The herald., 1898-06-06
RESULT OF THE CORONERS IN
QUEST YESTERDAY
HUNTER STILL IN CUSTODY
Clark Maintains Remarkable Com
posture and Refuses to Talk.
Exonerates Hunter

!, ers house at Tropico last Tuesday. Inc
coroner's jury arrived at this conclusion
at the inquest on the remains of Wong yes
terday morning. Joe Hunter was not men,
toned in the verdict, but Sheriff Burr
decided to keep him in custody until the
train of evidence can be more fully inves-
tigated. The officers have not yet discov-
cred positive motive for the killing. 1t
was at first thought that robbery was the
reason for the crime, but when $l2 was
found in Wong Sings trousers, this theory
received a setback. Another point on
which there is considerable mystery, and
which is probably the principal reason for
the detention of Joe Hunter, is that of the
disposition of the body. The majority of
the officers are inclined to believe that
Clark could not, unaided, have dragged the
body under the house. Who his accom-
plce was now demands solution.
In young Clark the officers find char
acter possessed of considerable will power
and one who will fight every inch of ground.
He has already shown plenty of nerve, but
whether he will retain his composure re-
mains to be seen. 1t is apparent that the
officers have not yet succeeded in getting
any serious admissions from him. Yester-
day Clark gave quite an exhibition of nerve.
to view the remains of the murdered Chi
nese at the undertaking rooms of Dexter
Samson, where the inquest was about to
be held. Clark replied that he did not
care, and was taken to the body. If his
custodians expected him to betray himself,
they We're disappointed, for Clark coolly
stood at the side of the dead Chinese, sur
veyed the body from top to toe and gave no
| eli Of ban If IL ha1 hpen q
| piece of wood.
On the advice of his counsel, c. Allen.
Clark declined to testify at the inquest
The young prisoner looks everybody
squarely in the eye, and, though his APP
pearance and general type are certainly
against him, he has done nothing yet to
| indicate weakness.
| 1t was thought that from Miss l.. Alac,
handsome young Spanish girl, solution
of the motive for the murder might have
been learned, but investigation does not
confirm this idea. This girl stayed some
time at the Hunter place, cooking for the
two men, and Clark is said to have been
enamored with her. On last Monday Clark
and Joe Hunter drove her to the city, as
| she was leaving the place, and Clark asked
her if she would return provided he gave
her s2O She replied that she would. The
murder of the Chinese following so closely,
caused some people to believe that, in his
desire for her return, Clark might have
killed the Chinese in ordr to get money.
When interviewed yesterday the girl
stated that the affair had all been a joke.
and Clark knew that she had left the place
never to return, because her mother had
commanded her to come home.
Another point over which there was con-
| siderable suspicion was concerning Joe
Hunters buggy On Wednesday the rig
had been turned over to deputy constable
on the Buena Vista bridge by John Nealis
with the request that he return it to the
owner. Nealis stated yesterday that he had
borrowed the rig from Joe on Tuesday
| evening" while they were at AL Barrell's
saloon, near Joe's house, and, after driv-
ing over to Verdugo to collect a bill, had
ridden home in the buggy to Los Angeles
The reason for the horses looking jaded
on Wednesday was due to Nealis' having
driven it about the city, as he was feeling
bad.
At the inquest nothing new was elected,
except that Joe Hunter testified regard
| ing his movements on Tuesday. Wong
Fong, Under Sheriff Clement Deputy Sher-
if Frank Davis and Deputy Constable JAS
Johnson related the circumstances of the
finding of the body under Joe Hunters
house. and DIR. c. w. Murphy, who per-
formed a very trying autopsy on the dead
| Chinese, described the gunshot wounds, as
related in The Herald yesterday By Mrs.
Mary Gregg, the housekeeper of Geo. Hunt
er. 1t was shown that Clark had been the
| only person about the Joe Hunter house on
Tuesday, the day on which the murder &C.
Cured. Samuel Hunter related the circum-
| stances of Clark's borrowing the shotgun
from his father, and J. w. Penland told of
Clark's getting four shells for the gun from
him on the afternoon of the same day.
| Penland further stated that he had heard
two shots fired at Joe Hunters house, the
first being at about o'clock in the after
| noon and the last, which was muffled,
some time after. Aurelien lie Page, the
shepherd boy, told how he had seen the
Chinese laundry man drive up to the Joe
Hunter place, and heard two muffled dull
shots come from the house. followed by the
appearance of Clark, who went to the
laundry wagon, looked in, and then walked
over to the other side of the house and
gazed around the country, as II trying to
see If anybody was approaching and then
re-entered the house.
In his statement, Joe Hunter said that
he drove to Los Angeles Tuesday morn
ing and remained until late in the after
noon, when, accompanied by Nealis, he
; had driven back toward his place. He die
not go there at once, however, but stopped
for some time in BARRELS saloon, talking
business with w. Murphy, an attorney.
When he went to the door he found that
Neais or somebody else had gone away
with his rig, so he had walked home. He
arrived about between Z and o'clock and
found Clark there.
After being closeted for short time, the
Jury returned the following verdict
1--WE find that the deceased, Wong
Sing Hay, came to his death from
shotgun wounds in the neck and head,
and we, the jury, from the evidence ad-
duced, believe that said wounds were
inflicted by one Harry Clark"
, Clark does not propose to commit him
self in any interview and declined to make
a statement yesterday. In answer to a
question, he said: at know nothing about
the murder and had nothing to do with it. -
He was then asked whether Joe Hunter
had killed Wong Sing Hay, and to this re-
f piled:
mo, he did not; that is, do not even