The San Francisco call., 1896-05-12

thought, early in the morning, that the
testimony would be such as to contami-
nate such part of the public mind as
had gathered to hear and to see, so he in
voked the moral aid of the Penal Code and
asked that counsel and principals. clerk,
baliff and stenogra pliers and his Honor be
the only ones allowed at the bar.
There being no objections from plant
ifs tableful of counsel the order was
was made, and there was general out
pouring of the spectators, who seemed to
think it wrong that the morals they were
willing to risk should be so tenderly cared
for by counsel The courtroom cleared,
Mr.. Crittenden made his opening state
ment, and then Miss Ashley came to the
stand.
Tall, of medium build, face plain and
impassive, dress of simple black, the
plaintiff did not at all look like woman
who might captivate a millionaire from
far across the continent. She was the
only witness. She cried little at first,
but the questions put were vague enough
TO be merciful while direct enough to
bring out the story, and so for..the remain
ing hours of the session she told the story
of her shame and how E. J. Baldwin be-
came the cause of it.
During part of the afternoon session her
child played innocently around the court
room, but its prattle disturbed the atten-
tipn of the lawyers and so the little one
was banished.
The case had been continued from last
week by an order of Judge Slack calling
upon the plaintiff in the case either to find
money fer the fees or waive jury. Judge
Slack expressed strong dislike to try the
case without jury, and even limited that
perhaps another department of the Supe-
rior Court might be more accommodating;
but when the parties came into court this
morning and Attorney Crittenden, repre-
sentlng Miss Ashley, said that no arrange
ment for fees had been arrived at, his
Honor said: "Very well, gentlemen, will
try the case alone. 1 dislike to do it very
much, but it seems the only way"
So the jurors were ordered out of court
to return when called upon. Miss Ashley,
attired as before in black, took seat at
the table in front of the Judges bench
with her attorney, James Crittenden, in
close attendance, while Reuben H. Lloyd
and Henry Z. Highton minstered to the
interests of their millionaire client, who
occupied modest seat in the rear of the
room. Crittenden opened the suit by Of
fering several dispositions for filing. The
depositions bore the names of DR.. Richard
]. Mohr, Silas L. Thomas, A. H. Anderson,
A. L. Trueworthy, Nancy G. Grennan and
e. Porter Ashley, all from Los Angeles or
Pasadena, whence the plaintiff comes.
The deposiIions were ordered opened and
filed.
Miss Ashley's testimony began with the
time she first met Baldwin in her home in
the East; how he spoke to her and gave
her money; how he asked her to come
and see him in California, and how he
told her how glad he would be if she would
only come. He would find a position for
her-he would see that she got along all
right, and she was to be daughter to him.
She came out to meet him and he gave
her a room in the Baldwin Hotel. He
used to come and visit her in the evening,
she said, and he used to repeat how lonely
he was, no one to see, no one to care for
him, and with all his millions no one
whom he could come to and confide in.
He wanted her TO be a daughter to him;
he wanted her to be his friend.
She stayed awhile at the Baldwin Hotel
and then went down to the Coronado
Hotel. Baldwin went with her. Then
she went with him to Arcadia, where his