The herald., 1897-11-24
Miss Holmes Slips a Note
to q Prisoner
ALSO A PACKAGE OF CAYENNE
MRS. LOUISA CREEDE REFUSES
TO BE BLACKMAILED
~Poker" Davis Again Slips Through
the Meshes of the Law-Ctty's
Sewerage That Is Healthful

There was quite a sensational little
episode in Department five yesterday,
when George Bassett, who was on trial
for robbery, was being removed from
the court room at noon.
Two young ladies had occupied seats
not far removed from Bassett, and
when court adjourned and the attorneys
began to move around preparatory to
leaving the courtroom, one of these
handed his hat to the defendant. The
noticed that she had handed something
else beside his hat to Bassett and under
cover of it. He asked the defendant to
accompany him into the jury room and
there found that n sealed letter and
paper bag containing about couple of
handfuls of cayenne pepper had been
conveyed to Bassett. Inside this bag
was one of the business cards of w. T.
Blakely of counsel for the defense, bear
ing the following inscription in poorly
formed characters:
{: Darling. George has the pepper; will
{: call UP early tomorrow; | am in court
!: this morning. we have the field and
!: intend keeping it; hurrah. have quit
my job this morning; will try and see
you when you come to court; good
by, with love. dear.
Very naturally this discovery created
quite sensation in and about the court
room. The two girls had disappeared,
but they reappeared at o'clock, and ex-
pectation was rife as to what steps
would be taken, If any, to punish the
person who had handed such deadly ma
terial as cayenne pepper to a prisoner
in such surreptitious manner. Only
one reason for its being given could be
inferred, and that was that Bassett or
some other prisoner might dash it in the
eyes of the deputy sheriff when being
brought into or taken out Of court and
under cover of the confusion that would
ensue make his escape.
The matter was taken under consid-
Grafton by Deputy District Attorney
McComas during the noon recess. but
he found that the law could not be made
to cover the case. Unless it could be
shown that the pepper was given with
evil intent, to be used illicitly, the law
bearing upon attempts to give aid to
prisoner in making his escape would not
apply.
When court re-convened Mrs. Corser
and Miss May Holmes, the two ladies al
ready referred to, were again in court,
sitting close to Bassett, the defendant.
Deputy District James. who is prosecut-
ing the case, asked the court that an or
der be made excluding all witnesses out
side the railing and the order was made.
During the afternoon Miss Holmes
went upon the witness stand for the de-
fense, and upon cross-examination was
asked why she passed the pepper to the
defendant. She said that she gave the
pepper for Bassett to use with his food,
and the note was intended for friend of
hers in Jail; his name she refused to
give.
Bassett is the man who was arrested
with one Williams for having held up
Mr.. and Mrs. f. B. Burns, on the night OF
Aug. l. on Flower street. between Tenth
and Eleventh streets. They only got a
silver watch and were shortly afterward
arrested. Williams pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to twenty years at San
quentin, but BasSett preferred to stand
his trial. He is not bad looking younf.
fellow and Is we'll dressed but he has
served time before and is even now out
on parole, having three years unexpired
on his last sentence.
The further hearing will be continued
to-day.