson Planned 10
beat him out of his share.of the reward
by obtaining release from him for it
under an agreement. kennett is sup
posed to have been entrusted with the
negotiations and to have succeeded in
securing the document. After Alva
Johnson conviction Il zler brought
suit 10 have the agreement set aside. but
Judge Mckinley held that no fraud had
been useu when it was obtained and that
Etzer had acted with his eyes wide open
when he signed the instrument. 1t was
charged that Lawson kept Etzler drunk
for days and finally secured the instru-
ment bat Ed beecher is authority for the
statement that kennett refused to nego-
tiate with Etzler unless the latter was
sober and that it.was on that point the
first difficulty began between the men.
Lawson's History
MY fathers full name was Albert Bind
I.awson,' said A Lawson yesterday.
land he was born June I, 1855, the first
white boy born in Oakland, Cal. IL is
parents were 49ers from Indiana, but l
don't know anything about them any
further back. He learned the printer s
trade in Oakland under such men as W..
W. Foote and George Knight. Then he
became a full-hedged newspaper man,
but left the business and was with the
railroad for short time.
Then he was in the state printing
Office four years. after which he went into
Harry Morse's detective agency in San
Francisco. l don't know all these dates.
lie stayed there for years and then went
with John Curtin. the exPinkerton man.
He came here first in 1881 on business.
an d during the boom came to stay. He
established branch of the San Fran
cisco Office Ohe Stillwell agency, but
finally went in for himself.
My mother left the day before yester :
day for San Francisco on visit, and
father, my brother George and | were
here. That's all there are in the family.
Lawson's Latter Years
That Lawson did not meet death years
ago may be attributed to one OF two things
-proverblal good luck or Providence. In
the earlier days OF his detective career.
which began in San Francisco under the
tutelage of Harry |. Morse. Lawson had
a penchant to explore the hereafter, an
on several occasions went SO far as to
start on the sjourney by taking poison
twice and once by an attempt to shoot
himself. In each instance. however. he
was saved and owing to his cleverness
his shortcomings we're overlooked.
But with Morse patience finally ceased
to be a virtue, and after the lasG attempt
Lawson made at suicide. somewhere
along in 1882 his services were dis
pensed with. Lawson then Joined John
Curtins agency, and it was while in the
employ of the latter that he distinguished
himself by bringing TO a successful ter
mination a mum her OF big cases, anon g
Others murder mystery in Lake county.
In this case the detective was shot at
from mbush score OF times, but the
charm that appears to have lowered over
his life stood him in good stead ani he
came out unscathed.
The record of the dead detective in this
section of the state is well-known. He has
figured in most of the murder mysteries
during the past half dozen years. To-
gether with C.J. Stillwell, Lawson worked
up tho case against Richard Heath for
the murder of McWhirter at Fresno. and
while a conviction was never obtained,
a chain of circum stantial evidence wa 5
welded so closely that two juries dis
agreed.
When the aged Fresno rancher, Wooten.
disappeared about year and half ago,
and one Professor Saunders presented
HapHS n N G Of the G.
tate. Lawson was put on the case. The
result of his work was disclosed few
weeks ago when Saunders was convicted
of forgery and the deeds pronounced
void. A charge of murder is still pend
ing. the trial being postponed owing to
the fact that it is impossible for the prose-
cution to prove the corpus delicto. the
body of Wooten never having been found.
At the time of his death Mr.. Lawson was
engaged upon two or three very import
ant cases and Sheriff Burr has lost in
Lawson an effective and good right arm.
A Doctors Caution
To carry out the theory of temporary
insanity, DR.. Il. A. Bryant, who has
been Kennett's S attending physician. dur
ing his wife's illness and personally to
him since her death, sent down to ms
ley's men yesterday morning to send
Kennett home if he came down town, be-
cause he had not peen himself since his
wife s death ana was not IN frame OF
mind to be responsible for his actions.
Acting under the doctors directions, ms
ley was going to send Kennett home. but
he did not see him until after the desper-
ate tragedy in which he figures before
the public as murderer.
Detective and Attorney
S. A. Garrett an attorney Of this city
is about the only person, perhaps, in
possession of the facts concerning the
cause that led to the affray. He was clos
eted with Detective Lawson five minutes
before the shooting occurred and is sup
posed to have had prominent hand in
the discussion of the reward that was
claimed by kennett as his due.
Persons who are well informed state
that the matter that called Garrett to the
office was no other than the question of
a division OF the reward that is due the
detectives for their services in ferreting
ont the evidence in the Rose robbery.
kennett and Lawson disagreed on this
point, and the services of the attorney
were proffered. It is said that Garrett di-
vulged the information that kennett
threatened to kill Lawson some three
DAYS ago, but claims that he had no icea
of the serious intention back of the