The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-07-01
CHARGED WITH KILLING
William Van Horne and Harry
Elezekiah Examined
DEATH OF EDWARD WHITE
The Woman in the Case Takes the
Stand anJ Testiii.s
A Series Of Footprints n11 the TeiI.taie Meas.
urements-Other Testimony OF Officers.
Echoes From Fatcfli Night

Van Horne and Harry Hezekiah, who
are charged with the killing of Edward
White on the night of the 18th of this
month, was begun yesterday morning
before Justice Morrison and continued
nearly the whole day.
Deputy District Attorney James is
conducting the prosecution, while Mar
BILE and Phibbs appear for the defense.
To be used as evidence in the case, the
blood stained coat and vest worn by
White OH the evening he was shot were
brought into court; also the shoes al
legged to have been worn by Hezekiah
on that fateful night; two huge revolV-
ers one an old navy six shooter, powder
and ball, and the other a modern Colt S
of large caliber. All the evidence ad-
duced must necessarily be of circum-
stantial character, as there was no one
present al the time of the actual shoot
ing save the murdered man and his as
sailant or ASSISTANTS.
Hezekiah and Van Horne were
brought down from the county Jail
where they are confined. and presented
a good appearance in the courtroom
Harry Hezekiah is a mere youth in APP
pearance. bcardless and apparently not
over % years of age. He has not bad
face, and is apparently the last person
one would be apt to think would be ac-
cused of so terrible a crime Van Horne
is handicapped on good looks by the loss
of his left eye and is not generally of Il
pleasing cast of countenance. His
square jaws show bulldog pertinacity,
and he is claimed by the officers to be a
bad man iii general.
On opening for the prosecution, after
the reading of the complaint DR.. f. A.
Bryant, the police surgeon who attended
the dead man when he was brought dy-
too l.
causing death was evidently large one.
of Al or Al caliber and had entered the
left breast four inches below the nipple
and three inches to the left of the me-
dian line. 1t made its exit on the right
side toward the back, about seven and a
half inches below the aXila. DIR. Camp
bell, county coroner. who, with Dr.
Bryant, performed the autopsy, testified
to the facts in I! similar manner.
Then Alfonso Lieber, night Waterman
at the Wieland bottling works. was put
upon the stand. He told the story of the
shooting substantially as testified to be-
lore the coroners jury, and fully pub
lished at the time. He had seen two
men Just before the shooting sneaking
down Chavez street, adm later saw them
sitting on some empty beer barrels back
of the bottling building. Asked how the
SIZE of defendants, Hezekiah and Van
Horne, compared with that of the men
he had seen, Lieber said it was approx
1nately the same.
Georgia Abbott who was with White
just before he was shot and saw the man
! who held him up. then went upon the
stand. She said that White had called
on her on Thursday and again on Fri
day, the fatal, evening. She had been
Keeping company with Hezekiah for
some time, and stated under pressure
that Harry smoked cigarettes. When she
L q y al tt-itI /, l,;+
ing they went up Date to Main. down to
RsQuena street, thence to Los Angeles
and on to First. From there they re-
traced their steps by the same route,
and finally landed in the Vienna concert
hall, where they had several drinks
Asked If she saw either defendant in
in the saloon while she and White were
there she said no, They left little after
1890, and started for home, going down
chavez street. Just as they got abreast
of the Fulton engine works some one
came up suddenly behind them and told
White to throw up your hands" When
she turned around she saw man with
handkerchief or something white over
his face and revolver in his hand She
lifted her skirts and ran, and when she
had reached the railroad track heard
shot The assailant of White wore dark
clothes. dark SLOUGH hat and his gun
did not glisten, so it was probably not
nickel plated, although George would
not say that it was blued OF bright At
the conclusion of her testimony q recess
was taken until afternoon.
Upon reconVening d t > 30 officer Miles
Long was the first witness He told Of
going with the patrol wagon to the spot
where White fell and of taking the dying
man to the station. Then he had imme-
diately returned to the scene of the
shooting to look for evidence ofthe per
'petrator. In the deep dust of the street.
beginning where Lieber told him he saw
the men skulking along, he found series
of footprints of peculiar shaped shoe,
long and narrow, with square toe, the
prints being sharply defined, a though
made by Il new shoe.
From Il weed growing nearby he cut
a stalk and trimmed it to the exact
length of the footprints and notched it
for the width at the ball of the foot This
measure was introduced in evidence and
applied to the soles of eHzekiahs shoes.
being found to exactly correspond Off
Ger Ions also told of the finding of the
loose coin in the road and various other
incidents of the search for the perpetra-
tors His cross examination was severe,
searching and long continued, but he
was not shaken in the slightest particu-
lar. He stepped off the inqusitOral
chair after a siege Of over two hours.
with sigh Of relief.
Mr.. James then recalled Georgia Abb
bott for one question, which was as to
how Hezakiah had been dressed on Fri
day evening when he called a her house
before White was killed. She said he
had a dark sack coat, light trousers nd
a black souch hat. She could not re-
member how Van Horne was dressed,
not having paid particular notice. He
had been at her house only twice before
and she did not know him we'll. With
this she was again excused.
e. The last witness for the day Was Mrs.
Hezekiah, mother of one of the defend
ants, and she was evidently an unwilling
witness. She was called upon to tell
what she knew of her son S movements
on the night of the 18th and did 50 He
dressed a 1870 in the evening and went
out returning about 1920 or a little later.
She looked a t the clock at 80 and went
into her bedroom Harry came in, she
should say, about twenty or twenty-five
minutes later
She did not go out of the room but he
spoke to her and asked if she was still
up, to which she answered yes. Then he
went off to bed. MI. James asked
whether or not Harry Yer kept a revo-
yer in his room and was answered yes
1t generally hung on the wall She
could not tell what kind of revolver II
was, whether ii was large or small
loaded or unloaded, what the color was
or anything else about it. The district
attorney got somewhat out of patience
and the defense was busy interposne
objections about the prosecution seek
ing to mpeach its own witness. Fin
ally Mr. James excused the lady, saying