The herald., 1897-09-02
About 4 Hundred Witnesses
IN McCamish's Trial
cIRcuMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE
THE PRELIMINARY GROUND rs
CLEARED
The Pasadena Bank Sued for an Ac.
counting-A Hard Contingent.
The Divorce Mill

rne trial of Ed McCamish on the
charge of having murdered Mccoy Pyle
at the Castaic switch, quite close to the
Ventura county line, on the oath of April
last, began yesterday in department one.
It may safely be prognosticated that
In one respect at least the trial will be a
record breaker, and that will be in the
length of time consumed in the presenta-
tion of the case. AS a general rule, a
murder trial that takes three or four
days in the hearing furnishes material
upon which the defendants attorneys
can build up a bill of exceptions that will
give the supreme court something to
vile away its idle moments with for the
best part Of year. This being so, 1t is
not consoling to think that the prosecu-
tion in the McCamish case have about
seventy witnesses. the defense about
half as many, and wagon load of ex-
hibits will keep opposing counsel at
loggerheads for days. In all it is said the
trial will last for two weeks and possibly
will extend into the third. There is just
one hope for escape from such an inf1ic-
tion. If the court holds both prosecution
and defense down to matters that are
strictly relevant the trial will not con-
sumo more than week in hearing, and
the chances of essential justice being
done will be just as great as if the trial
should be prolonged.
Assistant District Attorney Williams
is prosecuting the case, and the law firm
p. p,1c r q lin
ed for the defense.
Almost the entire day was taken UP in
filling the jury panel, and when COM
pleted both prosecution and defense had
very nearly exhausted their challenges.
In examining jurors there were just two
points upon which Mr.. Williams laid
especial stress. He was urgent in know
ing whether the juror under examina-
tion would as readily convict on circum-
stantial evidence as on direct testimony;
and also whether there existed any con-
scientious scruple with regard to capital
punishment. The defense confined their
examination to the one point whether
the juror would give the defendant ths
benefit II he was not convinced of his
guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. AT
noon only three jurors had been obtain
ed, and it was a few moments before
o'clock before the panel was completed,
as follows:
Daniel r. Browning Edwin Munsey,
Rowland r. Smith, c. E. Patterson,
Amos W. Shumway Evan E. Owens
Frederick Maskew, Theodore H. Klages,
Franklin Johnson, Andrew S. Atkinson,
J. w. Eyestone, Franklin B. Anderson.
Coroner Campbell was the first wit
ness put forward by the prosecution, and
he testified to the death Of Mccoy Pyle
by bullet having penetrated his brain.
and other facts in connection with his
finding the body of the deceased.
Such testimony, while absolutely es-
sential in legal sense, possessed little
interest, inasmuch as most of his narra-
tion was published at the time of the
murder. There was an exception, how
ever. McCamish told the witness in
brief about the killing; how it was done
and when, and upon cross-examination
the Importance of some of these facts
was family foreshadowed.
McCamish was deputy under Cor
stable Pyle and both of them went down
to Castaic, according to the defendants
story to the coroner, in order to head off
q couple Of belligerent tramps. The de-
fendant stated to the witness that they
stood inside the door of the little house,
so that they might not be seen, and when
the two Weary Wraggles' came along
and passed in front of the door the two
constables ordered them to hold up their
hands. They did so, and while Mccain
ish was putting the handouts upon the
tramp he heard a shot, and, turning
around, saw Pyle in the act of falling to
the ground. In thus describing the re-
spective attitudes of himself and his su-
perior officer, McCamish described the
positions, according to the witness, ap-
proximately as shown in the appended
rough sketch: