The herald., 1897-04-04
AGENT C0UTS
Is Placed in a Peculiar
Position
DAMAGING EVIDENCE
FOrtier Saves His Fiancee From
Conviction
Ex.MAyoR RAIDERS WILL
Ex.MAyoR RAIDERS WILL
HIS WIDOW APPLIES FOR LET
TIERS OF PROBATE
The Estate Valued at $4O,oo0---A
Man Arrested for Insanity Sent
to the Hospital-Minor
Court Notes

Considerable new light was yesterday
thrown upon the land deal on trial be-
fore Judge Smith, in which Mrs. Grizel-
da Sepulveda Is suing C. A. Runels to
have a contract made last fall rescinded.
This is the case where Mrs. Sepulveda
claims that she was taken out to San
Fernando and shown tract of land,
which was offered in trade for house
and lot belonging to her In this city, and
that after a bargain had been struck II
was learned that she had been shown
the wrong tract. The piece of land
which her title called for was situated
over in the Tejunga wash.
1t appears that all of Mrs Sepulve-
da's dealings were conducted through
an agent by the name of r. L. Couts
and the testimony yesterday was such
as to place the transactions Of this
agent in rather a peculiar light The de-
fendant, c. A. Runels. was on the stand
the greater part of the afternoon and
related the circumstances leading up to
the trade with Mrs. Sepulveda. Couts
had gone out to San Fernando on the
first trip to show the land. When he re-
turned Runels said that from the re-
marks made about the place he con-
cluded that a mistake had been made
and that the wrong tract had been sesn,
and he told Couts as much. A few days
later, when Mrs. Sepulveda had decided
to again look at the land and was going
to take her son along. Runels provided
a certificate of title and map, in order
that there should be no mistake in locat-
ing the right place. 1t appears, how
seen and Mrs. Sepulveda entered into
the trade. supposing that she was to re-
ceive this tract.
Soon after the mistake had been dis
covered, Runels testified that Couts had
come into his office and told him that
he had got himself into a bad scrape
by the transaction and wanted Runels
to help him out. He urged that Mrs. Sc
pulveda would bring an expensive suit
against all parties concerned, and that
the best thing to do was to compromise
the matter. Runels looked at the mat
ter in about the same light and offered
to reassign the two mortgages Of $226
each on the land and deed Mrs. Sepulve-
da lot over on Brooklyn Heights, II this
would settle the matter Couts came In
again in short time and said that this
would be satisfactory. The two mort
cages were then assigned in blank and
delivered to Couts, who had acted all
along as agent with power Of attorney
from Mrs. Sepulveda.
Here a very peculiar transaction oc-
Cured. Runels says that instead of
canceling the mortgages, they were as
signed in blank, in order that they might
be transferred by Mrs. Sepulveda, as
Couts had represented that she wanted
to trade them for a span Of mules. In
stead Of delivering them, Couts inserted
his own name In the blank spaces and
subsequently sold them to De Garmo &
Trout for $3.50.
Couts went upon the stand and testi-
fed to having been given the power of
attorney by Mrs. Sepulveda to act as
her agent and claimed that the money
received from the sale Of the mortgages
was applied as directed by her. Mrs.
Sepulveda emphatically denies this and
claims that she never knew anything
about the mortgages. The case will be
continued Wednesday, when interesting
developments will be looked for.