The herald., 1897-05-14
A QUEER CASE
Cokanour Repudiates His
Confession
HE DID NOT MEAN 1T
Thought He Was Signing Some.
thing Else
A NEGLIGENT HACK DRIVER
WILL NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR
HIS CARELEssNEsS
a NEGLIGENT HACK DRIVER
WILL NOW HAVE TO PAY FOR
HIS CARELESSNESS
0arrett's Suit Against Chief Glass and
Detective Goodman Submitted.
Minor Suits - General
Court Notes

The Jury which listened to the evil
dence in the Cokanour arson case failed
to agree yesterday and the case will
have to go over to be set for new trial.
Seven of the jurymen were for con-
yiction and five for acquittal.
This case presents some very strange
features. Cokanour is charged with
having fired a building at Duarte on
the 18th Of April belonging to. John Bax-
ter. No one was at home at the time.
AS soon as the building was burned,
Cokanour hunted up Constable B. r.
Davidson and told what had happened.
He then proceeded to the house of JUS
tice of the Peace C. f. Cook and calling
him out of bed late at night made the
same statement to him. Justice Cook
drew UP a confession which was signed
bv Cpkanour. 1t read as follows:
T. Ezra A. Cokanour, of Duarte, here
by make this confession that on the
morning Of April 18th 1897 I did delib-
erately set fire to the dwelling house
of John Baxter in Duarte. I hereby GER
tify and state that 1 had been drinking
and being in trouble and wanting money
to send to my mother, from whom had
lust received a letter apprising me of
the death of my sister and being in
great trouble and under the influence
of liquor scarcely realized what was
about until after / had set the fire and
am now able to realize and understand
the gravity of the offense and am sorry
that committed the deed.
EZRA N. COKANOUR.
Subscribed to before me this 18th day
Of April 1897, Cyrus F. Cooke, Justice
sof the Peace"
When he came into court for trial
Cokanour repudiated this confession.
He admits signing the document but
states that he was so excited at the time
when it was read to him he did not un-
derstand it.
He said he had been given permission
by Mr.. Baxter, the owner of the house,
to sleep there whenever he wanted to.
On the 18th Of April he went to the place
to sleep and found the beds mussed.
There were two beds in the same room
with a narrow space between them. Co.
kanour set the lamp down upon the floor
in this space and went into one of the
other rooms to get some covers to make
up the beds.
When he came back he found the bed
clothes near the lamp blazing up He
attempted put out the fire but was un-
able to do so and then started out to get
some water to quench the flames. When
he got back the whole interior of the
room was in blaze.
After that he hurried over to Con-
stable Davidson's house and told the
officer about the fire. They both went
together to find Justice Cook. When he
arrived there he wanted to tell all he
knew about the fire in order to protect
himself from prosecution but he did
not mean to say that he had purposely
fired the building. When the Justice
asked him if he were guilty he replied
that he was, meaning that he was the
cause of the fire but not that he had in
tended to burn the building.
John Baxter, the owner of the property
which was burned, testified that his re-
lations with Cokanour had always been
or the pleasantest nature. He had known
him for several years, had EMPLOYED
MIN on his ranch at Duarte for the
past TWO years, and has ALWAYS
found him thoroughly Trustworthy.
Some time ago he gave him the KEYS to
the building and told him that he might
sleep there whenever he desired. He
has always had the utmost confidence
IN the man and does not now believe
tnat ne purposely fired the building.