The herald., 1896-09-15
Fighting FOR LIBERTY
Clifton E. Mayne Files a
Stack of Affidavits
MRS. &SS|CA Wright. IS ROASTED
Charged With Getting Evidence
by Perjury
DELLA INVOKES THE DEITY
And Says She Confessed the Truth When
She Dared TO Do So
Elsie Shipton 10 the Secret Power Of Her
Guardians
An Attempt nade to Set Up an AIibi for the
Defendant, and Prove That E.sis Was
Above the Statutory Age-Latest
Charged With Getting Evidence
by Perjury
DELLA INVOKES THE DEITY
And Says She Confessed the Truth When
She Dared TO Do So
Elsie Shipton 10 the Secret Power Of Her
Guardians
An Attempt nade to Set Up an AIibi for the
Defendant, and Prove That Elsie Was
Above the Statutory Age-L,test
Move for New Trial

Clifton L. Mayne is again to be heard
from.
From his enforced retirement he has
aided his friends, and now he is about
to make another effort to regain his
liberty.
Yesterday morning Attorney Shinn
appeared in department one, before
Judge Smith, and, after filing big. fat
wad of typewriter affidavits. was pre-
pared to proceed to argument. Inasmuch
as a case had been set for trial, the mat
ter was continued until the 21st inst. al
| 1880 in the evening, when this motion to
set aside the order denying the motion
for new trial will be argued at length.
The affidayits filed yesterday are
| made by many persons, some residing
in the nieghborhood of Los Angeles
and others in San Francisco. The story,
as told in these documents, Is strange,
If true. From the time of his conviction
Mayne has contended that he was rail-
roaded to prison for a purpose. What
that purpose was alleged to have been,
and how Chris Buckley, the blind devil
of San Francisco figured in the matter,
has been told over and over again. The
numerous affidavts filed yesterday go
to support the theory advanced before,
but which. at that time, was not sup
ported by any Independent evidence.
\
himself. He enters a specific denial OF
| the oifense charged against him, and
charges Mrs. Jessica H. Wright with
having obtained the testimony of Mrs
Clara e. Shipton and her daughters,
Elsie and Della. by subornation of per-
| jury ana In pursuance of a conspiracy
formed between her and other parties
to him unknown.
The affidavit of Mrs. Clara z. Shipton is
interesting as serving to give point and
force to the others filed. She sets forth
that she first knew that her daughter
Elsie had been outraged by Mayne three
! weeks after Della returned to her home
in San Francisco. Mrs. Wright wrote
to her, telling her about the matter, AMI
said that Elsie had confessed that
Mayne had not only debauched her, but
Della also. She concluded by saying
that she was going to have Mayne ar
rested on the charge of raping the chill
| dran.
When the mother spoke to Della sh,
was astonished and vehemently denied
the charge. and said, also, it was impos
sible for Elsie to have erred without hel
knowledge. for she was with her botn
day and night.
When Constable johnson and Assist -
ant District Attorney Holton went to
San Francisco they insisted that Mrs
Shipton should bring Della to Los An
geles' saying that Mrs. Wright would
make Della testify" The mother did
not know what to think Della was en-
phatic in denial and Mrs. Wright was
specific in assertion and said Elsie had
fully confessed
Tne mother and Della stayed witt
Mrs. Wright until after Maynes pre-
llmlnary examination. The mother in
terrogated Elsie but she sought IN
.evade all questioning from her. Del.a
told her sister she knew she was swear
ing Falsely, but Mrs. Wright urged Dele
| TO join in the charge against I.ayne
Mrs shipton was told BY Mrs Wright
that Mayne had confessed 10 his wife o
all he had done, and between the con
tladictoly statements she did not know
what to think. Finally, when she hear,
elsie testify at the preliminary exam
! nation. she felt that the story was IN
true she asked Mrs. Wright then why
she wished to drag her and her girls into
disgrace. Mrs. Wright got mad and az
cused the mother of endeavoring t.
shield the man who had ruined her chill
dren. She also said that no doubt ex-
lsted,s for a physician had examined
Elsie. Mrs. Wright took Della by her.
SELF and 1t was after this long conversa-
ton that the Child told her mother thai
| she had promised to testify against
| Mayne. In the badly tangled state of
the case the mother was crushed and
| overwhelmed by the disgrace and let
things take their way.
After the case came to, trial, howeve :.
Elsie went to her mothSr and told hel
that the story was lie from beginning
to end, and Della got on her knees ard
cried: "Oh. mamma, get us out of this
| could not stand it to see Mr.. Mayne's
face. as saw 1t in court today. 1t is
all false, and we're wronging a mar
who has been kinder to US than any ollt.
IN the world. The girls We're both IT.
tears. and the mother told Mrs Wright.
That lady became furious and threat.
ened lftbe girls attempted to back down
she would have them prosecuted for
perjury.
| Mrs. Shipton. according to her own
showing, must have been as unstable sts
water, for she permitted Mrs Wright 10
again convince her of the truth of the
allegations against Mayne.
Better Descalso of San Francisco
makes aflidavit that Mrs Shipton told
Fhim that Elsie was born in Dubuque.
Iowa. in June. 1850. and not as stated
at the trial in June, 1881. That the child
born on June u, 1881. ard named Jen-
nie was in fact Della and that when
the assault was committed on Elsie she
was over the statutory age.
W. Loewi of San Francisco testifles
to the same effect, and that the entry
in the Bible produced during the trial
showed Della and not Elsies age.
Della Shipton begins her affidavit by
y,
as her judge, that what she sets forth
Is the truth. She pronounces all her tes-
timony as previously given as false,
given because forced by threats to do
so. Mayne did not come into the bed
occupied by Elsie and herself, nor did
he ever assault her. On the goth and
Goth of March Mayne was not in Los
Angeles for she remembers that he took
sick on the 21st and was in bed six days.
and 1t was the second day after he got
well that he went to San Diego. All
the lies she told were uttered because
Mrs. Wright told her she would be put
on the street and made an outcast
|. After rebelling against being made to
testify falsely and confessing the truth
to her mother, Della states that she was
locked up in the home for fallen women
the Florence homeland compelled to
associate with morphine fiends and gem
eral bad characters. She was kept
there for six weeks until she agreed to
testify as desired. Later, when placed
under a $4,000 bond and entrusted to
the Wrights she was a prisoner and nor
! allowed to communicate with h pr m al h er