The herald., 1898-05-03
LAS vIRGfNfS MURDER
lE0UNTAINEERS WHO KILLED AN
OLD sQUATTEE
CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION
Mrs. Hilton, Who Saw Her Husband
Shot, Tells How Cardwell and
Harris Did It

The trial Of j. /. Harris and George card
we'll, the two young Las Virgenes men who
are accused of having murdered John W.
Hilton another squatter who was 67 years
of age at the time of his death, near his
house on January I'D, by shooting him.
was commenced yesterday in Department
One of the superior court. Contrary 10
what Is unusually the case when murder
trials are on, the court room was but
sparsely filled, most of those present peing
of a description that never fails to De on
hand every day. no matter how dry the
proceedings may be. This class of people
generally relieve the tedum of case de-
void of interest by taking a snooze when
the baliff is not looking.
There was no great trouble in securing a
Jury the panel of Department Six being
called upon to fill the jurors box. Those
selected were T. ]. Lockhart, ]. T. Fay,
John Lowell, Isaac Dague, John Bloesssr,
p. T. Seymore, ]. w. Arnold, George w.
williamson Ed Mcdonald, James w.
Eyestone, Elmore F. Badger and Otto H.
Sprong.
Assistant District Attorney VIM. T. Will
liams represents the people and X. A.
Ling and Frank F. Davis were associated
as attorneys for the defense. jury was
secured before the noon adjournment and
the taking of testimony commenced imme-
diately after court convened in the after
noon, The first witness called was DR..
Campbell, the county coroner who held an
inquest upon Hilton on the day after the
homicide. He found seven buckshot
wounds on the anterior portion of de-
ceaseds body, extending from the neck
and face down to the thighs. There was a
wound through the heart which was the
one. that killed Hilton instantly, and one
In the left temple, near the outer angle of
the left eye.
s. H Chapman a Calabasas farmer, a
brother-in-law of the defendant, Cardwell,
next took the stand. He was Hilton's
neighbor and heard of the killing few
minutes after the murder. He had heard
the report of the two guns. Mrs Hilton
came directly from her house to where the
witness stood. about forty rods away, and
told him of the deed. He then went up and
found Hilton lying behind a tree about
sixty feet from the defendants wagon.
Harris asked the witness to go UP and see
II the old man was dead. When he saw
that Hilton was lifeless he said to the de-
PENDANTS: Boys, you have got yourselves
In trouble" They made no reply at first
but said later that they would go and give
themselves up. The witness then de-
scribed how he had found the body lying
on the ground with gun across his right
arm and the left arm over it.
Mrs. c. J. Hilton, the widow of old Hill
ton, herself 70 years Of age, was the last
witness for the prosecution. She told how
her husband was cultivating his grain in
q field, and seeing the defendants coming
with a wagon, he went to the house. The
men came through the gate after opening
1t and shut it. She told Hilton he had bet.
ter let his gun alone. He told his wife no,
to let them enter the gate. The deceased
then walked out and told the defendants
three times to go back. When he said II
the third time he was about fifteen fee,
from the tree and they shot him down. He
had his hands hanging down and his gun
packing" alongside. 1t was not cooked
and he never raised It, She walked up to
the recumbent body and Harris ordered
her back. He had his gun resting on the
wagon wheel to shoot Hilton if he should
raise himself up again. She then went
over to the Chapman's and told them about
the shooting.
Attorney Ling made an opening address
for the defense, outlining what he and his
associate expected to prove and court then
adjourned till 10 o'clock this morning.