Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-17
CONSPIRACY CASES
Cross Examination Of the Leading
Figurein the Story About Matters
in Missouri and New Mexico.
FORNOFF ENTERS A DENIAL
Garner Knows a Great Deal About Grim.
inal Matters and Villains in the
State From Which He
Came.

Uame.
AT 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon the
hearing in the penitentiary conspiracy
case was resumed by the cross-eXami-
of Garner by Judge Laughlin for
the defense. In beginning the cross-eX-
animation the judge went back to Mis-
souri, and began to ask the witness
coming to New Mexico. Gamers men,
Dry was remarkably short when lead
ing and pertinent questions were asked
him, but at last the judge succeeded in
getting Garner to acknowledge that
about the time the supposed meeting
between Mr.. Catron and Williams and
his partner Tate took place in Will
liams' barn a man by the name of Fitch
gave Garner a mortgage on $50 head OF
cattle for s. 5000. At this point in the
examination Garner lost his control and
was visibly embarrassed, hesitatine
long before answering the questions
put to him, finally stating that the
mortgage was made for Williams, but
he did not know what the money wa
wanted for. He then rehashed his story
told in the morning concerning the con-
versation had with Merrill in the cab
bage patch regarding acquaintance in
Missouri, and the plan to concoct a
scheme whereby a chain of evidence
could be manufactured against Mr..
Catron.
After considerable fencing on direct
questions Garner stated that he was
asked by Merrill to name two men in
Missouri of bad character to figure in
the story, and he named Tate and Will
to a band of hard characters in Newton
county, Mo-, but he knew of nothing
bad they had done, except what had
been told him by a ma by the name of
Meadows and another by the name Of
Armstrong. Judge Laughlin finally sue
ceeded in making Garner acknowledge
that Tate married a cousin of his, and
that Williams was an intimate ac-
q~uaintance. He knew nothing of the
murder of a little girl by the name of
Maggie Campbell, except that Tate and
Williams had told him the child was
dead. His knowledge of the train hold
up and safe-blowing was derived from
what had been told him by the same
men.
At the time all these crimes were
committed Garner said he was in Auro-
"a, Mo-, following the painters trade
when there was any painting to be
done, and filing in odd times by work.
ing as a laborer at whatever he could
find to do. When he was asked the di-
rection question, Were you not what
was commonly known as a confidence
MANI" he evaded the question by
branching off on a story of what 9TH
ers had told him about the bad men Of
Newton county. He denied that the $500
he claimed Mr.. Catron sent him was
flched from a neighboring farmer by a
game. Judge Laughlin then
came back to the scenes about the New
Mexico ~penitentiary, but Garner was
very shy about answering the questions
asked, stating that the first conversa-
ton had about the poisoning plot was
with Mr.. Merrill, and then he afterward
talked with Colonel Bergman about
the matter. According to his story he
never asked any one to aid him in get
ting a pardon, but that he was prom
Used a pardon and his release from the
penitentiary if he would aid in o n
cocting a scheme to keep MI. Catron
out of office, but did not know what Of
flee Mr.. Catron held or wanted; in fact,
he knew nothing about Mr.. Catron, and
not care to know. He said he had
told two or three fellow-convicts a part
Of the scheme to poison a number of
men, but not all of the arrangements
that had been made to carry out the
deal.
Judge Laughlin then carried the mat
involved in the hearing back to
incidents connected with the cattle
mortgage, which were sadly perplexing
% Garner, who could not remember the
connected with a business matter
which involved $4,000, and the attorney
knew more about the trans
action than did Garner. Garner then
again became very evasive in his an
'Wers, and fell back on II was told so
~ Williams and Tate" Judge Laugh
in again took up Gamers family af-
airs, and asked him if he knew any
hing about the murder of a man by the
of Poore and his family, which
ook place on the ella river in New
about sixteen years ago, but the
could not remember anything
bout the circumstances. Garner had a |
'oor memory concerning different
rimes committed around CRANKY, Mo-,
'efore he left that place, and made |
answers to all questions asked
i'm. But his story was to the effect
hat Newton county, Mo-, had more bad |
to the square inch than any other
art of the Union, and that he was ac-
TAINTED with all Of them to the extent
{ telling how many of them were hung,