The herald., 1897-03-27
"AQUEER LOTT
Another Chapter in the Bel
mont Hall Mystery
AN IMPORTANT CLAIM
Ex-county Officials Will Get
Their Back Pay
THE PI0 PIC0 ESTATE
AN EASTERN GUEST AT THE
RAYMOND HOTEL FIRE
THE pIo pIco ESTATE
AN EASTERN GUEST AT THE
RAYMOND HOTEL FIRE
Attorney James Makes Correctio n.
Clark Held in $4,000 for Forg-
ing the Douglass Deed.
Criminal Calendar

Peace and quiet reigned in the United
States circuit court yesterday; peace
that was inviting and restful In the
morning, a quiet that grew positively
soporif1c in the late afternoon. The
only interruption occurred shortly be-
fore the noon recess, and was richer
in promise than in fulfllment at the
time.
The long delayed and often postponed
suit for S25, 900 for alleged libel instituted
by Josephine M. Holmes against the
Times Mirror company, Harrison Gray
Otis and Miss Muriel Irwin, the reporter
who wrote certain articles which it is
claimed are defamatory, came up yes
terday before Judge Olin Wellborn. The
twelve jurors who had been impaneled
the previous day were, to man, In
their places promptly, and are as fol-
lows: ]. A. Aguirre. Frank P. Elverson,
Sidney w. Hitler, Alexander Weiss,
John w. Forsyth, Julius L. Vierick.
John NJ Stewart, Frank NJ. Keach, Jo-
seph w. Frey, George f. Williams and
Hannibal Edwards.
Miss Irwin, L. E. Mosher, the counsel
for defense, Stephen NJ White, Henry t.
Gage and Charles Monroe and staff
of witnesses sat within the magic rail-
ing that separates the dramatis per-
sonae from the rabble in a court room;
and the plaintiff and her attorneys,
william T. Kendrick and General r. H.
Chapman, were also inside the charmed
circle.
Without the railing were friends and
sympathizers of both sides- who paid
vph inter-
est was going on, and who nearly went
to sleep while long complaint, answer
or deposition, full of tiresome tech
nicalities were being read in monot-
onous voice by the lawyers of one side
or the other. For yesterday was, after
all merely the collecting of material,
gathering together of strands, the mar
shaling of forces for the coming fray.
William T. Hendricks opened for the
prosecution by reading in full the COM
plant which, in seven or eight articles,
set forth the course of action, wherein
Josephine M. Holmes ,spinster, resident
Of Los Angeles, but now, then and at all
times an alien, subject of King George IL
of Sweden and Norway, alleges that de-
PENDANTS did in an issue of their paper,
the Times, on February II, 1895, falsely,
maliciously and wickedly print and pub
lish an article which was unprivileged
and defamatory.
The article referred to under the head
ing, "A Queer Lot-That's What" fol-
lowed, and was in brief a description
both graphic and picturesque of COM
munity residing at Belmont Hail. OF
which plaintiff was accredited with be-
ing the controlling spirit. Their mode of
life. habit of thought. and speech. creed
or religion, and method of conducting
services; their views on the subject of
marriage, child culture, diet and gen
eral development, together with start
lingly Vivid pen picture of the plaintin,
all were portrayed with unflinching can
dor.
It seems that 1t was the pen picture
in which Miss Holmes was likened IN
the article to "cross between bleach
ed out tortoise-shell cat and faded
rattlesnake," that proved the proverbial
straw, for the complaint AYERS that the
said libelous article published the nat
ural and alleged defects, and exposed
plaintiff to public hatred and contempt,
ridicule and obloquy, and caused her to
be Stunned and avoided" as we'll as
giving her much shame and mortificn-
ton and great mental and physical suf-
fering'' etc. for which, and the injury
and damage done to plaintiff, she
claims $50 600 actual damage and fur
ther sum of $4,000 exemplary damage I"
Mr.. Gage for the defense, read an an
swer to the complaint in which each
separate allegation was denied fatty
and unequivocally. and stated that the
defense would be conducted upon the
ground that the article which had been
cited as libelous was and is substantial
ly true; that the said article was pub
lished in good faith and for the public
good; for the purpose of giving the pub
lie news and at the same time to warn
the public against the practices of the
plaintiff as described in the article.
The first witness called was Josephine
NJ Holmes, who in answer to questions
from her attorney stated that she was
an alien, a subject of King Oscar II; that
she was born In Norway in August, 1856,
and that her occupation was that of
boarding house keeper at the time of the
publication of the alleged libelous arti-
Gle. Further questioning developed
some facts about her mother, sister and
brother and then Mr.. Kendrick said,
with what seemed like brutal frankness:
How did you feel when you heard
the story about you In the paper read?"
Immediate and perceptible effect on
witness. no answer, but signs of ap-
preaching tears.)
The question was repeated, encourag-
ingly, and the witness, head bowed and
drawing her handkerchief, the tears
meanwhile having arrived, said:
II felt sick"
"Take the witness"-to counsel for de-
fense-and Senator White, with the tact
of diplomat, and the ready sympathy
of statesman, proceeded to quell the
grief of the plaintiff by entering into an
active cross-examination.
Q.-"Did you ever lecture at Belmont
Hall?" Cup went the head and down
went the handkerchief)
Al don't understand what you
mean by lecture"
Q.-"Did you ever speak before an au-
dience in Belmont hall?"
Al sometimes talked to the people
there"
Did you not talk to the people there
about spirits and spirit control?"
II don't know if L know what you
mean by CONTROL"
Mr.. White tried to explain his mean
ing in using the words control" and
lecture" He framed his sentences diff
ferently; patiently he drew from the
witness, who quibbled over words and
questioned meanings that she OCCASION
ally had spoken from a platform; that
she did not give instruction to the peo-