The herald., 1897-08-07
Its Inward History Being
DivuIged
WARE TURNS STATES WITNESS
DAMAGING STATEMENTS MADE
AGAINST COMPTON
The County's Fumigation Debts-The
Livingston Alimony Cace-The
Alaniz Will Contest Closed

The preliminary examination of A,
e. Davis, w. M. Ware and Charles
Compton was begun in the township
court yesterday. The defendants are
charged, with ]. H. Shields and John
Doe, with fraudulently conspiring to
sign the name of Louis H. Greene to
a deed for the purpose Of obtaining
loan from the Columbia Savings bank
Deputy District Attorney McComas
and Attorney Earl Rogers. as special
counsel prosecuted. and each of the de-
PENDANTS was represented by separate
counsel W. H. Shinn represented
Compton. Theodore Martin, Davis, AMI
B. E. Vickrey the defendant Ware.
The trial of these defendants, when it
reaches the superior court-that is, if
they are held to answer-promises to
be most beautifully tangled up.
When Davis and Ware were arrested
they were examined and held to answer.
An information was filed against them
by the district attorney, to which de-
murrer was filed. and the informality
of the information was confessed. Judge
Smith ordered that new information be
fled, but instead of that being done, a
new complaint was issued against the
present defendants and ]. H. Shields
and that mythical John Doe. The pres
ent examination, therefore, began yes
terday under rather exceptional condi-
tions. Counsel at once raised the ques-
tion of the courts jurisdiction as to the
of no vie
the reason that a case was pending
against them in the superior court, but
that question was disposed of perempto-
rily. Then Mr.. Shinn, in behalf of Comp
ton, demanded a separate trial. and that
also was denied. The conspiracy was
of such a nature that each of the parties
to it played into one another's hands
in such manner that the prosecution
thought a strong probability existed
of a failure to hold the defendants if
separate examinations were accorded.
At the same time joint examination
adds materially to the technical diff
culties. An ordinary attorney having
q good pair of lungs-and most of those
practicing at the Los Angeles bar are
SO possessed-can, if in a combative hu-
NOR, raise more objections in five min
utes than the court can pass upon in
half an hour. When three attorneys.
as yesterday are pitted against one an
other and unite together for the purpose
of opposing the prosecution the time is
apt to be made lively. And 1t was Every
bit of evidence was objected to by one
or the other of the defendants counsel.
and sometimes by all three. Quite fire.
uuently the court would sustain an OBJ
lection as to one defendant and over
rule it as to the others, and as a con-
sequence of this a very tangled up record
must ensue. But it is one of the draw
backs attending a joint examination.
and cannot be avoided.
Lewis H. Greene was the first witness
put forward by the prosecution. He
testified that he formerly lived in Gin
cinnati, Ohio, but is now engaged as
horticulturist in the Ojai valley. He
stated that his father returned to Gin
cinnati last spring, and that lot of the
DAILY tract was purchased by his father
three or four years ago.
A. p. West, cashier of the Columbia
Savings bank, identified the forged deed
1t was first shown to him by o. P. Clark
of the Title Insurance and Trust COM.
pany who went to witness house about
o'clock one night and said he had made
a loan for the bank. The bank had
loaned him some money on the property
some days before, and some suspicion
was aroused by the fact and the inves-
tigation that followed revealed the fac:
that the deed was a forgery.
I'VE examined the records said wit
ness, "and saw the deed had been re-
corded properly. I conferred with Mr..
Clark, the gentleman who had made the
loan, and he sent telegram to Mr..
Greene at Cincinnati. Next morning l
saw the answering telegram. The loan
referred to had been made to A. E. Da-
Wis by the Columbia bank through tha
Title Insurance Co. The loan was $1,000
and was mace on mortgage of lot
of the DAILY tract. The first time I saw
Davis was ON the morning of his arrest
He then stated that he had traded off
a piece Of property at Denver, including
the $1,000 he got from us, for the Daily
tract lot. He said he had bought the
Denver property from Ware for $500 a
day or two before. AT later date he said
when he went into the deal he thought
all was straight. When he brought q
check for $3.50 to our bank the clerk ac-
companied him and he got it cashed al
the Citizens bank, ano after getting the
money he said he met Ware, who was
waiting FOR him, and handed the money
over to him save $3.50. He had spent $40
but s240 was on deposit in the Broad
way bank and he gave me check fol
the amount He then said that at frs
he thought he was engaged in Legitimate
business, but afterwards was sure tbs
deal was all crooked or he wouldn't have
been given such a heavy commission
for his share.
II saw deco in the possession of Mrs
Davis" said witness, in answer to g
direct inquiry, conveying from ]. D
Shields to Davis lot 16, block 4, West
Highlands, Arapahoe county, Colorado