The San Francisco call., 1896-10-17
THE HICKS CASE
STILL A MYSTERY
Police Are as Yet Unable
TO Find Any New
Theories.
Captain Lees Issues Orders That
the Dead Mans Wife
See the Corpse.
PROBABLY SHOT AT HIS DESK.
The Defense Gives Out a Statement
That the Shot Was in Self.
Defense.


Mitchell have not thrown very much light
Lees said, late last night: 1.-THE only
human being we know OF who has the
real story is the man who did the shoot
ing, and he refuses to speak. l cannot
understand why the newspapers should
defend the defendant when he positively
refuses to defend himself"
Captain Lees was not altogether correct,
however, for the defense has been put
forth at some length by Attorney P. B.
Nagle, who represents the defendant. At
torney Nagle yesterday gave forth the
following for publication concerning the
case:
We will have two affirmative detenses when
the case comes to trial. In the first place, we
will be able to satisfy jury that Mitchell
defense, we are not prepared 10 make q state
ment at this time. The facts in the case are
| these. Wednesday afternoon a woman client
called to see Mitchell, who ohanced to be out
of the Office. Hicks took occasion to tell the
client that Mitchell was fraud.
The woman went away, and, meeting Mitch
ell on the street, told him what Hicks had
said This is all there is in the story of g.
| woman in the case. Yesterday morning Mitch
ell objected to Hicks interference in his busi-
ness and Hicks jumped him, giving him ter
l think h cks would have killed Mitchell at
| that time had not tenant on the same floor
come to. the rescue. cannot give the name
| OF the tenant at his time.
Mitchell then went away and got the pistol
| to protect himself. When he came back in the
| afternoon Hicks leaped 10 his feet and started
| in to repeat the beating OF the morning. 1t
was then that Mitchell. seeing that escape was
| impossible, drew his pistal and killed Hicks.
| The case has been almost exclusively
| in the charge of Detective Harry B. Reyn-
oIds, who made several reports on the
evidence last night. The most important
| feature is that which shows almost con-
clusively that the dead man was shot
while sitting at his desk, the range of the
bullet being downward through the dead
! mans necktie, the bullet coming out Of
| the back.
| Another interes ting development in the
case was that the d cad mans wife lives at
80 Locust avenue and that she was fore
| IDLY thrown out OF the undertaking
| rooms where her husbands body
| lay py William Morendez Gregory,
| brother in : law of deceased, yester-
| day and the day before. Captain
Lees gave positive orders to Detective
Reynolds last night that Mrs. Hicks be
allowed to see her husband to-day.
Il heard Hicks say this woman was his
wife," said Captain Lees, ''and l know
othing about the claims that there is an
other wife at 220 Eddy street"
Mrs. Hicks said last night: "I do not
want Gregory to get access to my hus-
bands trunk. 1t would not be right. Mrs.
Gregory is his sister, but they did not
speak, and he forbade me to associate
| with her."
An interesting sidelight of the tragedy
comes from Thomas Sands, night watch
man OF the building where the tragedy oc-
CURED. Speaking of it to Detective Rey-
| nolds, he said:
"Hicks told me Mitchell would have to
get out Of his office, as it was hard to get
| rent out of him. A few days before the
killing Hicks caught Mitchell in his office
and told me to watch Mitchell and not let
| him 90 into his office with the woman"
! The report does not say what woman,
nor does it throw further light on the
| killing.
| The most important report OF the day
was that of Reynolds, which ran as follows:
| 81 found on the left lapel of the vest a
hole where the bullet went through his
neckscarf, white four-in-hand. the hole
| being in the lower left corner; also
found powder marks on it, also on his
shirt found bullet hole and powder
! marks"
| A. w. Scott of room 514 in the same
building made q statement that he heard
| the shots and screams, saw Mitchell COM
| ing downstairs and afterward heard him
say, II did - good job of 1t in self
| defense"
| The statement of A. S. Grant of 1881
Twenty-fourlh street is important, because
he heard the fight and heard Hicks say
"You have got me by the throat"
| Another interesting bit of evidence is
that of DIR. G. L. Fitch who heard the
shots and screams, then the breaking glass.
He showed that the patient lived several
minutes after the shot struck him. and
| that there was not from the first the slight
est chance for restoring life,
| Mrs. Stanton of 220 Eddy street states
that she was never engaged to the late
EDWARD j. Hicks. She accounts for his
possessing her ring by the fact that it was
| too large for her finger and that he offered
| to have it made smaller. She therefore
gave it into his keeping, where it was
| found at the time of his death. She does
not claim any money from him.
| The fun raj OF e. j. Hicks will take
place Sunday. at / 80 p NJ. from Memorial
Hall, Odd Fellows building, he having
| been member of the Rebekahs. Mrs.
| Stanton was past noble grand of Chrys-
1 n n ap,,,n, r .cd 0a IF rho Rehoyabu