The herald., 1897-09-11

r1llmOrS, was the next witness caIled
and testified to having loaned a pisto
in April last to Pyle, who rode up OIL
horseback. The defendant rode up 6
minute later and was present when wit.
ness handed the pistol to deceased. (The
American bulldog pistol identified as ths
same). Pyle, upon receiving it. handed
it to McCamish and remarked that they
had no time to wait, and thereupon both
men rode away. The defendant returned
on the next Sunday to get his washing
and said he had handed the pistol over
to the Los Angeles people and it would be
returned in few days.
On cross-examination the witness said
he had never fired the pistol, having
bought it simply for the protection of
his house. He said the pistol quite fire.
quently missed fire and was not much
good.
Coroner Campbell recalled, stated
that he could not identify which one of
the black-handled pistols in evidence
was one of those produced from his
pocket by McCamish at Castaic. He
thought, however the 3S-caliber Smith
& Wesson was the one
On cross examination, witness re-
peate6 that. to the best Of his belief,
the Smith & Wesson pistol was the one
defendant drew from his pocket.
John Burr, sheriff of Los Angeles
county, testified to being at Castaic
switch on the morning of the killing. He
coroner handed to witness the bullet ex-
tracted from the head of deceased (bul-
let identified) and he took it in his
charge. In the afternoon he handed it
to Deputy Sheriff Snodgrass of Ven
tura. Witness asked McCaminsh to
tell him how the affair happened, and
he then learned that about $3.50 to 4
O'Clock in the morning the two rob-
bers came past. Pyle stepped out and
held them up, and while defendant was
Handwriting one man Pyle was shot and
fell inside the house. Defendant heard
bullet whistle past his head. and he
grabbed Pyle's pistol and fired four
shots at them as they ran away. At
the last shot one robber called out:
"Oh. Bill, am shot," and dropped his
bundle. He picked up his bundle with
his left hand and made off with his
companion. Witness stated he looked
for tracks, but saw none between the
track and the switch. There were two
tracks on the outside of the track, but
U
Pyle and himself when they went for "a
| drink He also said that after the
shooting he pulled the body Of Pyle in to
the house about two feet and covered it
with some sacks. Witness found that
the coroner had turned the body over,
but the sacks underneath were unruf-
| fed and laid out as if to sleep upon.
Later, when defendant was brought by
Sheriff Charlebois to Los Angeles, the
witness Grove with them in the hack
and asked defendant how he accoun ted
for the fact that the articles reported,
stolen had been found in his room II
don't know" he answered, perhaps
some one put them there. I'm going
to have hard fight Of it, but I'll get
| through all right"
| On cross examination witness said
when he reached Castaic there were
about eight or ten people there. The
coroner said he wanted to take the re-
turn train, so witness made little inves-
tigation until after the inquest.
AFTERNOON SESSION
Upon Sheriff Burr resuming his seat
upon the witness stand he, on. redirect
examination, identified the shoes which
defendant wore on the morning of the
killing; having the clump Of nails in the
heel of one shoe, as testified to by several
witnesses who had examined the tracks
made by these shoes.
On recross witness identified al ist of
the stolen articles, other than the orig
inal put in by the prosecution, as the one
copied from the original by Under Sher-
iff Clements.
Mr.. Jenkins, recalled, said he saw
three pistols lying on the bench at Cas-
taic, and he picked up the Smith & Wes-
son 3S-caliber pistol. He stated that the
chambers were loaded and he saw that
two chambers had been fired off and
! loaded again. The witness in giving his
\reason why he concluded two chambers
had been fired was just trifle obscure,
and his conclusion was ordered stricken
out.
On cross-examination witness was
asked to point out the chambers in any
| of the three pistols that had been fired
off since being last cleaned out. He an
swered to this, however, that he didn't
think they had been fired for some time,
and in such case the smoke streak might
not remain.
Under Sheriff Clements was the next
witness and retailed conversation had
with the defendant at the Castaic switch
on the day Of the killing. He said Pyle
stood about two feet from the opening of
the door at the time he was shot Wit
ness looked for blood stains about the
place indicated but did not discover any.
For the remainder Of the day witness
looked down the track and in the wheat
fields and up the San Francisco canyon
for tracks, but none were found.
Guy Woodward, one of the deputy
sheriffs, testified also to being at Castaic
with Sheriff Burr The defendant said
In response to remark of witness that
Pyle fell outside the building and he
dragged the body inside. In indicating
where Pyle had stood he pointed out a
spot about six feet from the door, and
the robber about ten feet from him.
Witness asked why he had not hand
cuffed the men together, and defendant
answered that Pyle always did that way
and he wanted to get one safe and then
search the other one. On coming down
on the train the defendant said they only
had one pair of handouts with them,
and he put them on the robber, and he
ran off with them.
On cross-examination witness stated
that all that the defendant told him was
told before the inquest took place: he