The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-12-19
HIGHLAND PARK SHOOTING AFFAIR.
Preliminary Examination of James {
Harrison.
He Offers No Testimony-The Case
Taken Under Amusement by
Justice Henry.

The examination of James E. Harri-
son on a charge of assault with intent
to commit murder took place before JUS
tice Henry yesterday. No testimony
was offered by Harrison, and when the
prosecution had closed its case Hiram
W. Johnson, counsel for the defense,
moved for the discharge of the accused.
The court, however, took the matter un-
der advisement until this morning
Harrison, it will be remembered,
about week ago detected his wife and
a young man named Ed. MitcheIl-as he
claims-in a compromising situation at
the home of Mrs. Harrison's grand
parents in Highland Park, where she
has been living for some months, and
fired four shots at them through a bed
room window. One of the shots spoiled
a bedpost and grazed the shoulder of
his wife
Those who attended the examination
yesterday in the expectation Of hearing
Harrison relate what he claims to have
witnessed through the window were
disappointed, for he did not go on the
witness-stand. The spectators, there
| fore, had TO be content with Mrs Har-
| rlSons and MitchelPs versions of the
shooting, which, so far as their own
conduct was concerned. was very tame.
Mrs. Harrison is evidently not versed
In court procedures, for she seemed to
think that every pointed question asked
! her by Mr.. Johnson was intended as a
personal insult, and her answers We're
snapped out accordingly. Counsel
maintained his cOraposure however,
! throughout his almost cruel but neCeS-
Sary cross eXamina zion
She could not tell how often Mitchell
| had visited her since she went 20 High
! land Park to live with her relatives, but
| it was quite often. On the evening Of
the shooting he had called to accom-
| pany the family to her fathers we'd
| ding, but she was not feeling well
enough TO go out, so he was invited to
stay and keep her company while her
| grandparents went to the wedding in
this city.
She had the supper dishes to wash,
and Mitchell offered to wipe them for
| her. This task completed, she went to
| her bedroom near by and lay on the bed,
first taking some medicine. Mitchell
entered the room directly and kneeling
| down by the bedside told her he did not
think the evening payer had yet been
delivered. He was IN his Shirt-SleeVeS,
but she was pretty certain he wore his
shoes. He had no sooner uttered the
words about the paper than the shots
were fired through the window from the
outside. After that, Mrs. Harrison
| said, she went into the kitchen, put out
! the light and awaited developments.
! The remark about the paper was the
| only part of the evenings conversa-
| ton that she could recall. She denied
| that Mitchell embraced or kissed her,
! and said it was too dark in the room
! for anyone outside to discern what a
| i 1t.
was in the kitchen, and the dining-room
| interviewed.
Mitchell was not even as good a wit
! ness as Mrs. Harrison, though he told
| substantially the same story as to the
circumstances attending the shooting.
| His mind was also a blank as to what
was said by either himself or Mrs. Har-
| riSOn that evening, except his remark
! that he guessed the paper had not
come. He corroborated Mrs. Harrison's
| statement that the room was dark,
but in an unguarded moment said that
| when he entered the bedroom she was
| lying on the bed with her eyes half
| closed.
| This was rather difficult thing to
! explain, but the witness said it was
! light enough for him to see Mrs. Har-
rison's eyes AS to the propriety of
| walking unlimited into a lady's bed
| room, Mitchell thought it would be
very strange if man hadn't a right
| to go anywhere that he was not ex-
! pressly prohibited from going.
| In response to questions by Mr.. John
son, he admitted that while Mr.. and
| Mrs. Harrison were living together he
| had often called on the latter at night
| while her husband was absent at his
| business He did not on these occa-
| sions wait for Mr.. Harrison to come
| home, because the latter was not due
az his family castle until midnight, and
the witness did not think it proper to
extend his visits until that hour
He denied, however, that while call
! ing on Mrs. Harrison he had been in
| the habit of having the servant girl
| outside and act as sentinel in case Mr.
| Harrison should show up. He said the
] girl sometimes went out but usually
| staid in the house. He was simply a
| friend of Mrs. Harrison, that was all
| just an ordinary friend.
Then Mr. Johnson had the witness
| tell where he had lived for many years
past and what he had done for a liv-
ing His homes had been in Buffalo,
! Rochester, Chicago, Omaha, Denver,
| Cheyenne Salt Lake, Napa Calistoga,
| st Helena, Sacramento and many other
! places, and he had worked at paper
hanging. wine-making, etc. He came to
| this city last July.
| There was some testimony introduced
| by Assistant District Attorney J. G..
! Jones relative to statements made by
! Harrison TO the officers after he gave
! himself up, the purpose being to show
! that he had intended to kill both his
| wife and Mitchell