The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-07
SANDBfRG CAME BACK
As HE WAS NOT WANTED PERsE-
CUTIou ENsUEO
HE WAS IN ELKLAND'S WAY
4 Novel Concealed in the Dry Details
Of q Criminal Trial for Grand
Larceny


Department one of the superior court. 1
was that of Peter r. sandberg. Swede
who, with his wife, kept boarding hous
at San Pedro. Sandberg has been in jai
for couple of months but the boarding
house is stili at the old stand in the abb.
hands of Froke Sandberg, running at sum
mer rates warranted by the hot weathe
and the dull times due to Secretary Alger
The charge against Sandberg was gran,
larceny He took $3.50 in gold, suit o,
clothes and watch belonging to Alder
Elkland, one of his boarders, out of his
trunk and buried the plumber in the COW
barn. Elkland is by far the better looking
man, and considerably younger than the
defendant. Sandberg was Jealous of Elk
land and had accused him of being intima ts
with his wife. 1t would seem from the evil
dence that Sandberg knew of no better way
to get even than by hiding Elklands wealth
and making an attack upon his sack In
revenge for the assault made by the com
planning witness upon his honor.
One of the inconsis tencies which charac-
terize Assistant District Attorney Will
Hams and make him appear eccentric al
times when trying cases occurred yester
day. He asked the courts permission te
have Judge Savage of San Pedro associ-
ated in the prosecution and when the re-
quest was granted he allowed Savage to
conduct the case alone for the people and
withdrew This would not be so strange
q proceeding but for what had previously
transpired at San Pedro at the preliminary
examination in May.
Judge Savage was there also, associated
with Mr.. Williams, but he took issue at the
assistant district attorneys way of elicit
ing information from the witnesses. The
lawyer said that when the district attorney
got around and appeared to be more favor
able to the defense than he was to the pros
ecution, then he felt that 1t became his duty
to Interfere in the case" Mr.. Williams
was riled, and replied that Mr.. Savage
could not interfere. II ask" he said, that
Mr.. Savage's name be stricken from the
record as an attorney. object to your ap-
pearing now. represent both sides when
appear in a case" The justice cut discus
sion short by recognizing Judge Savage.
Mr.. Williams change of mind under such
circumstances was somewhat glazing.
The story of Sandberg's crime as told by
the witnesses Is that on February 7th of
this year he opened the trunk belonging to
Elkland with false key, took out $3.50 in
gold, which he buried in the COW barn, a
watch and suit of clothes. The case was
placed in the hands of Detective Burns.
Mrs. Sandberg was heard to plead with her
husband to give up the money and the de-
PENDANT was shortly afterward seen to dig
near the barn with a shovel. He turned
the money over to his wife and she gave it
to the detective. Elkland testified that he
got back the clothes, the watch and half
of the money-the detective kept the rest
within week after it had been stolen from
the trunk. Sandberg disappeared from San
Pedro and 1t was alleged that he had gone
to the Klondike, but in reality he had
shipped as sailor for a trip to Europe.
No complaint was filed at the time.
On May oath Sandberg showed up again
at the seaport town and took to drinking
When In his cups he threatened to take
Elklands life for his supposed intimacy
with Mrs. Sandberg. When Elkland was
Informed of 1t he became scared and he
ewore out complaint against the husband
for grand larceny.
The defendant told on tho stand that Elk
land had been on terms Of intimacy with
his wife right along. and that her trunk.
even. was placed in the complaining wit
ness room. He knew that she had saved
q considerable amount of money from the
rents collected of boarders and the result
OF his own earnings. If he could get hold
of this sum and hide il ne believed that he
might once again be boss in his own house
and induce his wife to bounce his hated rival
On the day that he took the money his wife
had forgotten trunk key and he found It.
He opened the trunk, and, fully believing II
to be the money belonging TO himself and
his wife, removed and hid it, NOS with the
criminal intent to apply it to his own per-
sonal uses. When his wife pleaded with
him that 1t was not her money, but that OF
Elkland he gave 1t back to her to hand to
the complaining witness. She then gave
him enough cash to take a tript to Sweden
and impressed upon him the ACCESSIBILITY OF
staying there. While in Europe he brooded
over the way in which he believed himself
10 have been duped and returned to face
the music.
The jury was out less than an hour and a
half, but that was long enough 10 convince
them that there was no possibility Of their
ever reaching a verdict. Seven were firmly
convinced of Sandberg's innocence and the
five others that he was guilty. On motion
Of the district attorney the case was then
dismissed, and the defendant was dis
charged.
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