The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-06
ANNA MENTEL
WILL KNOW HER
FATE TODAY
DefenseM Conclude
This Morning.
THE ACCUSED WILL TESTIFY
DEFENSE has AN IMPORTANT
SAN JOSE WITNESS.
Damaging Affidavit and Statement
Made by Mentel Prior to His
Taking the Girl as
Wife.
THE ACCUSED WILL TESTIFY
DEFENSE has AN IMPORTANT
SAN JOSE WITNESS.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,


90S Broadway, April O.
The fate Of Anna Mentel. who shot her
husband. William F. Mentel, in Alameda
on December l of last year, will proba-
bly, be determined by the jury tomorrow
afternoon.
The murder trial apparently possesses
but little of the quality of that morseI so
much sought after by the ordinary court
room frequenter Though both prosecu-
ton and defense are ably represented by
some of the foremost attorneys, the trial
has been thus far absolutely devoid of
those nice technicalties, profuse objec-
lions and spicy morsels of sensational
testimony usually anticipated at such
trials.
When the trial was resumed this morn
ing the accused, mere girl. was accom-
panied by her parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Adolph Mentel, and a sister, and
throughout the tedious examination of
witnesses she sat quietly by her attor-
neys, W. W. Foote, Guy c. Earl and
Iafe Pence, listening apparently indiffer-
ent and hardly realizing the seriousness
Of her crime.
During the day the prosecution put on
the WitneSs-Stand its remaining wit
nesses-John l.. Ansel, brother-in-law Of
the deceased NJ. L. Gillogly, conductor
on that fateful night; Miss NJ. l..
GueTne, who watched over the accused
girl while she was being attended to for
her self-infiicted injuries by Dr.. Lub-
book at his office; ". L. Smith, a passen-
ger on the electric car; DR.. H. S. Buteau,
who testified to the autopsy held on Men
tel, describing the bullet wound over the
left ear and flesh wound on Mentels left
side; Arthur Jenkins, a student, who
helped the accused on car; Henry T.
Morris, an Alameda Justice of the Peace,
who arrived at the scene shortly after
the shooting; George w. Shreve, in front
of whose home in Alameda the shooting
occurred, and James F. Fowler, Deputy
Coroner at Alameda, who removed Men
tel'S remains to the MOrgue.
But in the main the testimony was prac-
tically a reiteraton of that given at the
preliminary hearing. However, John An
sci made one contradiction. At the pre-
liminary hearing he had stated that
Mentel was unmarried; now he testified
he was married Jenkins was slightly
badgered by Attorney Foote, for the de-
tense. He swore that he saw Mentel lying
on the sidewalk, with one hand in his
pocket, so that the knuckles were not
exposed, while yesterday John Conrad
testified the lInuckles were exposed.
At 8 o'clock the prosecution rested, and
Attorney FOOte, on behalf of the defense,
announced that he would be ready to sub
nit the case to the jury tomorrow. He
would have his instructions submitted
early in the forenoon, and consented to
the instructions being given orally.
The defense then introduced a certified
copy of the marriage license and affidavit
made by the deceased when he applied
at the Santa Clara County Clerks office
for the license; also the letter written by
Mentel to Judge J. w. Glass of San Jose,
dated Alameda, November 8, 1898, wherein
he requested that 1.-The marriage certi-
fcate be mailed in a plain envelope as
soon as possible, as may leave California
within four weeks
When the trial is resumed tomorrow
at $3.50 o'clock Attorney FOOte will make
q brief opening statement to the jury, and
so far as known but few witnesses will be
called by the defense.
The plea of the accused girl Will be self
defense, and she will take the witness
stand in her own behalf Upon her testi-
mony and that of J. NJ. Shilue, Deputy
County Clerk at San Jose, the defense
banks great hopes The latter is the one
before whom Mentel made his affidavit
and to whom Mentel had stated that he
wished the fact of his marriage kept
quiet for a while because he intended to
skip out" In this affidavit Mentel swears
that he and the girl were residents of San
Rafael, when as a matter of fact neither
ever lived there and, moreover, he gave
his name as Manton.
The only real interest centered about
$he close of the trial is the fact that ex-
Congressman LATE Pence, known as the
''silver-tongued orator of Colorado" will
use his argUmentative abilities in behalf
of the girls acquittal before the jury.