The herald., 1898-11-14
IMPLICATION OF HUNTER
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS
MARE By HARRY r. CLARK
PERJURY or THE DEFENDANT
Theories Tending to the Conviction
That Hunter May Know More
Than He Has Told

liz AAutuSA VI w OuB DlIlR nay tuG Alll
nese laundryman, at Tropico on the evening
CT May II last bids fair to become celebrated
in the criminal annals of Los Angeles coun
ty. Circumstantial evidence alone was ad
duced at the trial of Harry Il. Clark upon
which to base verdict, but this pointed
with such undeniable directness to Clark al
the one who inflicted the fatal wounds that
on that evidence he was found guilty oi
murder in the second degree, and today al
10 a. III. is the time for which the passing o.
sentence upon him was set by Judge Smith
Meantime the defendant has sworn to an
affidavit charging Joe Hunter with the
crime for which he himself stands con
yicted.
Neither Hunter nor Clark sustained O
good reputation before the crime was com
mitted. Clark had been arrested for bicy-
Gle stealing, was living in adultery with Lett
tia Alice at Joe Hunters house, drinking
carousing and associating on terms of init
macy with the Hunters, and had found his
level with the gang at Tropico. The Hun
ters were no better. Evidence elected at
Clark's trial showed that George Hunter, a
brother of Joe, was living in illicit relations
with Mrs. Gregg, grass widow of Mexican
birth. Letita Alec testified that Joe had
asked her to leave Clark and take up with
him, and Joe's own testimony, backed up
by that of numerous other witnesses, showed
Joe Hunter to be drunken scamp, quite
capable of permitting her to stay with
young Clark under his own roof or of per-
suading her to assume similar unlawful re-
lations with himself.
These two men lived alone in the Hunter
house, under which the dead body of the
Chinaman was found, for Lettia Alice had
at last come to a realization of the fact that
she ought to be at home, or, more likely,
that the funds were running low, and she
had returned to the city the day before.
1t was natural, since the Chinaman was
last seen at Joe Hunters, that the officers
should endeavor to find some clcw there
which should aid them in their search for
the missing Chinaman. They did not know
his body was packed away back OF the Chin
ney in the narrow space under the floor, but
they went to Joe Hunters to catch the trail
which they must pursue If they were to learn
what had become of him. Joe Hunter was
n constable and had sent telephone mes
sage to the sherif's office that something
was wrong out there, and they wanted to
get at the facts.
Suspicion was directed toward young
Clark, and he was taken along with them,
not under arrest, for no measures were tax
en- to keep him under surveillance. At Gar
vanza, while the officers were in the laundry,
trying to open chest belonging to the miss
ing Chinaman and get photograph of him
to aid them in their search, Clark took ad-
vantage of the opportunity and drove away
at iull speed. Being thrown from the wag-
on, he proceeded ON foot to the mountains,
telling different stories to the people he met
to account for his appearance. He had lost
his hat, torn his trousers, and in due time he
was hungry. These circumstances compelled
him to ask for help from strangers.
To the man who loaned him cap he said
he was on the train and a gust of wind had
blown his hat away; to another he said he
bad fallen from horse and torn his clothes.
Being at last arrested, he told story to the
sheriff differing in essential features both
from his testimony on the witness stand and
from his latest revelation duplicating Joe
Hunter. What he actually told Sheriff Burr
was not brought out at the trial, Judge
Smith sustaining the objections of counsel
for the defense to such testimony as being
based on admissions of the defendant before
he was allowed to communicate with Mr..
Allen, the lawyer who had been retained by
Mrs. Clark to act in behalf of her son.
Contradictory statements made by Clark
while testifying under oath at the trial and
in his affidavit accusing Hunter of the mur-
der, however, show the absolute unre-
liability of his word, whether delivered as
q mere statement of facts or as sworn testi-
mony. Some Of the more notable points of
diversion in the two statements will be re-
ferred to herein. Before attempting an anly-
sis of these two sworn accounts, however,
it may be said that from first to last there
has been much unanimity of opinion that
Clark, though actually guilty of the murder,
must have had some help in dragging the
body of the Chinaman under the house.
Some have even gone so far as to say that
there were reasons for believing that the
murder had been suggested by Joe Hunter,
committed by Clark, and the evidences of
the crime cleaned away, so far as it could be
hastily done, by both Clark and Hunter.
But others have been of the opinion that
Hunter came home that night in half
drunk condition, and, learning of the mur.
der, had helped Clark to remove the body
from under the bed, where he had left it |
temporarily, and stow it away under the
house. Which of these theories is the cor
rect one, if either, only Clark and Joe Hunt |
er can tell. There are circumstances favor |
luH DOtH SuplUSitlOus
On the witness stand, as the climax of his |
testimony and in response to the most sol |
emn interrogations of Mr.. Shinn, his attor-
ney, Clark swore positively that he did not |
commit the crime and that in the sight of |
heaven he was ignorant of who did kill the |
Chinaman. Not symptom of hesitation
did he manifest when swearing to what he |
now declares to have been a falsehood He |
said he left the Chnaman at the Hunter |
house at 5:l5 p. m, when he started to |
Glendale after roll of butter, and never
saw him again. He now says the Chinaman |
was still there when he got back at 1880 |
p. m, and that Hunter killed him in his
presence, afterwards picking the body up |
and putting it under the bed where the |
piece of carpet was afterward cut away.
There are some weak spots in this state |
ment. At the trial Clark said Hunter did |
not appear to be drunk that night. He now
says Hunter was intoxicated and feeling
pretty ugly. At the trial he told about |
Hunters going to bed early and rising later
to participate in the meal prepared by
Letitia Alice, who arrived about 0 D. M.
with young man and woman, friends Of I
hers, to pay them an evening call.
The young people found Hunter in bed
when they went to the house, and Clark
testified that he himself was about retiring
when he heard the knock at the door and
recognized their voices. After they went
away Clark, according to his former story
went to bed, fell asleep quickly and kneu